Investing In Athletic Trainers for Leadership, Personal and Professional Growth
Abstract:
Creating accessible leadership opportunities within healthcare is crucial for fostering engagement, professional development, diversity, and innovation. This abstract explores several strategies to help guide athletic trainers through a professional growth plan. These strategies include identifying areas of strength and areas for growth, building mentoring relationships, and connecting opportunities for service to the profession. These strategies will provide avenues to increase an intentional networking plan to connect and facilitate professional relationships. Investing in these initiatives will significantly contribute to personal and professional growth and will build a strong community that will ensure sustained engagement with the next generation of professionals.
Learning Objectives:
- Develop clear and detailed educational programs to enhance professional development.
- Foster an inclusive and welcoming environment during networking events to ensure healthcare leaders and early professionals feel valued and encouraged to participate.
- Promote open and transparent communication and mentorship for early professionals to explore leadership opportunities.
- Explore partnering with other external healthcare organizations to provide future leaders with avenues for professional development.
Level:
Essential
Domain(s):
Domain 5: Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility
Orthopedic Domain(s):
N/A
CEUs:
1.0 Category A
Keywords:
Leadership; Professional Development; Early Professional
Course Expiration:
This premium course offering must be completed within 12 months from the purchase date.
For full details, refer to the Expiration Date Policy on our FAQ page.
Jennifer Johnson, ATC
Jennifer Johnson, ATC is the Clinical Coordinator, School of Kinesiology at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. Jenni Johnson joined the Marshall Athletic Training staff as an Assistant Professor/Clinical Coordinator in August 2019. She completed her undergraduate studies at West Virginia University with a degree in Physical Education/Athletic Training. In her time at WVU she worked with the football, swimming & diving, men’s tennis, and gymnastics teams. Following her time at WVU, she earned her MS in Health & Wellness – Health Sciences from the University of Kentucky. While at UK, she provided coverage for the football, women’s basketball and gymnastics teams. She also completed a post graduate certification in sports counseling from the University of California of Pennsylvania.
Prior to joining the faculty at Marshall she was employed as an Associate Head Athletic Trainer and a faculty member in the Athletic Training Education Program at the University of Charleston. Her primary roles outside of the classroom involved working with the baseball and women’s soccer programs while providing secondary coverage of men’s & women’s tennis and men’s & women’s golf. She also served as mentor in the first year program to transition new students to college and campus life.
Jenni was also previously employed as the Director of Rehabilitation at WorldWide Chiropractic & Sports Medicine for 14 years as well as the Head Athletic Trainer for Ripley High School. Other recent positions have included being the Athletic Trainer for Revolution Gymnastics and Flip Fest Gymnastics Summer Camps. She also served as the Athletic Trainer for the Level 9 National Gymnastics Championships in Charleston and as the Athletic Trainer for the WV Lightning and Rockets Semi-Professional Football teams.
Jenni is a member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), Mid-Athletic Athletic Trainers’ Association (MAATA), and West Virginia Athletic Trainers’ Association (WVATA), where she is currently the acting President. Under her tenure as President she led the efforts to obtain state legislation to provide licensure for athletic trainers in the state of West Virginia, which will become state law in January 2020. She has also been the Chairperson of the Governmental Affairs Committee and is a current member of the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission (WVSSAC) Sports Medicine Committee. Jenni has received many national recognitions for her efforts throughout her career. She was awarded with the 2019 Board of Certification (BOC) Public Advocacy award and in 2013 she was awarded the Athletic Trainer Service Award from the National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA).
Emily Mulkey-Swisher, MS, LAT, ATC, CPT
Emily (Mulkey) Swisher joined the UCF sports medicine department in July 2025. She is primarily responsible for the women’s basketball and women's golf teams.
Prior to her arrival in Orlando, Swisher was a staff athletic trainer for Youngstown State from October 2021 to June 2025. She served as the primary care provider for the men's basketball and bowling programs. During her time at YSU, Swisher additionally spent time working with the women's soccer and tennis teams and the swim and dive programs.
While in Ohio, Mulkey Swisher served as the inaugural chair of the National Athletic Trainers Association's Early Professionals Committee from 2020-2024 and the Vice President of Governmental Affairs for the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association from 2023-2025.
Before joining the Penguins, Swisher worked at Virginia Commonwealth University, providing care for the track and field and cross-country programs. Additionally, Swisher worked at the University of Pittsburgh as the inaugural graduate assistant athletic trainer with the cheer, dance, and spirit programs while assisting the men's and women's basketball, football, and soccer teams.
Mulkey Swisher received her Bachelor of Science in athletic training from Ohio State University in 2019. She went on to earn her Master of Science in sports medicine from the University of Pittsburgh in 2021 and her Master of Business Administration in healthcare management from Youngstown State in 2024. Swisher's professional interests include healthcare business administration, transition to practice enhancement, and clinician cultural competence.
Outside of work, Swisher enjoys running, reading, and spending time with her husband, Matt, and their cat, Link.
