Florida Archives - The Sports Medicine Broadcast

July 14, 2026April 20, 2026

AT in Florida with Dr. Vanguri

Being an AT in Florida offers many opportunities. Dr. Pradeep Vanguri joins Ben Stephenson and Jeremy Jackson to share what being an AT in Florida is like.

Leadership in the Sunshine State: Dr. Pradeep Vanguri on the Future of Athletic Training in Florida

Jeremy Jackson and Ben Stevenson welcome Dr. Pradeep Vanguri, President of the Athletic Trainers Association of Florida (ATAF), to the Sports Medicine broadcast podcast to discuss the professional landscape in Florida. Dr. Vanguri shares his personal journey and outlines the crucial initiatives shaping athletic training across the 67 counties of Florida.

Dr. Vanguri's interest in sports medicine began in high school in North Carolina, but his decision to become an athletic trainer was cemented in college at East Carolina University after realizing he preferred being on the sideline with teams over working in a clinic or hospital setting. He eventually moved to the state of Florida, where his focus on service led him to the ATAF.

His leadership journey within the Athletic Trainers Association of Florida includes:

Serving as the Education Committee Chair for approximately six years.
Serving as Secretary for three years.
Serving as Vice President and then President-Elect.
Currently, he is in his third year of a three-year term as ATAF President, guiding the profession in Florida.

The Athletic Trainer Landscape in Florida

Dr. Vanguri emphasizes that the core strength of athletic training in Florida is its people—the dedicated clinicians and the close-knit professional community. The state offers numerous settings for athletic trainers, including industrial, college/university, secondary school, and professional teams like the Miami Dolphins, Panthers, and Inter Miami. The state also provides excellent opportunities for new and seasoned athletic trainers to continue their practice through collaboration, mentorship, and access to research from academic programs.

A common issue is the lack of full-time coverage and a high rate of turnover for athletic trainers across the 67 counties. The ATAF's goal is to recruit talent to Florida and work to ensure they stay by focusing on appropriate coverage, quality of life, and compensatory salary and benefits. Medical systems across major regions of Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and the Panhandle, are supporting these efforts.

Dr. Vanguri detailed three major initiatives he is championing during his tenure as President in Florida:

Loan Reimbursement Inclusion: Working to include athletic trainers in an existing state loan reimbursement program for rural assistance, which is centered within the Florida Department of Health, without asking for an increase in overall program funding.
Third-Party Reimbursement: A critical effort to quantify the value of athletic trainers and establish them as licensed medical professionals who deserve a “seat at the table” in the broader medical community. The ATAF is focused on supporting entities with a strong medical system infrastructure in Florida that can handle the billing.
CPR and AED Initiative: Working to help the general public understand the importance of layperson CPR and addressing the lack of interest in helping a victim due to the fear of legal retribution.

Why Athletic Trainers Should Choose Florida

Dr. Vanguri’s sales pitch for the state of Florida centers on its people. He urges athletic trainers to move to Florida for the opportunity to connect with individuals making a difference, as well as for the mentorship, research opportunities, and clinical growth provided by the state’s top-notch athletic trainers and supportive medical systems. While the sunshine and alligators are a perk, the central reason to come and stay in Florida is the robust professional community and the emphasis on work-life balance.

The Athletic Trainers Association of Florida annual meeting is scheduled for July 10th to 12th in Orlando, Florida.

To connect with Dr. Vanguri or the ATAF:

Email: president@ataf.org

Website and Social Media: ataf.org

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Donate and get some swag (like Patreon but for the school)

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MedBridge Education – Use “TheSMB” to save some money, be entered in a drawing for a second year free, and support the podcast.

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Athletic Dry Needling – Save up to $100 when registering through our link.

July 10, 2024April 8, 2024

IMG Academy Opportunities

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IMG Academy offers opportunities for Athletic Trainers different from most secondary settings. Kaitlyn Deshaies and Jared White share what life is like at IMG.

Kaitlyn, how did you get into Athletic Training, and what led you to IMG?

I was an injured athlete in high school.

I met an AT while traveling with the team and knew Athletic Training was what I was meant to do.

Jared White; IMG Academy; Athletic Trainer

Jared, How did you get into Athletic Training

Planned to go to med school and do orthopedics because I loved being in and around sports.

A random guy was sitting behind our bench with a little black bag and I started asking questions about him and what he did.

I had zero previous experience with Athletic Trainers.

Went to Anderson State University then transferred back to middle Tennessee State

Worked with Vanderbilt

GA at Auburn

Season intern with the KC Chiefs

Became the head AT for the KC Brigade Arena football

Became head AT in Nashville at a D2 school for about 7 years.

At the interview, I loved the IMG academy environment and leadership.

The academy has a boarding school with the traditional student life.

We do not have tryouts, but we have 12 support teams for the one baseball director.

We also have campers throughout the year.

Many pro teams use our campus as an off-season host site.

We are a for-profit business.

We have a very diverse population of TV Stars, a 10-year-old tennis player who is the son of an Abu Dhabi prince, professional athletes, and working-class athletes.

Wayne said there are a lot of unique growth opportunities for an AT at IMG. Can you explain?

You may have a camper here for a week or a student with a torn ACL.

Our ATs have a lot of physician interaction and see a lot of injuries.

Both Kaitlyn and Jared have been forced to grow.

As a for-profit business, we have to help the company make money.

Personal and professional growth.

We are focused on customer experience. Our staff has to understand the ins and outs of the business.

We are housed in a building that houses strength coaches, nutritionists, mental health specialists, leadership and character development, and sports science and data analytics.

We get to work with a lot of sponsors like Gatorade or Under Armor.

IMG Academy’s summer hires are looking for a staffer who can be part of our team in the future.

A good candidate needs to be a part of the team and do the same tasks as the full-time staff.

You do need to be an LAT to work in Florida.

We started the growth summit where we host an entire week of education for our AT staff.

How to read imaging

Dermatology issues

Suji BFR will host a course

Emergency Med situations

CPR AED, Emergency transport

ROM and measurement education

Where have some of the ATs who left IMG gone to?

Some have gone home and had a family, and some have springboarded into their dream jobs.

We have alumni in almost all aspects of athletic training.

Clinical, hospital, LPGA, NFL

How does IMG Academy provide life balance?

We have 23 athletic trainers now and hire 7 during the summer camp season.

We do not have a “hard” PTO schedule. If you can swap with someone to attend to a personal event then do it.

We only have 9 sports and have multiple ATs working baseball but have 200 baseball players.

Contact Us:

Jeremy Jackson – THE SMB on IG

Kaitlyn – Kaitlyn.deshaies@imgacademy.com

Jared – Jared.White@imgacademy.com

These people LOVE Athletic Trainers and help support the podcast:

Frio Hydration – Superior Hydration products.

Athletic Dry Needling – Save up to $100 when registering through our link.

April 13, 2017April 10, 2017

Minor League Umpires need Athletic Trainers – 331

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Mark Stubblefield worked 12 years with Minor League Baseball after earning his Master's Degree. He is now the medical coordinator for the health care of 230 minor league umpires in 45 different states.

His top skill if you want a job similar to his: Communication and Network.

Low back pain is one of the most common issues they treat but they do a functional movement screen on each umpire at the beginning of the year to focus on preventative medicine.

They also recommend the nutty buddy for important protective equipment

Thanks Greg Evans for getting me in contact with Mark.

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