Athletic Training Spotlight: Zach VanNostrand

National Athletic Training Month is held every March in order to spread awareness about the important work of athletic trainers. This Wells College feature spotlights each of this season's athletic training team members for the Express with today's feature on head athletic trainer Zach VanNostrand.

Zach VanNostrand enters his fourth year at Wells College as the athletic department's head trainer and sixth year as a certified athletic trainer. Prior to Wells, he served as an athletic training student at Ithaca College during his undergraduate studies. During his graduate studies, he worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Cornell University. Zach is a two-time Ithaca College graduate after completing an undergraduate degree in athletic training and a graduate degree in exercise and sport sciences with a concentration in sport psychology. Prior to college, Zach competed at the high-school level in basketball and soccer and pursued the latter collegiately. In a brief question and answer segment, Zach shared his thoughts about his profession.

How did your career path get steered toward athletic training?

ZV: "Like many younger athletes, I suffered a handful of significant injuries growing up and while playing in high school. I wasn't fortunate enough to have an athletic trainer at my high school. After going through the recovery process, I became fascinated by the sciences behind the human body and how those sciences apply to athletic performance. Combined with my own sports fandom, athletic training is an outstanding opportunity to make a profession while working with athletes on a day-to-day basis."

What do you like best about your profession?

ZV: "The best part about my profession is being able to provide a valuable service to college-aged athletes in order to improve their athletic experience at Wells College. A collegiate athletic experience is valuable - and in most cases - a one-time opportunity."

What aspect do you find to be the most challenging in this line of work?

ZV: "The most challenging part about my job in most cases is that I'm working with athletic-related injuries and illnesses that I can't visibly see. Athletic trainers use a variety of techniques, skills, and case patterns to accurately identify the injuries and illness we treat. If we had ultrasonic, x-ray, or MRI vision, our profession would be much less challenging."

What skill or trait do you rely on the most to be successful?

ZV: "Each day we face a wide variety of problems. It can be anywhere from signs and symptoms related to an injury, to issues students have with classes, patient mental health concerns, schedule conflicts or even faulty equipment. I use my problem-solving skills daily to resolve the problems we face."