BUFFALO, N.Y. — Former Buffalo Bills Director of Athletic Training Bud Carpenter spent more than 30 years with the team and saw the public perception of his profession evolve over the course of those decades.

"When I first started out, we were thought of as just tape and band aids people until people realized what we did on the field," he said.

In 2007, the nation saw firsthand what Carpenter and his staff could do. When tight end Kevin Everett sustained a severe neck injury on the field, they provided triage for team doctors, likely helping to save the player's life.

"We had no idea, as I said, how severe it was, however we did everything we were supposed to do and what was an unbelievable catastrophic injury, we had him packaged and in an ambulance in 13 minutes," Carpenter said.

The scenarios are not always so dramatic, but New York Yankees Director of Medical Services Steve Donohue said he regularly sees injuries that could threaten a player's life or career.

"We don't only manage and assess. We educate. We teach people how to prevent injuries and how to get healthier," Donohue said.

New York is one of only four states that doesn't require licensure, meaning not everybody doing the job is required to have the qualifications like Carpenter or Donohue. The state Athletic Trainers Association is pushing to change that.

"The athletic training profession has evolved over the years. Unfortunately neither our scope of practice nor our education standards have been updated in law to reflect the advances," Roy Flores, NYSATA president, said.

The association said by updating the scope of practice for the first time since 1993 and moving the profession from certified to licensed, consumers will be protected because no person without the proper education will be able to claim to be licensed. It said it will also mean better jobs and more trainers staying in state, which is important in the case of youth sports.

"If we're OK telling our kids to play sports, then we should sure as heck make sure we're protecting them," Donohue said.

The group has been championing the legislation for a decade, but believes this is the year the Legislature could pass it.

"Athletic trainers are as professional as they could possibly get. Nobody is more dedicated to the care of student athletes, of professional athletes, of college athletes than we are," Carpenter said.