Athletic Trainer

What is an athletic trainer?

An athletic trainer is an allied health professional who specializes in preventing, assessing and treating sports injuries. Athletic trainers work directly with athletes and other physically active people on a day-to-day basis. They serve as a healthcare resource during physical training and athletic events.

Allied health professionals are healthcare providers who offer specialized services that don’t require a full medical degree. But they do require college degrees and board certification. Athletic trainers work under the direction of physicians, often as part of a larger team of sports medicine providers.

What do athletic trainers do?

The job of an athletic trainer is to support the physical health of athletes and active people during their day-to-day practice. To do this, athletic trainers perform a wide range of services on any given day.

They:

• Educate athletes on form, technique and safe practices to protect their bodies during training.
• Prevent injury and reinjury through observation, training and interventions, like taping.
• Assess and diagnose sports injuries, like sprains and concussions, on the field or the court.
• Provide first aid and emergency care, such as CPR, as necessary.
• Treat acute and chronic (long-lasting) injuries and sports-related illnesses, like heat stroke.
• Coordinate with other healthcare providers to treat medical conditions as necessary.
• Develop and implement rehabilitation and reconditioning programs for injured people.
• Improve overall performance by reducing the number and impact of sports injuries.

Athletic trainers vs. personal trainers

Athletic trainers are sometimes confused with personal trainers. But these are two very different professions. A personal trainer is mainly a fitness consultant. They offer personalized exercise plans and advice in private and community settings, like health clubs. But they don’t deal with sports injuries.

Personal training isn’t an allied healthcare profession like athletic training is. Personal trainers don’t have to have medical training or even a college degree. They can earn their certification in a matter of months, depending on the program. Personal trainers aren’t licensed or regulated by states.

Athletic trainers vs. sports medicine physicians

How is an athletic trainer different from a sports medicine physician? An athletic trainer isn’t a physician. They don’t complete the years of medical school, residency and fellowship required to earn a medical degree and specialize in sports medicine. Instead, they play a supportive role to a physician.

Athletic trainers work on the ground level of a sports medicine team. They diagnose and treat sports injuries on the field and provide first aid and emergency care as needed. But they might need a sports medicine physician to make a critical diagnosis or treat a critical condition that exceeds their expertise.

What kind of certification does an athletic trainer have?

To become an athletic trainer, you must complete:

• An athletic trainer degree: While some working athletic trainers only have bachelor’s degrees, you have to complete a master’s degree in athletic training to enter the profession today.
• Athletic trainer certification: After completing your athletic training degree, you can apply to take the certifying exam. When you pass the exam, you’ll become a certified athletic trainer.

It takes an average of six years to complete a bachelor’s and master’s degree. It takes an average of six months after that to pass the certifying exam. After you’re certified, you'll need to stay up-to-date in your field. Athletic trainers must take continuing education courses to maintain their certification.

What knowledge and skills does an athletic trainer need?

According to the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC), athletic trainers need to be competent in five key areas:

• Risk reduction, wellness and health literacy
• Assessment, evaluation and diagnosis
• Critical incident management
• Therapeutic intervention
• Healthcare administration and professional responsibility

This means studying a wide range of coursework in science and health, including:

• Anatomy: How all the parts of your musculoskeletal system fit together
• Biomechanics: How mechanical forces work within your musculoskeletal system
• Kinesiology: The science of movement and its effects on your body
• Pathology: How injuries and diseases develop and progress
• Nutrition: How to identify and address nutritional issues and optimize your body composition
• Physical rehabilitation: How to design a personalized physical rehabilitation program

In addition, athletic trainers must develop the soft skills of an on-the-scene medical practitioner, like:

• Empathy and compassion: To be a caring presence for people in pain and discomfort
• Perception and analysis: To notice and identify problems before and after they happen
• Patience and persistence: To coach people through rehabilitation programs day by day
• Interpersonal skills: To be helpful in emergencies and difficult situations

Where do athletic trainers find jobs?

Athletic trainers find jobs in many industries, not just professional sports. In fact, half of all athletic trainer jobs are in schools and universities. Athletic trainers also work with youth sports leagues, police and fire departments, branches of the military, in occupational health and the performing arts.

As a healthcare provider, a certified athletic trainer may also offer their services in private practice or clinical settings. For example, an athletic trainer may provide coaching, rehabilitation or therapeutic interventions to people recovering from physically debilitating conditions, like surgery, illness or having obesity.

How could an athletic trainer help me?

Athletic trainers bring sports medicine into everyday practice for people who live or want to live active lifestyles. Rather than reserving healthcare for emergencies, athletic trainers promote general wellness. They practice preventive medicine and offer consistent care before, during and after an injury.

This kind of care improves both physical performance and quality of life for active people. Having an athletic trainer on staff not only reduces the incidence of sports injuries, but also how much they impact people and organizations.