Athletic Trainers
Health Science > Therapeutic ServicesProjected Growth: Much faster than average
Projected Job Openings
Extensive Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Evaluate and advise individuals to assist recovery from or avoid athletic-related injuries or illnesses, or maintain peak physical fitness. May provide first aid or emergency care.
Common job titles of Athletic Trainers include:
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Experience and Education
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
71.74% said they needed a Master's Degree.
24.51% said they needed a Bachelor's Degree.
Tasks
Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment.
Plan or implement comprehensive athletic injury or illness prevention programs.
Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.
Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
Apply protective or injury preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, or braces, to body parts, such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.
Inspect playing fields to locate any items that could injure players.
File athlete insurance claims and communicate with insurance providers.
Lead stretching exercises for team members prior to games or practices.
Perform team support duties, such as running errands, maintaining equipment, or stocking supplies.
Massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains, or bruises.
Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries.
Accompany injured athletes to hospitals.
Recommend special diets to improve athletes' health, increase their stamina, or alter their weight.
Conduct research or provide instruction on subject matter related to athletic training or sports medicine.
Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events.
Develop training programs or routines designed to improve athletic performance.
Confer with coaches to select protective equipment.
Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
Teach sports medicine courses to athletic training students.
Tools
Whirlpool therapy baths
Weight machines
Walking canes
Vacuum splints
Upper extremity braces
Two way radios
Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS equipment
All ToolsTraction splints
Tilt tables
Therapeutic ultrasound equipment
Therapeutic paraffin baths
Swiss exercise balls
Stair climbing machines
Sports helmets
Spinal immobilization equipment
Sling psychrometers
Rowing machines
Pulse oximeters
Personal computers
Parallel bars
Oxygen administration equipment
One-way valve pocket masks
Neck braces
Muscle strength dynamometers
Mouth guards
Medical scales
Medical examination protective gloves
Lumbar traction units
Lower extremity braces
Laptop computers
Knee immobilizers
Hydrocollator heating units
Heat therapy equipment
Goniometers
Free weights
Fixed splints
Face shields
Exercise tubing
Exercise treadmills
Exercise bicycles
Exercise bands
Emergency response stretchers
Elliptical trainers
Desktop computers
Crutches
Cold therapy equipment
Cervical traction units
Body-fat calipers
Biofeedback equipment
Automated external defibrillators AED
Automated blood pressure cuffs
Air splints
Technologies
BioEx Systems Exercise Pro
Digital Coach AthleticTrainer
ImPACT
Injury tracking software
Keffer Development Services Athletic Trainer System ATS
Premier Software Simtrak Mobility
Skills
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Abilities
Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Problem Sensitivity
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Deductive Reasoning
Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Inductive Reasoning
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Occupation Sections
Knowledge
Medicine and Dentistry
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Therapy and Counseling
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Education and Training
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Administration and Management
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Clerical
Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Biology
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Personnel and Human Resources
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.