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Athletic Trainers

Athletic trainers help people prevent injuries related to muscle and bone by educating them about the ways in which such injuries can be averted. Apart from enabling people to take steps to prevent wounds, they assess, diagnose, and also render immediate care. Unlike personal fitness trainers, they are healthcare workers.

Schools and Degrees

Usually these professionals possess a bachelor's degree. Many of them even possess a master's or even doctoral degree. They receive instruction in both clinical and classroom settings. Subjects like biomechanics, nutrition, physiology, and human anatomy are taught in the programs that these trainers have to take.

People who intend to take up positions in colleges or universities require a postgraduate degree. It is also required for enhancing career opportunities because many professionals in this field have master's degrees.

Job Requirements

Most states require sports trainers to obtain licenses or to get registered. They have to regularly attend medical related courses to retain certification. In 2009, licenses were not mandatory in the District of Columbia, West Virginia, California, and Alaska. However, professionals opted for voluntary certification even in these states because it helped them to find better jobs.

These professionals have to possess good communication and social skills since they have to deal with people from different walks of life. They should be able to deal with stressful situations because disagreements sometimes arise with regard to the treatment that is expected to be provided when people are injured. This is especially true in situations where players, coaches, or the parents of an injured person are involved.

Nature of Work

Sports professionals help people to prevent injuries by teaching them how to use physical training equipment properly. They also teach people exercises that improve their strength and balance. Another way in which they enable people to avoid injuries is by helping them use protective tapes, braces, and bandages.

Physical trainers often work in tandem with other healthcare providers. The environment in which they work is largely determined by the industry in which they find employment, for example if a trainer is associated with a sports team, they have to travel with the team.

Job Numbers and Growth

Athletic trainers nationally number 17,000. The unemployment level for workers is very low, compared to other occupations. About 2% of employees were unemployed recently.

Area Job Conditions

Athletic trainers are relatively common in Great Falls (Montana), Lawrence (Kansas), and Charlottesville (Virginia). They are rarer in Minneapolis (Minnesota), Portland (Oregon), and San Francisco (California).

Workers are paid highest in McAllen (Texas), Newark (New Jersey), and Edison (New Jersey), and lowest in Tulsa (Oklahoma), Great Falls (Montana), and Charlottesville (Virginia).

Training and Education

Employees are generally expected to have a bachelor's degree. About 72% of athletic trainers hold a bachelor's degree or better. Currently 18% of workers have some college education, though not a degree. About 9% of employees were able to get their jobs with a high-school diploma. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

About 8% of athletic trainers work less than full-time. In 2% of the cases, workers work for themselves.

Athletic Trainers by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Illinois

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Wisconsin