Career: Athletic Trainers
The year: 1996. The place: Atlanta. In her first vault, gymnast Kerri Strug falls and injures her ankle, badly. Should she go on to do her second vault? The team’s depending on her, but is it safe? As an athletic trainer, you’ll find yourself facing similar dilemmas, though you’ll more likely be at a high school basketball game than the Olympics.
Athletic trainers work with athletes to prevent and treat injuries. They also play a key role in rehabilitation.
Did You Know?
- NASA hires athletic trainers to get astronauts ready for space flight.
Are You Ready To...?
- Patiently guide an athlete through the exercises that will help her get back in the game
- Tape a player’s ankle
- Work under a doctor’s supervision
- Meet with the athletic director
- Teach athletes how to prevent injury
- Work at all hours
- Decide if a skater can continue his routine
It Helps to Be...
A sociable sports fan with compassion, patience, and a keen interest in the workings of the human body.
Make High School Count
- Work hard in biology -- it’s the foundation of the medical knowledge you’ll need.
- Flex your communication muscles in English, speech, and drama. You'll need them to speak with everyone from athletes to doctors.
- Join a sports team or club to build personal experience you can draw on later.
- Shadow your school’s athletic trainer for a day.
Did You Know?
- Until 1939, when plastic helmets first appeared, football players protected their heads in leather.
Outlook
Government economists expect job growth for athletic trainers to be much faster than the average for all careers through 2016. Athletic trainers are gaining more respect from medical professionals, and more insurance companies are covering their services. In fact, most new jobs for these workers will be in health-care settings, like hospitals and doctor’s offices. Fitness clubs should also need athletic trainers. However, jobs with sports teams will likely be hard to get. That’s because trainers who work with sports teams rarely leave their jobs.
Compensation
In 2007, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an average salary of $40,720 for athletic trainers.
