Athletic Trainers

Career Description: Evaluate, advise, and treat athletes to assist recovery from injury, avoid injury, or maintain peak physical fitness.

Industry: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

Other Job Titles for Athletic Trainers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• 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.
• Care for athletic injuries using physical therapy equipment, techniques, and medication.
• Evaluate athletes' readiness to play, and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
• Apply protective or injury preventive devices such as tape, bandages, or braces to body parts such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.
• Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches and physicians.
• Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries.
• Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment.
• Plan and implement comprehensive athletic injury and illness prevention programs.
• Develop training programs and routines designed to improve athletic performance.
• Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events.
• Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, and community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
• Inspect playing fields to locate any items that could injure players.
• Conduct research and provide instruction on subject matter related to athletic training or sports medicine.
• Recommend special diets to improve athletes' health, increase their stamina, or alter their weight.
• Massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains, and bruises.
• Confer with coaches to select protective equipment.
• Accompany injured athletes to hospitals.
• Perform team-support duties such as running errands, maintaining equipment, and stocking supplies.
• Lead stretching exercises for team members prior to games and practices.

Emerging Tasks

• File athlete insurance claims and communicate with insurance providers.
• Perform general administrative tasks such as keeping records and writing reports.
• Teach sports medicine courses to athletic training students.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• administer medications or treatments
• analyze patient activity
• communicate visually or verbally
• counsel patients concerning diet
• follow patient care procedures
• identify body response variations
• motivate patients to practice exercises
• observe patient condition
• recommend personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers, and dismissals
• use emergency medical procedures
• use first aid procedures
• use massage therapy procedures
• use medical equipment in direct patient care
• wrap ankles, fingers, wrists, etc. to support muscles or ligaments
• follow examining room procedures
• follow infectious materials procedures
• follow life support procedures
• follow operating room procedures
• follow patient care procedures
• follow surgical procedures
• identify body response variations
• interpret medical laboratory test results
• interpret x-rays
• make decisions
• make presentations on health or medical issues
• observe patient condition
• obtain information from clients, customers, or patients
• order medical laboratory tests
• perform minor surgery
• perform safety inspections in health care setting
• prepare patient reports
• prescribe or recommend drugs, medical devices or other forms of treatment
• record medical history or data
• take vital signs
• understand properties or composition of drugs
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use clinical problem solving techniques
• use emergency medical procedures
• use emergency medical treatment procedures
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use knowledge of investigation techniques
• use knowledge of medical terminology
• use medical diagnostic techniques
• use medical equipment in direct patient care
• use research methodology procedures in health care
• use sanitation practices in health care settings

Overall Experience
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.

Job Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Examples
These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include librarians, lawyers, aerospace engineers, physicists, school psychologists, and surgeons.

• Average annual wage (2007) - $38,360.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 24.27%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 4,154
• Employment (2006): 17,117

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