Athletic Trainers
Athletic trainers evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. They provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.
A certified athletic trainer’s job consists of health care experts who team up with physicians to prevent and treat athletic injuries, which may happen during practice or competition. Prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions are all core aspects of the job. Travel with sports teams and franchises is common for an athletic trainer. If athletes suffer injuries, you apply braces or bandages, and keep tabs on the players as they recover. Some administrative tasks of the job include record-keeping and regular meetings with an athletic director to discuss budgets, policy implementation and other business-related matters.
How to be a certified athletic trainer? Candidate must be graduate with a bachelor's or master’s degree from an accredited professional athletic training education program and pass a comprehensive test administered by the Board of Certification (or equivalent). Once certified, you must continue ongoing continuing education requirements in order to remain certified.
Athletic trainers’ jobs are done in a variety of professional settings including occupational and industrial settings, performing arts, physician offices, professional sports, hospital emergency departments, law enforcement and military and as an athletic teachers in a secondary school.
To be successful in the role of athletic trainer candidates must be equipped with suitable skills and competencies of compassion, decision-making and interpersonal skills.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- MPT Sports Physiotherapy
- BPT Bachelor of Physiotherapy
- Diploma Physiotherapy
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.
- Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or 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 or physicians.
- Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries.
- Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment.
- Plan or implement comprehensive athletic injury or illness prevention programs.
- Develop training programs or routines designed to improve athletic performance.
- Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events.
Progression Routes
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