Athletic trainers evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.

  • Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
  • Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
  • 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.
  • Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
  • Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.
  • Apply protective or injury preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, or braces, to body parts, such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.
  • Plan or implement comprehensive athletic injury or illness prevention programs.
  • Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries.
  • Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment.
  • Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events.
  • File athlete insurance claims and communicate with insurance providers.
  • Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
  • Accompany injured athletes to hospitals.
  • Inspect playing fields to locate any items that could injure players.
  • Develop training programs or routines designed to improve athletic performance.
  • 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.
  • Confer with coaches to select protective equipment.
  • Massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains, or bruises.
  • Lead stretching exercises for team members prior to games or practices.
  • Teach sports medicine courses to athletic training students.
  • Perform team support duties, such as running errands, maintaining equipment, or stocking supplies.
Work Context
  • Face-to-Face Discussions — 99% responded "Every day".
  • Electronic Mail — 88% responded "Every day".
  • Contact With Others — 89% responded "Constant contact with others".
  • Work With Work Group or Team — 83% responded "Extremely important".
  • Freedom to Make Decisions — 80% responded "A lot of freedom".
  • Physical Proximity — 87% responded "Very close (near touching)".
  • Telephone — 80% responded "Every day".
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Work Activities
  • Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
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Detailed Work Activities
  • Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
  • Maintain medical facility records.
  • Perform clerical work in medical settings.
  • Process medical billing information.
  • Train medical providers.
  • Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
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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.
Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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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.
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Abilities

Problem Sensitivity
  • The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension
  • The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
  • The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Deductive Reasoning
  • The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
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Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Persistence
  • Initiative
  • Leadership
  • Cooperation
  • Concern for Others
  • Social Orientation
  • Self Control
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Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Office suite software
  • Microsoft Office Hot Technology
Word processing software
  • Microsoft Word Hot Technology
  • Word processing software
Presentation software
  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology
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