Sports or athletic trainers are part of the allied health profession, and work in a variety of ways to either help athletes heal from injuries or to help prevent injuries from occurring while athletes practice or compete. In the US, in order to be an athletic trainer you must complete a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in athletic training. Many people in this field also hold master’s degrees and PhDs. After completing the minimum college requirements, the athletic trainer must take examinations in the US to become board certified.

An athletic trainer could work in the following settings:

• Sports medicine clinics
• Privately with individual athletes
• University sports programs
• Junior high or high school sports programs
• Amateur or professional sports teams
• Teaching profession at the university level

The sports trainer tends to work alongside other medical professionals, and usually works with doctors, especially those who specialize in sports medicine. When an athlete is injured, the athletic trainer helps to carry out any plans and methods for healing injuries and hopefully helping athletes to continue their sports careers when they have fully healed. Depending upon the injury, athletic trainers may help bandage, tape, or use methods that allow the athlete to continue in their sport immediately. Alternately, they may work with athletes by helping them do rehabilitative activities, assessing them for ability to return to competition, and continuing to note any problems or progress the athlete is making during recovery.

Additionally, athletic trainers are on hand in most sports programs to evaluate exercises and the sport itself in order to make sure injuries are kept to a minimum. Just as an occupational therapist might help to sort out the most ergonomic ways for people to complete repetitive work, the sports trainer evaluates the type of exercises and movements in sport in order to determine whether certain exercises or activities pose potential risk of injury. With sports coaches, an athletic trainer may evolve safe exercise regimens for athletes. They also can educate athletes on avoiding certain pitfalls/activities that might easily result in injuries.

When an athletic trainer works for a sports team or school, he or she is usually present at sporting events, which can mean traveling may be part of the job. The trainer maintains supplies of basic first aid equipment, and any rehabilitative equipment that might be needed at home or on the road. He may be in charge of making sure inventory of all needed items remains stable, and may be required to order new supplies.

When an athlete is injured, the trainer may work like a case manager, contacting all medical providers that the athlete will need to see, like doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and orthopedic specialists. The trainer may need to maintain records of an athlete’s work with several specialists at once. This assures that all orders regarding recovery are integrated into rehabilitative exercise plans.