Athletic Training

Athletic participation at all ages has increased tremendously over the years. Student-athletes are working harder to become bigger, stronger and faster. As the number of athletes rise in schools, so does the chance of athletic related injuries. This is leading to the increase number of athletic trainers at the high school level across the country. Athletic trainer is defined as a “health care professional who collaborates with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation” (AMA 19). Athletic trainers can work in several different areas such as schools, hospitals, clinics and with physicians and the military. Athletic trainers can treat a wide variety of athletes

It is expected to grow twenty-one percent between the years of 2014 and 2024 (BLS). This is found to be surprising when there are careers similar to Athletic Training that are making more money throughout their lifetime. But it is true that the salary of a Certified Athletic Trainer is also on the rise because of the demand of the profession. Research has shown that the growth of Athletic Trainers is due to the increase of awareness of sport-related injuries. This could be due to the amount of coverage that television is giving to sport injuries such as concussions. Another reason could be that more everyday jobs that require manual labor are hiring Athletic Trainer to teach their employees how to proper do their jobs. In the long run, this saves the employers from having to pay so much money in worker compensation

The increase of student-athletes is one reason for the greater job demand. It is also a very important job within the health care system. They have to have a good rapport with physicians and Physical Therapist so they are able to refer the athletes to the proper medical field when necessary. Athletic Trainers must have knowledge not only of the human body and how it works, but have an understanding of sports and its demand of the body. They must be able to communicate with the student-athlete to educate them on injury prevention and injury healing. They are normally the first responder to an athletic injury and their actions are very critical. Because of this, it is very important for them to keep up to date on certifications such as first aid and CPR. All of these things make Athletic Trainers a very important part of the success of a healthy