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Athletic Trainers

Evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

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

    Skills

    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    Abilities

    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    Knowledge

    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • 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.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • 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.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • 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.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    Education

    Education
    Master's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    60350/yr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    820
    Yearly Projected Openings
    80

    Personality

    Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Concern for Others
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Arm orthopedic softgoods
    • Canes
    • Cervical collars or neck braces
    • Climbing devices for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Cross trainers
    • Crutches
    • Desktop computers
    • Dynamometers
    • Electromyography EMG units
    • Electronic blood pressure units
    • Facial shields
    • Fitness weights
    • Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks
    • Goniometers or arthrometers
    • Gymnastic bars or beams
    • Knee therapeutic brace or support
    • Leg orthopedic softgoods
    • Medical exam or non surgical procedure gloves
    • Medical hydrocollators
    • Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
    • Mobile medical services litter
    • Mobile medical services spine boards
    • Mobile resuscitator or aspirator kits
    • Notebook computers
    • Orthopedic splint systems
    • Oxygen therapy delivery system products
    • Patient care beds for specialty care
    • Patient floor scales
    • Pedal exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Pelvis or back traction supplies
    • Personal computers
    • Psychrometers
    • Pulse oximeter units
    • Resistance bands
    • Resistance tubes
    • Rowing machines
    • Safety helmets
    • Skinfold calipers
    • Therapeutic balls
    • Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
    • Therapeutic paraffin baths
    • Traction splint sets
    • Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation units
    • Treadmill exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Two way radios
    • Ultrasonic therapy apparatus or supplies
    • Weight machines for rehabilitation or therapy

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Internet browser software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software