Athletic Trainers

Education and TrainingO*NET 29-9091.00United States

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

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $61,877
Projected change: +15.6%
Typical education: Master's or Professional degree
Employment: 37.72K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What athletic trainers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

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

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $44,288
25th percentile: $52,231
50th percentile: $61,877
75th percentile: $77,793
90th percentile: $101,154

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $61,877 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+15.6%much faster than average

202537,719 jobs

2035 projected43,599 jobs

5,880 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Master's or Professional degree: 54.3%
Bachelor's degree: 37.4%
High school diploma or less: 8.3%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Athletic Training
Rehabilitation
Sports Medicine
Injury Prevention
Sports Injuries
First Aid
Orthopedics
Medical Records
Treatment Planning
Emergency Medicine
Physical Therapy
Strength Training And Conditioning
Patient Education And Counseling
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Lifting Ability
Electronic Medical Record
Kinesiology
Human Musculoskeletal System
Urgent Care
Musculoskeletal Injuries

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

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.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Athletic Trainers5,672 postings
02Certified Athletic Trainers1,624 postings
03Athletic Training Assistants1,041 postings
04Head Athletic Trainers367 postings
05Outreach Athletic Trainers279 postings
06Clinical Athletic Trainers248 postings
07Injury Prevention Specialists159 postings
08Licensed Athletic Trainers158 postings
09On-Site Industrial Athletic Trainers102 postings
10Athletic Trainers/Teachers48 postings
11Athletic Trainers Physician Extender47 postings
12Sports Performance Trainers31 postings
13Sports Trainers29 postings
14Head Football Coaches/Athletic Coordinators27 postings
15Athletic Specialists26 postings
16Athletic Training Fellows24 postings
17Athletic Training Interns21 postings
18Physical Therapists/Athletic Trainers21 postings
19Middle School Athletic Directors20 postings
20Minor League Athletic Trainers20 postings

Top employers

01Concentra174 postings
02Fit For Work.173 postings
03Intermountain Health167 postings
04Ati Physical Therapy150 postings
05Athletico Physical Therapy133 postings
06National Collegiate Athletic Association110 postings
07Select Medical104 postings
08Planned Systems International102 postings
09US Physical Therapy101 postings
10Herc89 postings
11Select Physical Therapy88 postings
12Novacare Rehabilitation84 postings
13CHRISTUS Health72 postings
14Work Right Nw68 postings
15Edjoin.Org64 postings
16QuarterLine64 postings
17Atrium Health62 postings
18Mercyhealth60 postings
19PT Solutions Physical Therapy55 postings
20Athletic Training Solutions54 postings

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