FAQs about Athletic Training
What is Athletic Training?
Athletic training is a recognized allied health profession that is dedicated to the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries in individuals who pursue a physically active lifestyle. Athletic trainers work with physicians and other members of the sports medicine team to help athletes and the physically active return quickly and safely to their sport or activity. Certification by the Board of Certification (BOC) is the entry-level credential necessary to legally practice athletic training. In Ohio and other states, Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) must also be licensed through their respective licensing boards. To be eligible for the BOC examination, a candidate must graduate from an accredited ATEP through the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training (CAATE).
Why become a Certified Athletic Trainer?
Because it is fun and challenging. All athletes—recreational to professional—need to be properly cared for when an injury inevitably occurs. A Certified Athletic Trainer has the opportunity to work in a stimulating and dynamic setting that allows for close interaction with an active population and medical profession. There’s never a dull moment!
Because Certified Athletic Trainers do make a difference in the lives of their clients, both on and off the playing field. Helping return an athlete to play or a runner back to training for a marathon is extremely rewarding. You know that you have accomplished a significant goal at the end of the day.
Because athletic training is a way of life, not merely a job. You are part of a team, not just a company. You are part of a social environment, not just a place of work. Because laughter is the best medicine you can provide for an injured person.
What employment opportunities are there for a Certified Athletic Trainer?
Working with professional athletes in all sports—football, basketball, baseball and even rodeo! Working with athletes in high schools and intercollegiate sports. Working in a sports medicine/rehabilitation clinic. Teaching in the athletic training discipline at the collegiate level. Athletic trainers are commonly employed in high schools, rehabilitation clinics, universities and professional teams. As the profession of athletic training expands, ATCs are also finding positions in NASCAR, private industry, the military and other non-traditional settings.
For more information on the profession of athletic training, visit:
http://www.nata.org/student/index.htm
http://www.nata.org/brochures/careerinformation.pdf