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Athletic Training

Occupational Possibilities

Athletic trainers are medical professionals who specialize in preventing, recognizing, managing, and rehabilitating injuries that result from physical activity. They often work in conjunction with other healthcare professionals, athletic administrators, coaches, and parents of athletes in secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional sports, sports medicine clinics, and other healthcare and sports settings. The athletic trainer’s professional preparation is directed toward the development of specified competencies in injury prevention and risk management, pathology of injuries and illnesses, assessment and evaluation, acute care of injury and illness, pharmacology, therapeutic modalities, therapeutic exercise, general medical conditions, nutritional aspects of injury and illness, psychosocial intervention and referral, professional development and responsibilities, and health care administration. Athletic trainers are certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) Board of Certification through an exam. Certified trainers are known as “ATCs.”

Sports Teams/Athletic Departments

  • Athletic trainer/Team trainer
  • Training director
  • Assistant Athletic Director
  • *Athletic Director
  • Sports medicine specialist
  • Treatment specialist
  • *Team physician


Hospitals/Rehabilitation Clinics

  • *Physical therapist
  • Rehab specialist
  • Director of Rehabilitation
  • *Occupational therapist
  • *Physician assistant
  • *Registered Nurse
  • Recreational therapist
  • Wellness specialist
  • *Chiropractor
  • *Massage therapist

Health Clubs/Training Centers

  • Sports medicine specialist
  • General manager, Facility manager
  • Risk assessment manager
  • Injury prevention specialist
  • Instructor
  • Recreational therapist
  • Health/wellness educator
  • *Exercise physiologist
  • *Orthopedist

Administration/Education/Business

  • *College/University professor
  • Department manager
  • Unit manager
  • Athletic training supervisor
  • Medical equipment/supply sales
  • *Medical researcher
  • Account Executive, Special-Risk Insurance
  • Wellness program coordinator






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Skills and Abilities

Athletic trainers gain extensive knowledge of the human body and how it works, as well as about nutrition, pathology, prevention and treatment of injuries, pharmacology, and healthcare administration. Many of the specific skills in these areas are applicable to a wide range of occupations. Following are some of these skills:

Analysis

  • Using deductive reasoning to discover answers to problems
  • Testing and data collection and analysis
  • Evaluating and assessing injuries
  • Recording, organizing, and storing data (record-keeping)
  • Using scientific method and mathematics skills
  • Analyzing ideas and using logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses
  • Performing risk analyses, both individual and corporate




Management

  • Managing time of self and others
  • Assessing how well one is learning or following directions
  • Obtaining needed equipment, facilities, and materials and overseeing their use
  • Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work
  • Responding rapidly to crises
  • Using strong judgment and decision-making
  • Instructing, presenting, demonstrating
  • Planning and implementing programs
  • Judging costs and benefits of possible action
  • Maintaining accurate records

Problem-solving

  • Analyzing and prescribing treatment or dietary regimens
  • Using keen observation for accurate diagnosis
  • Operating physical equipment
  • Noticing when something is wrong or likely to go wrong
  • Identifying problems and reviewing information; developing, reviewing, applying solutions
  • Analyzing needs and requirements when designing products or solutions
  • Determining causes of technical problems and finding solutions for them
  • Designing equipment and technology to meet user needs


Communication

  • Listening to others, understanding, and asking appropriate questions
  • Expressing ideas clearly when writing and speaking so other people can understand
  • Interacting with diverse populations
  • Referring clients and recognizing limitations
  • Understanding and conveying new information or materials by studying and working with them
  • Solving problems by bringing others together to discuss differences or possible treatments
  • Learning or teaching others how to do something, using several methods
  • Developing awareness of others’ reactions and understanding the possible causes

 

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Career Planning and Resources

Internships

Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences Department Internship Manual, including list of contracted internship sites -

Job Search

Professional Associations

  • http://www.maata.net/ - Mid-America Athletic Trainers’ Association – North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa.
  • http://www.nata.org/ - National Athletic Trainers’ Association. Includes career center section with job postings available only to members.
  • http://www.bocatc.org/ - Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (formerly known as NATABOC) affiliated with NATA.
  • http://www.acsm.org – American College of Sports Medicine
  • http://www.nsca-lift.org/ - National Strength and Conditioning Association

For More Information

...about careers, graduate and professional schools, internships, professional associations, or job descriptions contact:

University Career Center
110 Burge Union
(785) 864-3624

For more information about the Athletic Training major at KU and required internships, contact:

http://www.soe.ku.edu/hses/ - Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences (HSES)
Robinson Center, Rm. 161
(785) 864-5552

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