An athletic trainer is a health professional who can prevent and treat injuries for athletes. An athletic trainer's scope of practice is outlined in the six domains of athletic training: Injury prevention and risk management; recognition, evaluation and assessment of injuries and illnesses; immediate injury care; treatment and rehabilitation; health care administration; and professional development.
History
The National Athletic Trainers' Association was formed in 1950 when athletic trainers recognized a need for professional standards to be established. The NATA started with 200 members and has grown to more than 30,000 today. Athletic training began as a predominantly male profession, but 50 percent of its members are now women.
Education
An athletic trainer is required to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. According to the NATA, more than 70 percent of athletic trainers have an advanced degree. The education for athletic trainers consists of a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on clinical work, and are geared toward making students proficient in a set of skills that serve as the basic requirements for an entry-level athletic trainer.
Certification
To be professionally recognized as an athletic trainer, it is required that you take a certification exam. The exam consists of three portions, written, written simulation and practical.
State Licensure
Forty-seven states require some sort of registration or licensure for athletic trainers. The only states that don't are Alaska, California, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Licensing can consist of anything from a registration form to a separate state exam.
Job Placement
There are several settings in which an athletic trainer can work. According to the NATA, those settings include the military, a college or university, a hospital or clinic,
in secondary schools and in the performing arts.
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