Athletic Trainers Occupation Details

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Athletic Trainers

The main tasks and work activities of Athletic Trainers are to analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals, treat patients using physical therapy techniques, operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment, evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health. In general, for the Athletic Trainers, critical Thinking, active Listening, monitoring, speaking and other 15 skills are required.

Athletic Trainers Job Description
Education	Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related Experience	Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training	Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Example	These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.

The following chart shows the education/training levels for Athletic Trainers jobs.

Less than a High School Diploma

0.00%

High School Diploma (or the equivalent)

0.00%

Post-Secondary Certificate

0.00%

Some College Courses

0.00%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

0.00%

Bachelor's Degree and Above

100.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Athletic Trainers

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.
Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
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.
Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries.
Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment.
Plan or implement comprehensive athletic injury or illness prevention programs.
Develop training programs or routines designed to improve athletic performance.
Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events.
Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
Inspect playing fields to locate any items that could injure players.
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.
Massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains, or bruises.
Confer with coaches to select protective equipment.
Accompany injured athletes to hospitals.
Perform team support duties, such as running errands, maintaining equipment, or stocking supplies.
Lead stretching exercises for team members prior to games or practices.
Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.

Assisting and Caring for OthersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
Treat patients using physical therapy techniques.
Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
Apply bandages, dressings, or splints.
Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.
Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Develop exercise or conditioning programs.
Advise athletes, coaches, or trainers on exercise regimens, nutrition, or equipment use.
Inspect work environments to ensure safety.
Train medical providers.
Conduct research to increase knowledge about medical issues.
Treat patients using alternative medical procedures.
Consult with others regarding safe or healthy equipment or facilities.
Maintain inventory of medical supplies or equipment.
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
Perform clerical work in medical settings.
Maintain medical facility records.
Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.

Skills and Abilities for Athletic Trainers

Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active ListeningGiving 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.
MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Time SharingThe ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Orthopedic splint systemse.g. Air splints
Electronic blood pressure unitse.g. Automated blood pressure cuffs
Automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddlese.g. Automated external defibrillators AED
Electromyography EMG units or accessoriese.g. Biofeedback equipment
Skinfold caliperse.g. Body-fat calipers
Pelvis or back traction suppliese.g. Cervical traction units
Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packse.g. Cold therapy equipment
Crutches or crutch accessoriese.g. Crutches
Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
Cross trainerse.g. Elliptical trainers
Emergency response litters or stretchers or accessoriese.g. Emergency response stretchers
Resistance bandse.g. Exercise bands
Pedal exercisers for rehabilitation or therapye.g. Exercise bicycles
Treadmill exercisers for rehabilitation or therapye.g. Exercise treadmills
Resistance tubese.g. Exercise tubing
Facial shieldse.g. Face shields
Orthopedic splint systemse.g. Fixed splints
Fitness weightse.g. Free weights
Goniometerse.g. Goniometers
Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packse.g. Heat therapy equipment

Medicine and DentistryKnowledge 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.
Therapy and CounselingKnowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge 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.
Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
PsychologyKnowledge 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.
Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
BiologyKnowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge 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.

Athletic Trainers Occupation Detailed Description

Tasks and Work Activities of Athletic Trainers

Skills and Abilities for Athletic Trainers