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Athletic Trainers

An occupation in Human and Public Services

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Jobs in New York
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Job Description

Evaluate, advise, and treat athletes to assist recovery from injury, avoid injury, or maintain peak physical fitness.


Interests

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.


Tasks

1. 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.

2. Care for athletic injuries using physical therapy equipment, techniques, and medication.

3. Evaluate athletes' readiness to play, and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.

4. Apply protective or injury preventive devices such as tape, bandages, or braces to body parts such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.

5. Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches and physicians.

6. Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries.

7. Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment.

8. Plan and implement comprehensive athletic injury and illness prevention programs.

9. Develop training programs and routines designed to improve athletic performance.

10. Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events.

11. Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, and community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.


Skills

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.

Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.


Knowledge

Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge 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.

Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge 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.

Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Clerical - Knowledge 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.

Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Psychology - Knowledge 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 Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.


Education

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Education: A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also 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).

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.


School Programs

The college search results are undergraduate programs associated with Athletic Trainers. Further education may also be required to pursue this career.

The training search results include both short and long-term programs associated with Athletic Trainers, and may be more appropriate for adult and non-traditional students. Further training may also be required to pursue this career.



Athletic Training/Trainer. - A program that prepares individuals to work in consultation with, and under the supervision of physicians to prevent and treat sports injuries and associated conditions. Includes instruction in the identification, evaluation, and treatment of athletic injuries and illnesses; first aid and emergency care; therapeutic exercise; anatomy and physiology; exercise physiology; kinesiology and biomechanics; nutrition; sports psychology; personal and community health; knowledge of various sports and their biomechanical and physiological demands; and applicable professional standards and regulations.


Wages

In NY the average wage for this occupation was:

$26,780 for entry level workers, and $49,710 for experienced workers.


Job Outlook

Based on the total number of annual openings and its growth rate, the employment prospects for this occupation are described as Very Favorable.

During 2006, there were approximately 670 Athletic Trainers employed in NY.

We estimate that in 2016 there will be 810  employed in NY. This represents an increase of 10 job(s) each year, and a total of 10 job openings each year.


Additional Resources

There are no additional resources for this occupation.


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