Also called: Certified athletic trainer (ATC)
Licensed health professional who prevents, evaluates, and treats sports injuries for student athletes.
Athletic trainers tape ankles before practice, evaluate concussions on the sideline, run rehab exercises, and decide whether an injured athlete can return to play. Friday nights are spent at games.
BLS athletic trainers, May 2024.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's in athletic training (now required) and BOC certification.
Ways in: Graduate school, Certification. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Athletic Training, Kinesiology, Exercise Science.
Growing much faster than average (about 11% over 10 years). BLS projects ~11% growth.
Low risk for 10 years. Wearables and AI help track injuries; taping, sideline concussion checks and rehab stay hands-on.
Classes: Sports medicine CTE, Anatomy and physiology, Biology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-9091.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.