How To Become An Athletic Trainer: What It Is and Career Path

Q: Athletic trainer vs Physical therapist

Athletic trainers are healthcare professionals specializing in treating athletic and physically active individuals, while a physical therapist refers to a medical professional who helps injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain.

Q: Do athletic trainers get paid well?

Yes, athletic trainers get paid well. Athletic trainers make approximately $50,700 per year in the United States. This is the average for those with some experience in the field and the appropriate credentials. However, those just entering the field can expect an entry-level salary of $42,500 per year.

Q: How long does it take to become an athletic trainer?

It takes approximately four years to become an athletic trainer. These professionals must undergo training and complete their four-year bachelor's degree. Those looking to gain further education may complete their master's degree, adding one to three years to their career path.

Q: What do you major in to become an athletic trainer?

You can major in sports medicine, exercise science, or athletic training to become an athletic trainer. Comparable majors should also be taken into consideration, such as physiology. Some athletic trainers may take minors in closely related fields to round out their traditional education.

What is an athletic trainer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Bailey Palmer

Athletic trainers are medical professionals active in sporting environments, preventing, diagnosing, and treating sports injuries. They work together with doctors and other healthcare professionals and assist sports professionals, military personnel, children, and many more.

As an athletic trainer, you will be responsible for preparing people for sports games, bracing, or taping them. You will be on call during the sporting event to give first aid treatment in case of accidents. Creating rehabilitation plans for people who are recovering from injuries will also be your responsibility.

You will have to document your patients' cases and progress as well. You'll also need to undergo appropriate education to take on this role. Sometimes obtaining certifications is also necessary.

What general advice would you give to an athletic trainer?

Bailey Palmer

Senior Lecturer in Kinesiology, Website

Kinesiology is the study of human movement, so by definition a kinesiologist is someone who works with patients or clients in a variety of healthcare or athletic setting to improve the quality of movement and participation in physical activity. A kinesiology professional can work as a rehabilitation specialist seeing patients throughout the day or work as an athletic trainer assisting athletes with injuries or even a professor who teaches exercise physiology classes to pre-med students. Kinesiology is a great field because of its broad range of career paths that it caters to.

ScoreAthletic TrainerUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,028

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.51%

Asian 8.34%

Black or African American 9.58%

Hispanic or Latino 14.87%

Unknown 3.93%

White 61.77%

Gender

female 46.91%

male 53.09%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.4

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an athletic trainer

Explore athletic trainer education requirements

Most common athletic trainer degrees

Bachelor's

72.9 %

Master's

16.8 %

Associate

5.0 %

Start to develop specific athletic trainer skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.55%
Rehabilitation	18.81%
CPR	11.65%
Patient Care	7.62%
Student Athletes	4.81%

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming an licensed athletic trainer usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed athletic trainer in most of states. 42 states require athletic trainers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Licensed Athletic Trainer
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Athletic Trainer
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Athletic Trainer
Colorado	-	-	Athletic Trainers
Connecticut	Degree required	State exam required	Athletic Trainer

Research athletic trainer duties and responsibilities

Administer rehabilitation procedures and the safety of athletes at practices and games including ultrasound and electrical stimulation.
Evaluate and create a rehabilitation program for ankle sprains, fibula fractures, and shin splints.
Administer multiple therapeutic techniques for student athletes including electrical stimulation and ultrasound
Assist physical therapist in generating rehabilitation protocols for patients, progress exercises, order supplies for clinic and oversee aide scheduling.

Prepare your athletic trainer resume

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