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The differences between athletic trainers and certified athletic trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an athletic trainer and a certified athletic trainer. Additionally, a certified athletic trainer has an average salary of $47,184, which is higher than the $47,028 average annual salary of an athletic trainer.
The top three skills for an athletic trainer include patients, rehabilitation and CPR. The most important skills for a certified athletic trainer are rehabilitation, CPR, and patient care.
| Athletic Trainer | Certified Athletic Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $47,028 | $47,184 |
| Hourly rate | $22.61 | $22.68 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 56,812 | 90,171 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An athletic trainer is a healthcare professional who works with physicians to improve a patient's quality of life. Their profession encompasses the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic medical conditions involving disabilities, functional limitations, and impairments. As an athletic trainer, you will typically do various tasks, including recognizing and evaluating injuries, providing emergency care or first aid, and developing and implementing rehabilitation programs. You are also responsible for planning and implementing programs to help prevent sports injuries among athletes.
A certified athletic trainer is a health and medical expert who specializes in providing health care assistance to athletes. They typically devise strategies to prevent injuries during training sessions and other activities, develop health care plans, and provide immediate care or first aid when injuries occur. There are also instances where they work together with physicians and other health care professionals, such as when diagnosing and treating injuries, developing rehabilitation structures, and administrating other health care services.
Athletic trainers and certified athletic trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Athletic Trainer | Certified Athletic Trainer | |
| Average salary | $47,028 | $47,184 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $61,000 | Between $36,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Greenwich, CT | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Ethical Culture Fieldston School | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an athletic trainer and a certified athletic trainer in terms of educational background:
| Athletic Trainer | Certified Athletic Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Athletic Training | Athletic Training |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between athletic trainers' and certified athletic trainers' demographics:
| Athletic Trainer | Certified Athletic Trainer | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% | Male, 41.5% Female, 58.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 8.3% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |