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The differences between athletic trainers and coaches can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an athletic trainer, becoming a coach takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an athletic trainer has an average salary of $47,028, which is higher than the $42,716 average annual salary of a coach.
The top three skills for an athletic trainer include patients, rehabilitation and CPR. The most important skills for a coach are customer service, CPR, and food handling.
| Athletic Trainer | Coach | |
| Yearly salary | $47,028 | $42,716 |
| Hourly rate | $22.61 | $20.54 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 56,812 | 16,688 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 40 | 36 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
The main responsibility of a coach is to motivate an individual or an entire team. Coaches are focused on improving the performance and skills of athletes by conducting training sessions, coordinating practice drills, and providing guidance. Their work is conducted both on and off the field - not only while an athletic event is in session. Coaches are sometimes tasked with recruitment activities in order to fill a team's roster to help them succeed. Other duties of a coach include fundraising, overseeing facilities, and promoting a safe environment.
Athletic trainers and coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Athletic Trainer | Coach | |
| Average salary | $47,028 | $42,716 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $61,000 | Between $27,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | Greenwich, CT | Piscataway, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Ethical Culture Fieldston School | AEA Investors |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between an athletic trainer and a coach in terms of educational background:
| Athletic Trainer | Coach | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Athletic Training | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between athletic trainers' and coaches' demographics:
| Athletic Trainer | Coach | |
| Average age | 40 | 36 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |