What does a certified athletic trainer do?
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.
Certified athletic trainer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real certified athletic trainer resumes:
- Provide clinical rehabilitation and evaluation for orthopedic patients
- Implement OSHA blood borne pathogen controls.
- Follow OSHA guidelines to maintain a clean and safe environment for all.
- Contract out for club soccer, rugby, volleyball and baseball events.
- Sport coverage include: lacrosse, football, soccer, ice-hockey, and wrestling.
- Facilitate all durable medical equipment orders on behalf of patients in addition to leading daily office operations as needed
- Certify athletic trainer assisting surgeons with in-office and in-hospital treatment of orthopedic patients while attending graduate school full-time.
- Carry out physical rehabilitation treatment plans by physical therapist staff for a variety of orthopedic conditions and sports relate injuries.
- Assist with brace, splint, and DME fitting.
- Maintain inventory concerning DME and Electrotherapy products.
- Provide clinical rehabilitation and evaluation for orthopedic patients
Certified athletic trainer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Certified Athletic Trainers are proficient in Rehabilitation, CPR, and Patient Care.
We break down the percentage of Certified Athletic Trainers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Rehabilitation, 20%
Provided clinical rehabilitation and evaluation for orthopedic patients
- CPR, 15%
Certified student trainers and coaching staff in basic first aid and CPR through the American Red Cross.
- Patient Care, 14%
Assist outpatient physical therapists with patient care including therapeutic exercise and patient education.
- Patients, 12%
Worked with inpatient and outpatient physical therapy patients in implementing functional treatment plans under the direction of a Physical Therapist
- Injury Prevention, 7%
Provided coverage for all sports which included; injury prevention, evaluation/examination, treatment and Physician referrals as necessary.
- Athletic Events, 6%
Provided coverage of injuries at athletic events for student-athletes.
Common skills that a certified athletic trainer uses to do their job include "rehabilitation," "cpr," and "patient care." You can find details on the most important certified athletic trainer responsibilities below.
Compassion. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a certified athletic trainer to have is compassion. Their role and responsibilities require that "athletic trainers work with athletes and patients who may be in considerable pain or discomfort." Certified athletic trainers often use compassion in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "exhibit an excellent bedside manner by treating patients with compassion, patience, and respect while diffusing ailing and frustrated clientele. "
Detail oriented. Many certified athletic trainer duties rely on detail oriented. "athletic trainers must record patients’ progress accurately and ensure that they are receiving the appropriate treatments or practicing the correct fitness regimen.," so a certified athletic trainer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways certified athletic trainer responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "maintained detailed and accurate records of injury evaluations and treatments, both on paper and via an electronic medical record system. "
The three companies that hire the most certified athletic trainers are:
- Select Medical71 certified athletic trainers jobs
- U.S. Physical Therapy48 certified athletic trainers jobs
- NovaCare Rehabilitation31 certified athletic trainers jobs
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Compare different certified athletic trainers
Certified athletic trainer vs. Exercise physiologist
An exercise physiologist is a health professional who analyzes the fitness of patients to help them improve their health or maintain good health. Exercise physiologists are required to help patients with heart diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes or pulmonary disease to regain their health. Certified exercise physiologists must administer exercise stress tests in health and unhealthy populations. They also assist both amateur and professional athletes in helping them boost their performance in sports.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a certified athletic trainer are more likely to require skills like "athletic events," "osha," "athletic training room," and "acute care." On the other hand, a job as an exercise physiologist requires skills like "cardiac rehabilitation," "ekg," "acsm," and "physical therapy." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Exercise physiologists tend to reach similar levels of education than certified athletic trainers. In fact, exercise physiologists are 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Certified athletic trainer vs. Exercise specialist
An Exercise Specialist creates exercise plans designed to improve health for clients, such as those at high risk for heart, metabolic, or lung disease. They work at health clubs, hotels, gyms, and hospitals.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that certified athletic trainer responsibilities requires skills like "athletic events," "resuscitation," "osha," and "athletic training room." But an exercise specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "customer service," "physical therapy," "blood pressure," and "cardiac rehabilitation."
Exercise specialists earn lower levels of education than certified athletic trainers in general. They're 5.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Certified athletic trainer vs. Physical therapist
Physical therapists are health care professionals who diagnose and treat patients with health conditions and limited ability to move and perform daily activities. They help in restoring physical function and mobility and teach how to properly use therapeutic exercise techniques. They also help promote overall wellness and encourage healthier and more active lifestyles. They design a recovery plan unique for every patient, provide treatment and therapy to help improve and manage their condition. They provide care to all kinds of individuals, from newborns to people at the end of their life.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, certified athletic trainers are more likely to have skills like "cpr," "patient care," "athletic events," and "osha." But a physical therapist is more likely to have skills like "home health," "quality care," "physical therapy," and "treatment programs."
When it comes to education, physical therapists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to certified athletic trainers. In fact, they're 3.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 15.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Certified athletic trainer vs. Sports medicine coordinator
Types of certified athletic trainer
Updated January 8, 2025
