Physical trainer vs sports medicine physician

The differences between physical trainers and sports medicine physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a physical trainer, becoming a sports medicine physician takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a sports medicine physician has an average salary of $200,146, which is higher than the $25,278 average annual salary of a physical trainer.

The top three skills for a physical trainer include physical therapy, strength training and soccer. The most important skills for a sports medicine physician are sports medicine, family medicine, and primary care.

Physical trainer vs sports medicine physician overview

	Physical Trainer	Sports Medicine Physician
Yearly salary	$25,278	$200,146
Hourly rate	$12.15	$96.22
Growth rate	19%	7%
Number of jobs	72,865	43,921
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Doctoral Degree, 34%
Average age	37	48
Years of experience	12	10

Physical trainer vs sports medicine physician salary

Physical trainers and sports medicine physicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Trainer	Sports Medicine Physician
Average salary	$25,278	$200,146
Salary range	Between $17,000 And $35,000	Between $100,000 And $397,000
Highest paying City	-	Green Bay, WI
Highest paying state	-	Kansas
Best paying company	-	OSF HealthCare
Best paying industry	-	Non Profits

Differences between physical trainer and sports medicine physician education

There are a few differences between a physical trainer and a sports medicine physician in terms of educational background:

	Physical Trainer	Sports Medicine Physician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Doctoral Degree, 34%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Medicine
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Pennsylvania

Physical trainer vs sports medicine physician demographics

Here are the differences between physical trainers' and sports medicine physicians' demographics:

	Physical Trainer	Sports Medicine Physician
Average age	37	48
Gender ratio	Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8%	Male, 74.5% Female, 25.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 19.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between physical trainer and sports medicine physician duties and responsibilities

Physical trainer example responsibilities.

Manage various football, basketball, and speed camps while conveying the importance of self-motivation.
Receive NASM certification for personal training service.
Create feedback and progress reports regarding development for on boarding new associates and provide official information on a SharePoint database.
Create original TRX classes and encourage inactive members to participate consistently.

Sports medicine physician example responsibilities.

Assist with managing chronic illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, and CHF.
Provide overall quality prenatal health care, gynecological services, patient triage, refer patients with complications, provide patient education service
Assist with managing chronic illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, and CHF.

Physical trainer vs sports medicine physician skills

Common physical trainer skills

Physical Therapy, 45%
Strength Training, 12%
Soccer, 12%
Weight Loss, 8%
Training Sessions, 8%
Front Desk, 8%

Common sports medicine physician skills

Sports Medicine, 36%
Family Medicine, 20%
Primary Care, 13%
Family Practice, 9%
EMR, 6%
Internal Medicine, 4%

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Physical Trainer vs Sports Medicine Physician

Updated January 8, 2025

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