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Sports athletic trainer vs sports medicine physician

The differences between sports athletic trainers and sports medicine physicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a sports athletic 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 $48,071 average annual salary of a sports athletic trainer.

The top three skills for a sports athletic trainer include rehabilitation, patient care and CPR. The most important skills for a sports medicine physician are sports medicine, family medicine, and primary care.

Sports athletic trainer vs sports medicine physician overview

Sports Athletic TrainerSports Medicine Physician
Yearly salary$48,071$200,146
Hourly rate$23.11$96.22
Growth rate17%7%
Number of jobs57,25643,921
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Doctoral Degree, 34%
Average age4048
Years of experience410

Sports athletic trainer vs sports medicine physician salary

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

Sports Athletic TrainerSports Medicine Physician
Average salary$48,071$200,146
Salary rangeBetween $35,000 And $65,000Between $100,000 And $397,000
Highest paying CityWilmington, DEGreen Bay, WI
Highest paying stateHawaiiKansas
Best paying companyBaptist Health CareOSF HealthCare
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between sports athletic trainer and sports medicine physician education

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

Sports Athletic TrainerSports Medicine Physician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Doctoral Degree, 34%
Most common majorAthletic TrainingMedicine
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Sports athletic trainer vs sports medicine physician demographics

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

Sports Athletic TrainerSports Medicine Physician
Average age4048
Gender ratioMale, 68.3% Female, 31.7%Male, 74.5% Female, 25.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 8.5% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%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 Percentage10%13%

Differences between sports athletic trainer and sports medicine physician duties and responsibilities

Sports athletic trainer example responsibilities.

  • Cover athletic events for football, soccer, basketball, track and field, baseball and softball, including travel.
  • Coordinate game day operations, travel arrangements and provide medical coverage for football, women's volleyball, and aquatics.
  • Maintain personal health information pertinent to require records for rehabilitation, fitness/wellness, and injury prevention programming.
  • Comply with all NCAA and NATA code of ethics, rules, and regulations.
  • Instruct and certify coaches, teacher, and other staff in CPR and first aid.
  • Work in-season with tennis and out-of-season with field hockey, women's soccer, and men's soccer.
  • Show more

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.

Sports athletic trainer vs sports medicine physician skills

Common sports athletic trainer skills
  • Rehabilitation, 28%
  • Patient Care, 17%
  • CPR, 17%
  • Student Athletes, 7%
  • Athletic Events, 3%
  • Athletic Injuries, 3%
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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