What can I do with a major in...

What can I do with a major in Athletic Training?

According to the NATA (National Athletic Trainers' Association) a Certified Athletic Trainer is a highly educated and skilled professional specializing in athletic health care. With education grounded in the sciences, an athletic trainer is concerned with the prevention, care and evaluation of athletic injuries. Skills are also developed in rehabilitation and reconditioning of athletic injuries and health care administration.

At the forefront of an athletic trainers activity is the welfare of the athlete. In cooperation with physicians and other allied health personnel, the athletic trainer functions as an integral member of the athletic health care team in secondary schools, colleges and universities, sports medicine clinics, professional sports programs, and other athletic health care settings.

Strategies

• Consider a specialty school after graduation
• Make plans for graduate school
• Build a strong background in the sciences
• Work in health club, physical therapy clinic, or gym
• Volunteer to work with sports teams in your local school districts
• Consider getting a summer job working for a sports nutrition manufacturer
• Enhance communication skills
• Prepare to take the National Athletic Trainer Association (NATA)-BOC Exam

Career Titles

High School Athletic Trainer Sports Physical Therapist Strength & Conditioning Specialist Sports Club & Resort Management Team Physician Massage Therapist Assistant Athletic Trainer Exercise Physiologist

Fitness Consultant Personal Trainer Fitness Instructor Aerobics Instructor College/University Athletic Trainer Teacher Coach Sports Dietician

Professional Organizations

American College of Sports Medicine
401 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN  46202-3233

National Academy of Sports Medicine
26632 Agoura Road
Calabsas, CA  91302

NATA (National Athletic Trainers' Association)
2952 Stemmans Freeway #200
Dallas, TX  75247

National Strength and Conditioning Association
1885 Bob Johnson Drive
Colorado Springs, CO  80906

NSCA Certification Commission
1885 Bob Johnson Drive
Colorado Springs, CO  80906

Web sites

Career Sites~

Athletic Trainer: Occupational information
Human Kinetics: Careers in athletic training and related career fields;
National Athletic Trainers' Association
National Athletic Trainers' Association Board of Certification
Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society: Jobs, find current baseball athletic trainers
Sports Medicine Jobs: Jobs, advice on managing a career in sports medicine
Sports Medicine on the Web: Careers and career planning info for athletic trainers
Woman Sports Foundation

General Information Sites~

Affirmative Fitness - Personal Training Site: Network for athletic and personal trainers
Athletic training jobs
National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Sports Diversity Recruiting
SWAT: strength, wellness, athletic training: Corporate training
The NCAA News: Jobs opportunities in college athletics
The Occupational Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation Society: Injury prevention
United States Olympic Committee