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The Complete Guide to Becoming An Athletic Trainer
The real pay, the real path, and the real day-to-day of athletic training — before you commit a single credit hour.
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Athletic Trainer Actually Do?
Forget the Sideline Fantasy
When most people picture an athletic trainer, they see the person on the sideline of a college football game handing out water and helping a player off the field. That isn't wrong, but it's a tiny fraction of the reality. If you are seriously considering this career, you need to see the other 98% of it. That part takes place in a cramped athletic training room that smells like icy hot and sweat, on a cold outdoor practice field at 7 AM in November, and in front of a computer screen updating injury records while everyone else has gone home for the night.
An athletic trainer is a certified and licensed healthcare professional who works under the direction of a physician. The key word here is healthcare professional. You are not a personal trainer who leads workouts, and you are not a physical therapist who manages long-term rehabilitation. You are the person who shows up the moment an injury happens, who figures out what is wrong, and who manages the recovery process from start to finish. You are the first responder, the injury documenter, the rehab coach, the prevention specialist, and sometimes the one who has to tell a star athlete that they are done for the season.
Your daily responsibilities break down into four major areas: prevention, evaluation, management, and rehabilitation. Prevention means taping ankles before every single game, fitting athletes for proper protective equipment,