Athletic Trainer

Job Description:

• Attending sports events to provide the needed on-site care

•  Conducting athlete intake assessments and maintaining medical records for all athletes

•  Coordinating with the management to maintain equipment inventory

•  Attending annual conferences and weekly staff meetings

•  Developing customized treatment plans and making appropriate recommendations for ideal steps in athlete care

•  Handling clerical tasks such as assisting with budgets, restocking supplies and maintaining inventory

•  Designing rehabilitation and training programs for athletes.

Earnings:

• The average starting salary is an hourly wage of $12.56 an hour with $26,120 a year. 

• The average salary is an hourly wage of $21.50 an hour with $44,720 a year. 

Soft Skills:

• Communication

• Compassion 

• Social Perceptiveness

• Attention to Detail

• Critical Thinking

• Fitness

• Positive and Motivating 

• KInd delivery of bad news

• Control emotions and reactions 

• Teaching

• Staying up to date on knowledge. 

My Personal Traits are:

• Compassion

• Attention to Detail

• Critical Thinking

• Fitness

• Positive and Motivating

• Kind Delivery of bad news

• Staying up to date on knowledge

Traits to improve on: 

• Communication

• Social Perceptiveness

• Control emotions and reactions

• Teaching

Hard Skills:

• Attend a program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education

• Maintain a CPR certification

• Course Work: Prehospital care, General medical conditions, injury assessment, therapeutic interventions, pharmacology, psychosocial intervention, statistics, evidence-based practice. 

Employment Outlook:

• Nationally the employment outlook is projected to grow 14% from 2022-2032. 

• In Idaho it is projected to grow 13% from 2023-2033. 

Cost of Education:

• Estimated cost for tuition is $19,228 as an Idaho resident for graduate at Idaho State University. The degree itself is $9,926. Which comes out to $29,145 a year or 116,580 for four years. 

ROI:

• My ROI after 1 year would be 22.4% 

• My ROI after 10 years would be 383%

• My ROI after 40 years would be 1534% 

Name of Interviewee:  Chad Johnson

Job Title: Athletic Trainer

Question #1: What would you suggest I do in high school to prepare for this career?

I think just studying and getting a good solid foundation and good grades is the best thing you can do in high school to prepare.

Question #2: What education or training do you need to have for this job?

you have to have a bachelor's degree and meet all the prerequisites for medical school, then graduate from medical school and match into a primary care residency, then apply for and match into a sports medicine fellowship.

Question #3: How much do most people spend on education and training for this career? Do you have any suggestions for how I can pay for that?

the cost is actually very high. I’m sure tuition has gone up at most, if not all schools, but you have to pay for your four year degree. I gratefully did not have to pay for that as I was on scholarship. So I don’t know how much that costs. However, I paid 38,000 a semester for eight semesters in medical school. That adds up really quickly. I had to pay for it with student loans, as most people do. Then you spend several years paying them back.

Question #4: What licenses or certifications are required for this job and how often do they have to be renewed? What does that process look like?

I have to maintain dual board certifications. This includes getting continuing medical education credits, around 150 every three years. Every 10 years I have to take my family medicine board. It is a full day, timed test, assessing to make sure I am up on current concepts in medicine. I also had to take my sports medicine certificate from the added qualification board every 10 years, but that is staggered from my FM board. it is pretty comprehensive, and they make sure you are staying up on all things medical to remain board-certified. I have to have a medical license through the Idaho board of medicine and that has to be renewed every 1 to 2 years. I have to have a DEA license to be allowed to prescribe controlled medications as well as a board of pharmacy license. Those both renew annually. There are additional costs for organization membership, and I belong to four different sports medicine organizations. We also have several conferences that can be attended every year. I always go to two or three per year. That is one location I’d like to get my CME (continuing medical education.)