An athletic trainer is a health care professional that is certified and practices in the medical athletic training field. This type of training has been recognized since 1990 as an allied heath care profession by the AMA also known as the American Medical Association.Athletic training includes diagnosis, intervention and prevention of acute, chronic and emergency medical condition that involve functional disabilities and limitations and impairment. With accredited athletic trainers, the areas of expertise include responsibility and professional development, psychosocial and pharmacology intervention, rehabilitative and conditioning exercises, therapeutic modalities, acute care of illnesses and injuries, disabilities and medical conditions, assessment, pathology of illnesses and injuries, and injury prevention and risk management.The services that an athletic trainer provides take place in a large range of venues and setting which can include workplaces, community centers, physician offices, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, universities, primary schools, and athletic training facilities. Athletic trainers handle a wide population, from patients that need rehabilitative care to professional and amateur athletes. A typical client group consists of:
- Professional, amateur and recreational athletes
- Individuals seeking performance, fitness, conditioning, and strength enhancement
- Musculoskeletal injury patients
- Individual directed by a physician
The minimum requirement for most athletic trainer degrees is usually a bachelor’s degree but many hold a doctoral or master’s degree. Forty seven states, in 2009, had requirements that stated athletic trainers had to have some form of registration or be licensed. Formal athletic trainer education includes courses such as biomechanics, nutrition, physiology, human anatomy, and many heath related and science courses. According to the NATA almost 70% of current athletic trainers have a M.S. degree or above. There are some positions whereby an athletic trainer must have at least a M.S. degree, especially in universities and colleges or in circumstances where they want to advance their careers. A license or teaching certificate may be required for some high school positions because they involve athletic training responsibilities in addition to teaching.