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What is a challenge you face as an athletic trainer?
I am a freshman in high school and I'm interested in being an athletic trainer because of my love for sports and soccer.
#sports #athletic-training #soccer
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Ashlynn’s Answer
As a female AT one of the biggest challenges to me would be family balance. We are beginning to plan for children in the near future and that is always something that can be a challenge in any profession. Thankfully I have many role models around me that are currently pregnant or have older children that are willing to give advice and be a shoulder to lean on. The one thing they have all said is that they felt guilty having to take time off to take care of themselves and their families. This career is full of late nights and lots of weekend which is when most people spend time with their families or at their kids activities. This is just something to think about before committing to a rigorous college program. In the end this may be one of the larger challenges I face, I would choose this profession all over again if I had the choice!
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Dustin’s Answer
Honestly, I don't really face many challenges at my current position, aside from the usual stubborn athlete who won't listen to you. Most athletic trainers would say the hours worked and low pay (compared the the education required which is a masters degree now. You could expect to work 50+ hours/week and get a 30-40k salary at some positions while others are much better). These aren't really issues for me. Some other issues could be a disrespectful coaching staff or atheltic director but as younger people begin to take positions who know what an AT does this is becoming less frequent, again not an issue for me. Probably the major challenge that plaques AT is the lack of awareness of what we do and our value to a healthcare team.