What are the pros and cons of being an athletic trainer?

I can let you know what life is like in two different settings of athletic training, the middle school/high school athletic setting and then the industrial setting.

First the school setting. I was responsible for providing athletic training coverage for all practice and games at the high school and the majority of the games at the middle school. This can vary some from school to school. My typical day started about 30 minutes before the end of the school day and ended after the last practice or game was over. I typically was one of the last people to leave. I would make sure any new injuries were seen, coaches informed, and parents contacted about injuries. During the day, I evaluate new injuries, do treatments and rehabilitation on existing injuries and go out to practices. Some of my other responsibilities include letting coaches know about injuries and if athletes can practice or not. I will help parents make doctors appointments in necessary. Some days my days are very busy and other days they are quiet. No two days are ever the same. There is also no typical work week. There are a lot of evenings and Saturdays.

The industrial setting is a growing area for athletic trainers. Typically this is a Monday thru Friday position with regular hours for the most part. Since most factories work 3 shifts (24 hours/day), hours can vary from early morning to around 6pm. Weekend work is very rare. In the industrial setting, the main goal is to help keep the little discomforts from turning into injuries that require a physician visit. The days are more structured. In my setting, the employees that have injuries usually have scheduled times to come in and get treated. We work under guidelines set up by OSHA so we are a little limited in what we can do. When I am not seeing employees, I will spend time on the factory floor checking on employees and watching how the do their job. Ergonomics is a big part of the job of an industrial athletic trainer. We work with the safety team so they may ask us to do presentations, or help with stretching programs.

With both positions, there is quite a bit of paper work. All injuries and treatments need to be documented. Good communication and organizational skills or also a must.