Hagan When an injury happens the athletic

Hagan Payne Ronald Ramage  English 4 1/10/18             Athletic Training              Have you ever been injured while playing a sport or doing any type of physical activity? If so you have probably had an athletic trainer come to you, or you have gone to see one.  Athletic trainers work hard to prevent injuries and treat injuries when they do occur. Not many people know what athletic trainers do behind the scenes or who they treat.

When most people think about athletic trainers, sport players come to mind. However, it’s not just athletes that are treated. Clients can range from professional athletes to everyday industrial workers.

Injuries can be short term or even career ending. With this in mind, schooling is one of the most important things that must be completed before having a career.  Their work schedule and salary will depend on where they work at.             An athletic trainer’s main job responsibility is to prevent injury, they also treat injuries, show you how to properly use equipment.

When an athlete is hurt during a game they are one of the first people out there. They have to be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries on the spot. While many people think it’s just athletes that are treated other clients could be an industrial worker, or anybody physically active. When an injury happens the athletic trainer has to come up with a plan for that person.

They also have to know when that person can go back to what they were doing before. If the client isn’t where they are supposed to be then they can’t be released for physical activity. The athletic trainer also has to know how to use protective devices such as braces, tape, and bandages. An athletic trainer will also have to be able to withstand seeing gruesome injuries as they do occur often in sports. Athletic trainers talk with other physicians and other healthcare workers about injury preventive practices. Athletic trainers must be supervised by physicians, but the level of supervision is different in each work setting.

Some athletic trainers work with physicians every day. However, others may only see them once or twice a week. Athletic trainers don’t just collaborate with physicians. They also have administrative responsibilities in which they deal with business-related issues. (Athletic)              To become an athletic trainer, there is a lot of schooling required before being certified.

After going to college to get an undergraduate’s degree, an athletic trainer must attend the College of Nursing and Healthcare Professions Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training program. The program prepares one to work with clients, physicians, and other healthcare providers. Coursework for the degree varies, but some examples are human anatomy, prevention of injuries, instruction on taping and bracing, and physiology of exercise. The program also focuses on other things such as skill work and on and off clinical rotations. In this students get the opportunity to see and learn skills for real life situations. There are also different clubs and preparation courses that are available to ensure certification.  When a client is injured the trainer must know what they will have them do to get them back on track, this is something else learned while in school. They have to know how hard to push them, what equipment they can use, etc.

To become certified and get the title athletic trainer, you must take and pass the Board of Certification Examination. When passed the athletic trainer is also called an allied healthcare professional. When they get out of the program and graduate they should be able to react quickly when an injury happens and know what to do. They will also have to know the body extremely well. They will also be able to know how to position braces just right for the client, and taping what needs to be taped right.              As of January 02, 2018, an average athletic trainer’s salary is $43,935, and ranges from $40,117-$49,444. (Athletic Salary). Their pay requires on several different factors.

If someone is just now becoming an athletic trainer then they aren’t going to make as much as someone who has been doing it for years. A full time worker will make more than someone who was a part time athletic trainer. Some benefits include paid time off, sick days.  An athletic trainer’s work schedule could be very hectic during the week. How many hours a week they work depends on where they are located at.

An average off-season work schedule is 40-50 hours a week with nights and weekends off. More hours appear when a season starts up because they are attending games and practices. If you teach a class and are also an athletic trainer then you may have 60-70 hours a week. If someone is working for a professional team they work an average of twelve hours a day. Most of their work is outdoors, but they also could be all over the place such as hospitals, clinics and educational institutions.

Their schedule could also switch to something completely different than what was planned. When a team is in their season they are usually at practices or any team function. Their nights depend on if that team has a game.

Usually they have Saturdays and Sundays off, but they could go in on a Saturday if a player was injured or was hurting the next morning after a game. If a practice was delayed the trainers schedule could be affected, and they would have to switch other client’s appointments around and get them in through that time the team was waiting for practice. An athletic trainer must be around his or her phone at all times. If they weren’t at practice because it was a day with not much physical activity going on, and an unsuspecting injury happened they have to answer the first time.

They have to wrap up or drop whatever they are doing and rush to the place where the injury occurs. Outside of sports when the teams season end and they are waiting for another sport to start they are working a normal work schedule, and are at places like clinics and hospitals. That’s when the 40-50 hour weeks come and they don’t have a crazy week as they would because while injuries are still happening they don’t occur as much. Trainers can finally not to have to worry about getting a phone call and their plans having to stop.

They usually have a couple of months between seasons and get a lot of stuff done. They could go to their offices and organize their stuff if it got unorganized during a season. The trainers will usually have evenings and weekends off.  During an off season it isn’t uncommon for them to seek extra work at a hospital, clinic, or wherever they are hired at. They usually go and give speeches at a school or a program where people are studying to become one. They could go to schools and talk to a class full of students who are interested in becoming an athletic trainer, and talk about all the schooling they went through, how important it is to show how equipment is used, and all the other things that a trainer does. When they go to a college program and speak they could talk about all the things that go on in their everyday lives. They could also talk about how their schedule could change in an instant, or how crazy it gets when a season is going on and they have to be at practices and games, or any team functions.

 In conclusion, athletic trainers have a difficult job that many look past. They have to go through a lot of schooling, programs and a lot of hands on activity. They are quick reactors when an injury happens having to know whether or not that person can continue to be doing what they were doing. They also have to know how far they can push their client, and when he or she can continue. Athletic trainers also have to know how to tape and use braces for their clients. They also have to teach a sports team about practicing safely so they can be injury free and not have to worry about sitting out for a part or even the whole season.

They are very familiar with the body and how it works.  They have to be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries on the spot.                                            If the client isn’t where they are supposed to be then they can’t be released. They can’t have a weak stomach because of the things they could see in their career. Human anatomy, prevention of injuries, instruction on taping and bracing, and physiology of exercise are just a few of the classes they have to take to become a trainer.

Working many hours during the week is a big part of the job. Especially if they are teaching at a school then they are going to have more hours than just a regular athletic trainer. They will have 60-70 hour work weeks while doing both, but most aren’t teachers they are just a regular athletic trainer. They go back to regular work schedules while waiting on some more sports to start. A regular schedule is 40-50 hours but they are usually at clinics or hospitals, or giving speeches.

  Their hours all depend on where they are located like a high school, college, or a professional team. Athletic trainers must be supervised by physicians, but the level of supervision is different in each work setting. They also have administrative responsibilities in which they deal with business-related issues.

When a client is injured the trainer must know what they will have them do to get them back on track, this is something else learned. Most of their work is outdoors or on a court, or any other indoor sport. Their pay requires on several different factors.

Some who have been doing it longer than others get paid vacation and sick days. An average athletic trainer’s salary is $43,935, and ranges from $40,117-$49,444. Their schedule could also switch to something completely different than what was planned. They have to have a phone on them at all times and answer on the first ring so they can rush to an emergency. They have to be there to diagnose the client right then and there.

They also have to be there for every game their sports team has. Before games some athletes have to be taped or have a brace and they are there for that. A lot of things go on behind the scenes that many people really wouldn’t think about. They also think it’s just sports players but it’s not, it can be everyday workers.

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gcu.edu/degree-programs/bachelor-science-athletic-training.  Lockard, C. Brett. Athletic Trainers: Providing Healthcare to Athletes of all Kinds.

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