Unlike fitness trainers who help people develop their physical fitness performance, sports trainers help athletes in individual or team sports avoid injuries, conduct efficient medication for injuries during the competition, and assist these athletes in their recovery. Since this is a job that would put them closer to popular or favourite athletes, more hopeful active individuals are looking at sports trainer jobs. This can be their chance to fulfil their dream profession and be with their idol all at once.
What Do Athletic Trainers Do?
Sports trainers are known experts in the management, protection, and recovery of athletes who suffered from serious injuries. Most of the time, these people are the so-called first medical responders at the time of the injury. These trainers work with physicians to deliver emergency and succeeding treatment as well as improve protection and rehabilitation for injured sportspeople.
In addition, athletic trainers initiate crucial communication relationships between the coach, doctor, athlete, and at times, the families of the injured athlete to know the appropriate time to get back to practice and compete.
Roles And Responsibilities
Sports trainers are well-educated and highly skilled health sciences individuals whose specialty is on athletic health care. Usually, they collaborate with physical therapists, coaches, and physicians.
A typical day in most sports trainer jobs would include helping in sports training activities while ensuring every athlete’s safety. They also assist in taping, bandaging, and putting on braces to avoid potential injuries. When a sports person gets injured during the training, they will immediately perform an assessment and provide first aid.
These trainers also have responsibilities even after the training or team practice, such as facilitating rehabilitation efforts for injured sports individuals and promoting prevention initiatives. At times, they may have to fulfil administrative assignments like creating reports and directions for safety protocols.
Job Environment
Together with doctors and health care staff, the sports trainer works in the healthcare team in universities, colleges, hospitals, fitness centres, and professional sports clubs. They are recognised as a fundamental member of the health team capable of working with young or old patients.
When they are assigned to schools, they monitor the athletes’ safety during the practice and treat injuries as needed. Moreover, they also teach in the sports departments of high schools during the day. Athletic trainers also work in sports medicine centres giving treatment and rehabilitation, training coverage, and performing workshops and other medicine academic programs.
College athletic teams also have sports trainers to assist in their competitions away from home court, facilitate the academic experiences of athletic training, and conduct athletic training education lectures.
The very common work environment for sports trainers is working for a professional sports team. They work almost every day in a year for sports clubs such as football, soccer, basketball, hockey, baseball, and more. Also, some firms hire these trainers to provide medical service to staff and top management. They help offices in promoting injury prevention initiatives. Aside from corporate offices, sports trainers are hired by the military, arts and dance studios, and medical sales.
Work Hours
The duty hours of a sports trainer varies–full-time or part-time. Most of them operate outdoors in all kinds of weather. These people are on an on-call basis, allowing their patients or athletes to call them on evenings, weekends, or holidays. They may also travel several times, together with the team or the athlete, especially when their team joins in a regular competition.
