For my career exploration paper, I chose to do my research on becoming an athletic trainer. For my resources, I used the Occupational Outlook Handbook and also www.careerzone.com.
The nature of being an athletic trainer requires strenuous work and must guard against injury when participating in activities of instructing others. Athletic trainers also evaluate, advise and treat athletes to assist recovery from injury, avoid injury, or maintain peak physical fitness. There are many courses you can take throughout high school to further prepare yourself in the career field of athletics, such as health and physical education and athletic training and sports medicine. Biology, psychology, and mathematics are courses you should take in high school that not only enhance your resume, but also give you a better chance at obtaining a career in athletics.
In preparing yourself to become an athletic trainer, college is a must. A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. Some may require a master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree). After college, you might want to take some courses or training too. This may include CPR courses, sports medicine, physical education, health and nutrition, etc. You might also need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, experience and/or training. .
The working conditions of being an athletic trainer vary. The basic working condition is to teach non-professional individual and team sports to students. But other tasks include evaluating physical conditions of athletes, advising or prescribing routine and corrective exercises to strengthen muscles. They also administer emergency first aid, massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains and bruises, or wrap ankles, fingers, wrists or other body parts with synthetic skin, gauze or adhesive tape to support muscles and ligaments.
