• An athletic trainer likes helping people get back to their busy lives after being sidelined due to injury.yoga 22 image by pdesign from Fotolia.com
  
  Athletic trainers work many places: high schools and colleges, sports medicine clinics, the armed forces, companies and as trainers to professional athletes. Projected job growth is good, especially in high schools, clinics, the military and companies. The good news is that, yes, you can be an athletic trainer who can enjoy stable employment, earn a good living with benefits and enjoy what you do.
  
  

Qualities of an Athletic Trainer

• Because an athletic trainer works with all kinds of people, she must have good people skills. Patience, good communication skills, the ability to assess difficult situations well, the ability to handle stress and the desire to help people are all desirable qualities in an athletic trainer. A four-year college degree is required to be an athletic trainer. A candidate must be intelligent and dedicated to the study of science and health, as they are the core curriculum for becoming an athletic trainer.
  
  Trainers often work long hours and may have to travel, so flexibility is another good quality to have.
  
  

What Does an Athletic Trainer Do?

• An athletic trainer is an allied health professional who works with doctors and the sports medicine team to get people back to their active lives after an injury or surgery. They help create and monitor an individual's rehabilitative program. They are often the ones immediately on the spot where an injury has just occurred and must evaluate the situation. They educate clients about preventing injury as well as the correct use of equipment. They know how to bandage, tape and brace clients to prevent injury. Their role is not getting people in shape--their role is to help devise, nurture and lead the way back to normalcy after injury. Athletic trainers also carry out administrative duties such as attending meetings for budget planning, policy implementation and purchasing, all necessary to the business side of the job. Job advancement comes by switching your present position for one that pays more. Becoming an athletic director or a manager in administration are other ways to advance.
  
  

The Trainer's Training

• Studying health and science courses such as human anatomy, nutrition, physiology and biomechanics make up much of the four-year college curriculum. A clinical internship is required. After graduation, the state will require a registration, licensure, or certification to practice. There is a national association that helps advance the career path of the athletic trainer, but it is each individual state that sets the actual requirements for study and practice in that state. Some trainers pursue a Master's or Doctorate degree, which enables them to advance their career.