Education

• All licensed athletic trainers have at least a bachelor's degree in a field such as kinesiology, exercise science, physical education or premedical sciences. Seventy percent of athletic trainers have a master's or doctorate degree.
  
  

Licensure

• The Independent Board of Certification Inc. (BOC) certifies athletic trainers, who are then put under state oversight, which varies depending on the statutes recognized by individual states. As far as licensing and oversight, they are most similar to physical and occupational therapists and other health care professionals.
  
  

Accreditation Requirements

• Clinical experience is a requirement of any accredited program. Students are trained in a clinic setting with hands-on experience with clients and patients requiring injury rehabilitation and prevention guidance. Clinical experience amounts to at least two academic years in addition to the general education requirements of any bachelor's degree or higher.
  
  

Employment Opportunities

• Certified athletic trainers have many employment opportunities. Anywhere that people are active, there is a potential position for an athletic trainer. Gyms, sports teams, schools, sports medicine clinics, rehabilitation centers and hospitals all consistently hire athletic trainers. Trainers can work in a capacity similar to a personal trainer, where they train an individual for a particular event such as running a marathon.
  
  

Salary

• An athletic trainer's salary ranges from $31,000 to $48,000 annually depending on years of experience and the employer.
  
  

Perks of the Job

• Depending on where you work as an athletic trainer, you have access to certain privileges that other professions do not. Obviously if you are working with a sports team, you get sideline seats to every game, along with expense-paid travel and accommodations for all the games or meets. You work closely with people in this profession, so you have an opportunity to become close with a very diverse population from Olympians to Average Joes.
  
  

Job Outlook

• As long as there are people who compete in athletic competitions, injure themselves or have questions about fitness and injuries, there will be jobs for athletic trainers. As America continues to encourage activity to battle obesity and diseases, there will be people in need of the expertise of an athletic trainer.