Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code SRI
Athletic Trainers
Evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.
Also called: Athletic Instructor, Athletic Trainer, Certified Athletic Trainer, Personal Trainer, Athletic Lecturer, Resident Athletic Trainer, Women's Athletic Trainer.
O*NET 29-9091.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $62,520
- Middle half earn $55,130 to $74,630. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Master's Degree
- 54% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
- US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034
- +11% · Much faster than average
- 33,900 jobs in 2024, projected 37,600. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Athletic trainers".
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
- Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
- Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
- Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
- Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.
- Clean and sanitize athletic training rooms.
- Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
- Apply protective or injury preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, or braces, to body parts, such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
- Monitoring3.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
- Active Learning3.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry4.6 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.4 / 5
- Psychology4.2 / 5
- Therapy and Counseling3.9 / 5
- English Language3.7 / 5
- Education and Training3.6 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic77
- Investigative57
- Artistic2
- Social79
- Enterprising21
- Conventional37
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- advanced physiotherapist · DE Fachphysiotherapeut/Fachphysiotherapeutin · FR expert physiothérapeute/experte physiothérapeute
- physiotherapist · DE Physiotherapeut/Physiotherapeutin · FR physiothérapeute
- chiropractor · DE Chiropraktiker/Chiropraktikerin · FR chiropracteur/chiropractrice
- kinesiologist · DE Kinesiologe/Kinesiologin · FR kinésiologue
- physiotherapy assistant · DE Physiotherapieassistent/Physiotherapieassistentin · FR kinésithérapeute
- osteopath · DE Osteopath/Osteopathin · FR ostéopathe
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
- Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
- Physiotherapists (2221)73,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.33. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (29-9091).
Related careers
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