Athletic trainers
Evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.
Athletic trainers evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care. The role reports a median annual salary of $60,250 in the US and is projected to grow 11% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Master's degree, and shows low AI exposure (0.25 on a 0-1 scale) — the role's core work resists automation. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £30,108 a year for Sports coaches, instructors and officials (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3432). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Technicians and associate professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Athletic trainers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 3. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
- Sports Science — B.Sc Sports Science or Sports and Exercise Science (three or four years)
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Public Safety and Security
- Administrative
A day in the life
You start the morning in the training room, cleaning and sanitising the treatment tables and checking the supplies. Athletes begin arriving for treatment, so you tape ankles, apply ice and heat, and use exercise equipment to help an injured player rebuild strength. You assess a new knee injury, deciding what care is needed and whether a doctor should see it. Mid-morning you update each athlete's records and write a progress report for the coach and team doctor. In the afternoon you attend practice, watching closely for injuries and ready to respond at once. When a player goes down, you run onto the field to assess them and decide whether they can safely continue. Later you run a session teaching young athletes and parents how to prevent common injuries. Long hours and the pressure of making quick decisions can be stressful. But seeing an athlete you helped through a hard injury return to the field fully fit is incredibly rewarding.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Athletic trainers do?
Evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.
What does a typical day look like in Athletic trainers?
You start the morning in the training room, cleaning and sanitising the treatment tables and checking the supplies. Athletes begin arriving for treatment, so you tape ankles, apply ice and heat, and use exercise equipment to help an injured player rebuild strength. You assess a new knee injury, deciding what care is needed and whether a doctor should see it. Mid-morning you update each athlete's records and write a progress report for the coach and team doctor.
How much does Athletic trainers earn?
The median annual salary for Athletic trainers in the US is $60,250.
What is the job outlook for Athletic trainers?
The role is projected to grow 11% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 33,900 workers.
How do I become athletic trainers?
The typical entry education is a Master's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Athletic trainers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Athletic trainers?
Our AI-durability model gives Athletic trainers a score of 0.25 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at low AI exposure — the role's core work resists current-generation automation. It's a comparatively AI-durable choice within its field.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Athletic trainers has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.