I'm thinking about becoming a high school athletic trainer. Can anyone explain what the job entails and what kind of work I would be doing on a day-to-day basis?
Sure, I'd be happy to explain the role of a high school athletic trainer!
A high school athletic trainer plays an essential role in the health and safety of student-athletes. Their primary responsibilities include preventing, diagnosing, and treating injuries that athletes incur during training sessions and sports games.
Your day-to-day workload as an athletic trainer would likely start with prepping first aid kits and ensuring medical supplies are readily available at your sports facility. You could also oversee pre-exercise routines like stretching or warm-ups, to help prevent injuries before they occur.
During games or training sessions, you'd be on the sideline ready to provide immediate care if an athlete gets injured. This could range from treating minor injuries such as scrapes and sprains to making quick assessments of potentially serious issues such as concussions or fractures, and initiating appropriate emergency procedures if required.
Another key part of your role would be rehabilitating athletes who are recovering from injuries. You'd likely work closely with doctors or physical therapists to create recovery plans, and then supervise and guide the athlete as they carry out those plans. This often includes strength training, stretching exercises, and using therapeutic modalities like heat or cold therapy.
In addition, part of your role might involve educating athletes, coaches, and parents about injury prevention, recognition, and management.
Lastly, you'd be responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of the athletes' injuries and the treatments provided.
All these roles require strong teamwork skills, as well as knowledge of sports and a strong understanding of human anatomy and physiology. Also, remember that as an athletic trainer, you're not necessarily working the traditional 9-5 hours, as you need to be present during training sessions and games - which can happen early in the morning, late in the evening, or on weekends. Hope this gives a clearer picture of what a high school athletic trainer does!
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