Reflection Within the field of exercise science, there are numerous career opportunities to choose from based on one’s particular goals and desires in life. For myself, there has been one particular job title that has been influential and important to my life as an athlete; that is an athletic trainer. An athletic trainer is responsible for more that meets the eye and it truly is a job you have to want to do which requires extreme dedication. At the University of Great Falls, Brad Beffert, ATC, is the head athletic trainer. He began his athletic training career after transferring from a school that did not meet his educational needs. He decided to attend South Dakota University where the sports medicine field was highly competitive. During …show more content…
They have to deal with every athlete that comes in, decide who gets to meet with the doctor, rehabilitate athletes that come in, handle the budget, keep inventory, and communicate effectively with coaches and medical personnel (1). In most athletic training facilities, the head trainer is male. Gender stereotyping is not as prevalent in athletic training as it is in other professions, but there are a few barriers that prevent women from rising to that position. A study showed female athletic trainers in the head position did not seek that role but assumed the role of head athletic trainer due to strong job performance. However, things such as life-balancing and parenting emerged as barriers to females being head athletic trainers. The resulting responsibilities and additional demands were potential problems for females in the field (2). It is not to say that there are not females that are head athletic trainers but it is not seen as often. Regardless of specific title, being an athletic trainer requires a lot of responsibilities and dedication to the …show more content…
A data analysis on a number of athletic trainers found that there were two reoccurring themes: persistence in athletic training and the decision to leave the field. There were a few reasons why people chose to stay in athletic training including marketability and professional growth; however, there were numerous reasons as to why people left the profession. Many left the field due to low compensation, lack of interest in the field, and how much time needed to be committed to the job to name a few. The increase in students’ decision to leave athletic training stems from the lack of information known about the commitment required in their education and throughout the profession. Simply talking about someone’s future and requirements in athletic training as well as highlighting the importance of professional growth could decrease the retention rates of athletic trainers (3). For Beffert, dedicating all of his free time and energy to the athletes of the University of Great Falls is not an issue; he loves what he does and that is just a small price to
For this project, the certified athletic trainer who I have shadowed for almost eight hours in just one day is Candace O'Bryan, currently the athletic trainer at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron. Candace has worked at Hoban now entering her third year at the high school. She works alone as a trainer there but works along side one team doctor who is at every game, and the other one being a neurosurgeon but is just a parent helping out.
Exercise science possess many traits that attracted my attention whether it dealt with the different job opportunities or the ability to help an individual. There are two areas of exercise science that one can choose as a possible career path or as a major minoring in something else related to this type of work. One of the areas of study includes exercise physiology which can be defined by “the study of how the body’s structures and functions are changed as a result of acute and chronic bouts of exercise”. Not only does exercise physiology promote a healthy lifestyle, but it is closely connected to human performance, fitness, development/aging, and prevention/rehabilitation from disease or injury. Pursuing a degree in exercise physiology allows an individual in this profession to choose between several careers including physical education, exercise science and athletic training (Fisher, 2). In addition, becoming a chiropractor can be achieved through exercise science.
Athletic training career is one of the careers in healthcare that requires hard work, dedication, and patience. It is competitive and because of that, it requires extensive schooling. Most jobs in athletic training field requires a bachelor degree from an accredited program but having a masters degree or a doctorate degree from an accredited program increases one’s chance of getting a better job or qualifying for an affluent position in one’s company. One has to pass the rigorous board exam as well in order to be a certified athletic trainer. Athletic trainer’s job setting varies. Some athletic trainers work in the hospitals, some in colleges and universities, some work in occupational industries, and some work in professional sports. Employment, pay, and benefits is based on one’s experience and qualifications.
“Accept the challenge so that you can feel exhilaration of victory”. This quote was said by George S. Patton is discussion the important role that Athletic trainer should work and work until they win. Who are we are highly qualified multi skilled health care professionals. Also Athletic trainer prevent diagnosis treatment and rehabilitation of emergent acute or chronic injuries. Were also known for being high qualified multi skilled health care professional. Being and athletic trainer is a great and hardworking career. That involves meeting new people, dealing with different challenge each day, Also it has moderate schooling.
Bella, Laura La. Dream Jobs in Sports Fitness and Medicine. New York: Rosen Pub., 2013. Print.
Overall, those are the benefits that a career in athletic training can be beneficial to society as well as one who pursues this career.
College sports are a major revenue producing industry. Athletic programs and their student-athletes can achieve national recognition and generate millions of dollars in revenue for their university. Colleges use this revenue to invest in players, pay for their education, and provide state of the art training facilities, which are used to improve their athletic performance. As revenue driven colleges begin to prioritize athletics, the emphasis on the quality and standards of an undergraduate education are diminishing. Compromising their academic acceptance requirements, universities have now found that the educational ability of their newly accepted student athletes are inadequate, to say the least (Gurney). The same universities must then spend millions of dollars to provide these athletes with “learning specialists”, who in turn helps them to meet academic requirements and maintain their eligibility (...
I would like to enter the University of Charleston’s Athletic Training Program on the basis that I love being around sports and I enjoy working with and taking care of athletes. I first became interested in Athletic Training when I was given a tour of the UNC Athletic Training facility by Kevin Guskiewicz, who is the current dean of UNC College of Arts and Sciences. He was the previous head Athletic Trainer for UNC. After the experience, I quickly enrolled in Athletic Training classes in high school and began to learn the basics for becoming an Athletic Trainer. I loved learning about different injuries and how to treat them because as a student athlete I am very accident prone and figuring out what is wrong with my body is important for my collegiate athletic career. I have also had a dream of working with professional athletes. I have been involved with sports my whole life and have always considered these professional athletes as my role models. By entering University of Charleston’s Athletic Training Program I
To satisfy my curiosity and gain a broad understanding of athletic training, I chose to interview my boss, Pete Stevens. Pete is employed by Physiotherapy Associates, a nationwide corporation that specializes in physical/occupational therapy, athletic training, and fitness/sports training. He has worked there for three years. He is currently the Head Athletic Trainer for The Arizona Rattlers. Pete received his undergraduate degree in Athletic Training at Boise State University in Idaho, followed by a graduate degree in Recreation from Arizona State University. He is currently considering additional education to become a Physician’s Assistant.
In conclusion, I want to be an athletic trainer when I get older. The school that I go to has a partnership with my local football team, Ridgeview Wolfpack. I have to visit their company for a day, that way, I can obtain a better understanding of the career I have chosen. It is possible that I can get big in that career that I have chosen, Then I may go and help out with a famous sports team. This is the career that I am hoping that I get when I get out of school. Ever since I have been playing sports I thought it would be amazing to work with Pro players. I would be working with the players that everybody dreams
The next member of our sports medicine team is the strength and conditioning coach. At the collegiate level the typical strength and conditioning coach has a master’s degree and a certification as a certified strength and conditioning specialist which is administered by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. As a member of the sports medicine team it is the job of the strength and conditioning coach to improve overall fitness and the athletes’ physical skill and performance. They also work closely with the athletic trainer to create different programs for injured and uninjured athletes. Another very important person that is part of the sports medicine team is the athletic trainer. The
A few negatives to becoming an Athletic Trainer are dealing with a lot of injuries, working a lot of long hours, parents and coaches disagreeing with the trainer’s diagnosis and recommendations, and working within small
Since working my first soccer game as an athletic training student aide for my high school when I was 15 years old, I knew that I wanted to pursue Athletic Training in college. I was fortunate enough to take a sports medicine elective class in high school and I loved learning about injuries in sports, the important role of an athletic trainer, and the hands on experience the class offered. This class sparked my interest in sports medicine and I have since worked hard to make my goal of becoming an athletic trainer a reality by attending the University of Georgia and majoring in athletic training. After completing my first semester in the Athletic Training program, I have loved every second of it; the hands on experience and the challenge it offers to learn something new and
I have been exposed to the medical field my whole life. My Mom was a nurse and I would love to listen to the stories she told about her time in the hospital. If anybody asked me at the age of five what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say “a nurse like my mom.” A few years later I decided I wanted to be a doctor from the few times I got to watch the television show “ER”. The beginning of my interest in physical therapy was when I met my fourth grade pen pal, Elmo, at a nursing home. Elmo had muscular dystrophy and only retained control of his right arm and pinky which allowed him to manouver his wheelchair. During one visit where we got to spend the whole day with our pals, the physical therapist at the nursing home came to see Elmo. I was allowed to stay and I remember thinking it was so cool that there was one person to help Elmo retain the little muscle tone and mobility he had left. In sixth grade, my class went to the hospital to sing Christmas caroles and I remember the coolest place being the physical therapy room. I thought it was amazing how patients were learning to walk again or throw a ball.
These stages would be completed throughout the student's career (Majors and More 1). The preparation stage is where the student “enrolls in general education and introductory coursework”. This stage allows the student to “explore the athletic training field to ensure that he/she wants to pursue the field” (Majors and More 1). The clinical stage then becomes a little more complex. This stage requires a formal admission during the student's sophomore year (Majors and More 1). If admission is not successful, then the student will select a different major. In effort to make the biggest impact on the Community as possible, it is valuable to Winthrop that the Institution provide training services to its students and athletes. In addition, the program is genuinely concerned for the student-athlete and they “have a desire to help them return to competition in the shortest amount of time”, (Athletic Training 1). The Athletic Training program at Winthrop is “accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education”, and “the program received its accreditation in 2004 and was reaccredited in 2010”, (Majors and More 1). In terms of job placement after completion of this course, the three-year average success rating is 92% (Athletic Training 1). Courses required for this career would include, but not limited to: