Common Career Questions

What is Athletic Training?

learning to read radiographs What many people think of as Sports Medicine is actually Athletic Training. The Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC^®) works with physicians and other medical personnel, employers, patients, parents, guardians, and athletic personnel in the development and coordination of efficient and responsive health care delivery systems. Athletic trainers are integral members of the health care team in secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional sports programs, sports medicine clinics, corporate /industrial, and other health care settings. The athletic trainer’s professional preparation is based on the development of specified educational competencies and clinical proficiencies. Through a combination of formal classroom and clinical instruction and clinical experience, the athletic trainer is prepared to provide health care within each of the following content areas:

Risk management and injury prevention
Pathology of injuries and illnesses
Clinical examination and diagnosis
Acute care of injury and illness
Pharmacology
Therapeutic modalities
Therapeutic and rehabilitative exercise
General medical conditions and disabilities
Nutritional aspects of injury and illness
Psychosocial intervention and referral
Health care administration
Professional development and responsibilities

More information about the Athletic Training Profession is available from the National Athletic Trainers' Association.

Is an Athletic Trainer the same thing as a Personal Trainer or Strength Coach?

NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!! The name of our profession is sometimes confusing because Athletic Trainers don't "train" athletes. Instead, Athletic Trainers are healthcare providers who provide care for both athletes and non-athletes alike! In most states Athletic Trainers must obtain a license to practice and the nationally recognized ATC^® credential requires at least a bachelors degree from an accredited program, extensive clinical practice time under the supervision of credentialed professional, repeated demonstration of proficiency in over 680 clinical skills, and passing a very rigorous national certification examination. Personal trainers, on the other hand, are fitness professionals and NOT healthcare professionals. There is little or no regulation of their professional practice and there are very few requirements to obtain a personal training credential (some of which can be obtained with as little as a weekend course). The only similarity between Athletic Trainers and personal trainers is that both work with athletes, but we do VERY different jobs. If you are interested in becoming a personal trainer, you should consider majoring in exercise science. Visit the EDU PAES webpage for more information

What can you do with an Athletic Training Degree?

Students who complete the Athletic Training Major are eligible to sit for the Athletic Trainer Certification Exam offered by the Board of Certification, Inc. The exam is typically taken in April of the Senior year. Students who pass this exam and complete their degree are awarded the professional credential ATC^®.ATC is the entry-level credential for practicing Athletic Training. In over 40 states (and counting), ATC's must also be licensed or registered to practice. In order to practice in Ohio, you must obtain a license. Licensure information in Ohio is available from the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Athletic Training Board.

There are a variety of work settings where ATCs are employed and providing care for both athletes and non-athletes alike. Most of our program graduates elect to go on directly to a Master's degree program, usually as paid graduate assistants. Of those students entering the workplace after completing their bachelors degree, the most common settings nationwide are outpatient clinics with high school coverage and intercollegiate athletics. OSU graduates tend to find jobs in intercollegiate and professional athletics in numbers higher than the national average. More information about where ATCs work is available from the National Athletic Trainers' Association.

Is this a good major to get me into a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program?

It certainly can be, but not necessarily for everyone. It largely depends on the area of Physical Therapy practice that interests you. First and foremost, you should major in Athletic Training because you genuinely want to become a Certified Athletic Trainer who practices in a sports medicine related area and not just as a means of preparing for another field. Athletic Training and Physical Therapy can be a wonderful combination of professions for the right student. For students interested in a graduate degree in PT who have most of their interest in sports medicine and orthopedics, Athletic Training is a great undergraduate major. There is a great deal of overlap in the content and the credentials supplement each other nicely. For students mostly interested in other areas of Physical therapy (e.g. in-patient hospital care, neurological & stroke patients, pediatrics, geriatrics, etc), Athletic Training is probably NOT the best choice of undergraduate majors. The athletic training major requires an extensive clinical time commitment that really isn't necessary for students who don't intend to make sports medicine an important part of their future practice. Likewise, Athletic Training is a competitive admission major with a larger number of qualified applicants than it is possible for us to accept. As you would expect, it is very difficult for the Athletic Training Program to admit students who do not plan to practice in a sports medicine setting over students who want to practice athletic training. There are several very good undergraduate majors to prepare students for Physical Therapy and other graduate entry professions. We HIGHLY recommend that you speak with an advisor who can help you determine which of these majors will best meet your needs. You can learn more about Physical Therapy at Ohio State by visiting the OSU Physical Therapy Division website. Over the past few years, about one fifth of our graduating seniors in Athletic Training have applied to physical therapy graduate programs and over 90% of these students have been admitted to PT programs that were their first choice.

How competitive is the A.T. Major at Ohio State?

The Athletic Training Major at Ohio State has an established national reputation. In fact, around half of the campus visits by prospective athletic training students have been from out-of-state students who are looking for the best programs nationally. The end result is that admission to our program is very competitive. As is the case with many in-demand athletic training programs, students do not directly enter the major from high school. Instead, new freshman enter as pre-Athletic Training students who then complete a set of pre-requisite courses before applying for entry into the major itself (see our admissions page for more info). Over the past three admission cycles, we have averaged 67 applicants for the roughly 20 - 25 program openings each year. We narrow the applicant pool down to a set of finalists for admission (around 30 finalists) based half on their grades and half on their performance in clinical observation experiences that we arrange. All of these admission finalists are interviewed, and the combination of grades, clinical performance, and the interview are used in our final admission decisions. GPA is important, but it's not the only factor we consider (it's only 50% of our criteria). Our program is not the right fit for everyone. Generally speaking, highly motivated and talented students who visibly demonstrate their enthusiasm and committment are most likely to be admitted. Some high ability students who have a more reserved personality have had difficulty being selected in the past.

While meeting the following does not guarantee admission, competitive applicants typically...

...have a cumulative GPA of greater than 3.0 for all college courses completed (average admitted student's GPA was 3.35 in 2007)
...actively demonstrate their passion and enthusiasm for athletic training (average accepted student's clinical evaluation score was 94%)
...ask a lot of questions and get very involved in their clinical observation time instead of watching from a distance
...are VERY energetic, outgoing and flexible. Quiet, reflective students often struggle with their clinical observation time here because the don't demonstrate their passion & enthusiasm as much as they need to in order to be admitted.
...make it obvious that they are here to be healthcare providers and not just because they are sports fans
...treat our athletes like patients and as real people instead of being in awe of them as sports heroes
...demonstrate that they are highly responsible and can be counted on to go the extra mile
...vigorously protect their patients' confidentiality
...apply classroom learning to real-world situations
...take pride in their professionalism, appearance, knowledge, skill, and dedication
...take personal responsibility for their future and their success
...plan for contingencies and have a clear idea of their future professional goals
...understand and embrace the extensive out-of-class time commitment required for the major
...are focused on putting their athletic training skills into practice rather than using athletic training solely as a stepping stone to a graduate program in a different profession

ATC® is a registered trademark of the Board of Certification, Inc. (http://www.bocatc.org/)

Real World. Bright Future.

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© 2008 The Ohio State University
School of Allied Medical Professions
Division of Athletic Training
Atwell Hall
453 West 10th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210