What is a sports medicine job
Jessica Wilkins
Published Apr 18, 2026
Sports medicine professionals work for spectator sports teams to create treatment plans for injured players. They assist players with physical therapy routines, observe players to watch for injuries, and provide on-field care.
What is a good major for sports medicine?
The most common majors include athletic training, exercise science and others that cover human physiology, human anatomy, athletic injury prevention, kinesiology, community health, sports nutrition, therapeutic exercise and biomechanics.
Do athletic trainers go to med school?
You do not need a medical degree to be an athletic trainer. There are a number of degree programs that focus on training and physical therapy that will help get you the relevant skills you need.
Is sports medicine a doctor?
A sports medicine doctor is a primary care doctor who is specially trained to diagnose and treat injuries that are sustained while playing sports and any other type of orthopedic (musculoskeletal) injury.How many years is a sports medicine degree?
A bachelor’s degree in sports medicine typically requires four years of full-time study.
Does sports medicine pay well?
State NameAverage SalaryAlabama$163,790Arkansas$127,190Arizona$229,090California$204,190
How much do athletic trainers in the NFL make?
How much do NFL athletic trainers get paid? There are a hundred athletic trainers currently employed in the NFL and the average salary for those trainers is about $75,000, a figure that can rise to $100,000 depending on experience.
What doctors work with athletes?
- Sports medicine doctors (primary care) …
- Sports medicine doctors (orthopedic) …
- Certified athletic trainers. …
- Physical therapists. …
- Chiropractors. …
- Podiatrists. …
- Other sports medicine professionals.
What are sports doctors called?
Sports medicine doctors are orthopedic specialists who work with athletes and those with musculoskeletal injuries. They are trained to address any issue that is associated with sports – everything from joint pain to osteoarthritis to nutrition.
What undergraduate degree is best for athletic training?In its July 3, 2019, “Athletic Trainer: Education Requirements and Career Summary,” online learning site Study.com recommends athletic trainer degrees in exercise science, kinesiology, athletic training or sports medicine. Athletic trainer classes typically include biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology.
Article first time published onIs there a demand for sports medicine?
There are currently an estimated 372,400 sports medicine physicians in the United States. The sports medicine physician job market is expected to grow by 11.4% between 2016 and 2026.
What jobs are in the sports industry?
- Athletic director.
- Athletic scout.
- Athletic trainer.
- Athletics coach.
- Contract negotiator.
- Event coordinator.
- Exercise physiologist.
- Facility operations manager.
Is athletic trainer a good career?
If you become an athletic trainer, your job prospects are good: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this field is projected to grow 23% between 2016 and 2026, three times faster than the average for all occupations.
Do NFL Waterboys get paid?
How much does an NFL waterboy make? The typical starting salary for a waterboy is $53,000 per year according to stack.com. However, with more experience one can earn a lot more than this. Waterboys are also provided with certain perks that can help push their salaries even higher.
How much do d1 college athletic trainers make?
Annual SalaryWeekly PayTop Earners$72,000$1,38475th Percentile$52,000$1,000Average$46,805$90025th Percentile$35,000$673
Are there any female athletic trainers in the NFL?
On Her Turf visits with Sonia Ruef, whose passion for sports and desire to help people led to her becoming one of six women currently working full time on an NFL athletic training staff.
How much do NBA sports medicine doctors make?
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $276,000 and as low as $12,000, the majority of NBA Team Physician salaries currently range between $35,000 (25th percentile) to $114,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $215,000 annually across the United States.
Where do sports medicine physicians make the most money?
Total Sports Medicine Physician Jobs:234Average Annual Salary:$183,330Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$124,000Highest 10 Percent Earn:$270,000
How do you get into sports medicine?
In order to become a sports medicine doctor, a physician must complete their MD at an accredited university. They must then finish post-graduate training, and finally a 1-2 year sports medicine fellowship.
Are sports medicine physicians happy?
Sports medicine physicians are one of the happiest careers in the United States. … As it turns out, sports medicine physicians rate their career happiness 4.3 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 1% of careers.
What do NFL athletic trainers do?
NFL athletic trainers help keep players healthy. … These trainers work with professional athletes to help them stay in top shape on the field and prevent injuries. Athletic trainers are also the first medical personnel on the field when a player is injured.
What college has the best athletic program?
1. University of Florida – Gainesville, Florida. The University of Florida Gators made yet more history when they clinched all three Southeastern Conference All-Sports titles of the 2016-17 season.
What college has the best sports medicine program?
- University of Southern California.
- University of North Carolina.
- Stanford University.
- University of Pittsburgh.
- Ohio State University.
- University of South Florida.
- University of California, Los Angeles.
- Boston University.
What are 10 careers in sports?
- Marketing Managers. Marketing managers assess market demand for products and services. …
- Statisticians. …
- Physical Therapists. …
- General Managers. …
- Sport Psychologists. …
- Sports Agents. …
- Athletic Trainers. …
- Public Relations Specialists.
What are the top 5 careers?
- Physician Assistant.
- Software Developer.
- Nurse Practitioner.
- Medical and Health Services Manager.
- Physician.
- Statistician.
- Speech-Language Pathologist.
What is the highest paying sports job?
- Sports Promotor.
- Sports Marketing Manager.
- Athletic Trainer.
- Kinesiotherapist.
- Athletic Director.
How do you become an NFL athletic trainer?
Applicants can apply in the Fall for open positions for each team. The majority of NFL teams require that seasonal internship applicants are certified athletic trainers and have either graduated from an accredited undergraduate or graduate Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP).
Is athletic training a hard major?
Likewise, Athletic Training is a competitive 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 Committee to admit students who do not plan to practice in a sports medicine setting over students who do.