As more people in the world of athletics realize the benefits of planned injury rehabilitation and prevention, opportunities are expanding for athletic trainers. We talked to four senior athletic training majors from Erskine College in South Carolina about what inspired them to pursue the subject and what their post-graduation plans are.
Levi Almond
How did you choose your area of study?
I chose this field of study because of my love for sports, and because I wanted to help athletes recover from injury and stay healthy. As an athlete who has dealt with many different injuries, I have grown fond of being able to help athletes the same way I have been helped.
What is your dream job post-graduation?
My dream job post-grad would be to become an orthopedic physician assistant for a team doctor of a professional sports team. I would also like to work in the community as a first- responding AT (Athletic Trainer) with local sports clubs.
Who in the industry do you currently look up to and why?
I look up to Heath Major, the current head athletic trainer at Erskine College. He is able to juggle many different things, with this being his first year as the head. He is also covering the men’s and women’s soccer teams, both golf teams, and the baseball teams, which can become very taxing because of the number of athletes.
Heath is able to keep a great relationship with each one of his athletes/patients. Even with this hard workload, he is able to be a great family man, as he recently had his first child. He can manage his time and that is something that I look up to. He is able to do all of these things while still spending and enjoying time with family.
What do you think the future looks like in your industry?
I believe that this industry is skyrocketing in popularity because of the increase of athletics. With the expansion of athletics, there are many jobs becoming available for knowledgeable athletic trainers.
Noah Reisig
How did you choose your area of study?
I chose my field of study because I had an interest in helping athletes recover from injuries. When I was younger, I played sports and had to go to a physical therapist for rehabilitation. I thought I would like to help athletes recover and return to the sport they love.
What is your dream job post-graduation?
My dream job post-graduation would be to work in the collegiate setting with my own team, as well as possibly working in the clinical setting with youth athletes.
Who in the industry do you currently look up to and why?
I look up to the athletic trainers who are within their first three to five years because they are not completely set in their ways. I feel like they are the best ones to learn from because they are not too far from their time in college, so they can remember what it was like to be an athletic training student.
What do you think the future looks like in your industry?
We know the industry is moving toward a master’s-level requirement. I believe this increase in education will cause athletic trainers to be more specialized in their field, as well as more knowledgeable, which will allow for better patient treatment overall. I think this will benefit not only patients but also athletic trainers.
McKenzie Wilson
How did you choose your area of study?
In high school, I participated as a student aide for the athletic trainers during football season. I was in all of the sports medicine classes my high school offered and immediately fell in love with the profession. I always knew I wanted to go into medicine and I have had a passion for sports since I could walk. So athletic training was the obvious pick because it combined both medicine and sports.
What is your dream job post-graduation?
Becoming an AT in a high school setting would be my dream job after graduation. At first I thought I wanted to work in a clinical setting, but then I realized there isn’t much excitement in a clinic waiting for patients to come.
This semester, I have been working with a high school football team for my clinical rotation, which has affirmed my future job choice. This setting creates a more personal relationship when working with patients, as it would allow me to see the same athletes throughout their high school sports careers.
Who in the industry do you currently look up to and why?
Someone I look up to in this industry would be Kaylee Baioni, an athletic trainer at Erskine. She came to Erskine my sophomore year and ever since has always made sure I knew what was expected of me.
I have learned so much from her in the clinic, including how to interact with patients. She has helped build my confidence in ways I don’t think I could have done alone. She taught me that perseverance, determination, and faith in God can go a long way in this profession.
What do you think the future looks like in your industry?
The future of athletic training, in my opinion, is a growing and improving profession. Though athletic training is a male-dominated profession, more women are now entering the field, which is very reassuring. There is always a need for athletic trainers in any work setting, and that need will continue to rise.
Haley Erickson
How did you choose your area of study?
I danced competitively for 14 years and suffered numerous dance-related injuries. My interest in the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries peaked when I had knee surgery at the beginning of my senior year of high school.
After researching options available, from exercise science, to physical therapy and athletic training programs, I decided on pursuing an athletic training degree for several reasons. Unlike exercise science and physical therapy, AT is involved in all aspects of the injury.
AT is not limited to rehabilitation. As an AT, I experience emergent care, injury assessment, acute injuries, chronic injuries, and medical conditions, and participate in treatment plans, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term care once the patient or athlete has returned to normal activities. This allows Athletic Trainers a unique insight to provide more comprehensive care for the patient.
What is your dream job post-graduation?
I would like to work as a certified athletic trainer in a sports medicine clinic. I plan on obtaining my certification as an orthopedic technologist, which will allow me to work more closely with a sports medicine physician.
Who in the industry do you currently look up to and why?
I have been privileged to work alongside many knowledgeable athletic trainers while completing my AT degree requirements at Erskine. I have learned valuable skills from classroom professors as well as preceptors in the field. I cannot credit one specific person who has contributed more than others to the knowledge I have attained.
I have learned and continue to learn from everyone I have encountered in our industry, however, because of my patient relationship with Dr. Jeffrey Guy, and the treatment and encouragement he has provided, I would consider him to be the most prominent influence in my decision to pursue a career as an athletic trainer.
What do you think the future looks like in your industry?
The demand for athletic trainers in the workforce continues to increase as recreational and professional athletic organizations, as well as businesses and corporations, recognize the vital role we provide to the primary care and rehabilitation medical services. The role of the athletic trainer has expanded to include not only rehabilitation and prevention, but also performance optimization.
Closer working relationships between athletic trainers, physicians, employers, and coaches have shown a positive return on investment for the people who employ ATs. As the demand for our field increases, our roles will become more diverse and complex. I believe it will be increasingly important for athletic trainers to pursue residencies, specializations, and specialty certifications to provide optimal patient care and advance further in their careers.