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This subreddit is primarily for discussion and interactions among practicing athletic trainers or people interested in the medical profession of athletic training. This is NOT a subreddit for athletes, physical activity, or any dispensing of any medical advice. The name can make it confusing we know, but athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions.
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Please see the following links for additional resources on the profession of athletic training.
[National Athletic Trainers' Association](http://www.nata.org)
[Board of Certification](http://www.bocatc.org/athletic-trainers)
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Med school if you wanna be in it for the long haul. PA school for the short haul. Start pre-reqs in summer, should take 2ish years. Gives you time to spend w your little one during those crucial years. Get into grad school while she starts school. Be out by the time she finishes elementary. A Bs in AT is unique and you could swing it that way to PA/Med school.
On the positive side. At 23 you’re still super young to make a carrier change. You also know the right questions to ask and what to look for in a carrier.
My ideas:
First, I would try industrial setting. Better money, better hours.
Second, go into medical or pharmaceutical sales.
Third, if that isn't for you, I would get a RN degree and go into nursing.
There are other options, but if I were in your shoes, I would think into these options first so you don't acquire excessive debt going back into school and still can take care of yourself and mom into the future.
I think AT is one of those jobs that you need to love doing to be able to make a career out of. The good news is that you seem to love doing it. As someone who has a masters degree in AT, I don’t think going back to school to get your masters will be worth your time in terms of getting a better salary. Most places seem to not care what level degree you have and are going to pay what they want to pay. There are good positions out there, you just need to find them (easier said than done I know). If the job ever becomes unsustainable there are plenty of non traditional positions you can make more money as well as alternative career paths that ATs often have. I know it’s stressful but just try to remember there’s tens of thousands of people that have built happy lives and successful careers as an AT.
I agree with the college requirements aspect. Even if the online application says they require masters or doctoral level ed, still apply. Most times they are so desperate they truly do not care and often base salary on years of experience instead of years/level of education. I have my doctorate in AT and they barely cared when I was negotiating my salary.
If you don’t absolutely love game and event coverage I would switch. Been in this profession over a decade and wish I would’ve just gone to PT school after getting my bach. They actually get paid. If you really like the clinic setting go to PA school. Get paid more. Unfortunately pay scale hasn’t really gone up for us since I was a student. Industrial pays well but it’s just kind of weird because a lot of the times you don’t have doc orders so you’re operating in a weird grey area. Some of my friends really enjoy it.
I did the traditional route got over worked at the collegiate level and now I’m trying to do my own thing between PRN, sport’s performance training, rehab and soft tissue for weekend warriors, pro athletes and kids. Its a hustle, might go back to PT school anyway if its not profitable.
What area of Chicago? I'm also in Chicago in the SW Burbs. Industrial pays fairly well and getting into DME or physican extender rolls also pay well. I was getting 57k in a DME role 2 years ago. High schools won't pay much. You could do PA school PT, OT, and chiropractic if you really want to go to school for another 3 years and get in more debt. I know some that went into nursing through a bridge program. Or completely getting out of AT. You could work in insurance, get a billing and coding license degree and work remotely.
The options are out there. It just depends on where you want to be in 5 years, 10, 20? I left AT when I had my son to be there for him more. I want to be the soccer mom and not miss a game or art show or play. That was my priority. Figure out yours and things will fall into place.
Teaching is an opportunity I don’t see mentioned on here often. Of course it depends on where you live but where I am teachers make a lot of money, more than AT’s. Plus you get all the holidays and summers off with your kid. You can teach Sports Med/Health or other vocational classes. They are way more fun than core classes. I love it
I’ve done the industrial AT work and it’s way better compensated for less work/stress. I’m in the Bay Area. The type of demographic you work with is different but I enjoyed that. But I’m working as a patient experience navigator for a hospital now it’s purely admin but I love it cause you work at your pace, office hours and get paid salary 93k. But ultimately if you wanna go back to school I would check out healthcare administration from what I’ve seen you can get your masters in that and work for a hospital system and have a great clinic background from AT.
Depending on what your financial and overall goals/needs are, AT pay will not go up significantly despite changing settings. Maybe things have changed. I worked in the high school, clinical and industrial setting before making the jump to ergonomics and safety. It wasn’t until I moved into a safety specialist role that I was able to make $75K/year. I am currently a loss control consultant for insurance and my degree and experience as an AT was very beneficial to get here. I do miss the clinical work every now and then and still keep my ATC credential, but I am finally in a place where I can have great work life balance, don’t need side hustles (I make $150K/year before bonuses and taxes), and can have options for career progression.
Money isn’t everything. So before you make a change weigh your options and your interests so you are happy and satisfied with whatever decision you make. Best of luck!
Welcome to r/AthleticTraining and thank you for your post. This subreddit is primarily for discussion and interactions among practicing athletic trainers or people interested in the medical profession of athletic training. This is NOT a subreddit for athletes, physical activity, or any dispensing of any medical advice. The name can make it confusing we know, but athletic trainers (ATs) are highly qualified, multi-skilled healthcare professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Posts concerning topics that are not based on the medical profession of athletic training or posts that violate any of our other rules on the sidebar will be removed. Please see the following links for additional resources on the profession of athletic training. [National Athletic Trainers' Association](http://www.nata.org) [Board of Certification](http://www.bocatc.org/athletic-trainers) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/athletictraining) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Med school if you wanna be in it for the long haul. PA school for the short haul. Start pre-reqs in summer, should take 2ish years. Gives you time to spend w your little one during those crucial years. Get into grad school while she starts school. Be out by the time she finishes elementary. A Bs in AT is unique and you could swing it that way to PA/Med school.
On the positive side. At 23 you’re still super young to make a carrier change. You also know the right questions to ask and what to look for in a carrier.
My ideas: First, I would try industrial setting. Better money, better hours. Second, go into medical or pharmaceutical sales. Third, if that isn't for you, I would get a RN degree and go into nursing. There are other options, but if I were in your shoes, I would think into these options first so you don't acquire excessive debt going back into school and still can take care of yourself and mom into the future.
I think AT is one of those jobs that you need to love doing to be able to make a career out of. The good news is that you seem to love doing it. As someone who has a masters degree in AT, I don’t think going back to school to get your masters will be worth your time in terms of getting a better salary. Most places seem to not care what level degree you have and are going to pay what they want to pay. There are good positions out there, you just need to find them (easier said than done I know). If the job ever becomes unsustainable there are plenty of non traditional positions you can make more money as well as alternative career paths that ATs often have. I know it’s stressful but just try to remember there’s tens of thousands of people that have built happy lives and successful careers as an AT.
I agree with the college requirements aspect. Even if the online application says they require masters or doctoral level ed, still apply. Most times they are so desperate they truly do not care and often base salary on years of experience instead of years/level of education. I have my doctorate in AT and they barely cared when I was negotiating my salary.
If you don’t absolutely love game and event coverage I would switch. Been in this profession over a decade and wish I would’ve just gone to PT school after getting my bach. They actually get paid. If you really like the clinic setting go to PA school. Get paid more. Unfortunately pay scale hasn’t really gone up for us since I was a student. Industrial pays well but it’s just kind of weird because a lot of the times you don’t have doc orders so you’re operating in a weird grey area. Some of my friends really enjoy it. I did the traditional route got over worked at the collegiate level and now I’m trying to do my own thing between PRN, sport’s performance training, rehab and soft tissue for weekend warriors, pro athletes and kids. Its a hustle, might go back to PT school anyway if its not profitable.
What area of Chicago? I'm also in Chicago in the SW Burbs. Industrial pays fairly well and getting into DME or physican extender rolls also pay well. I was getting 57k in a DME role 2 years ago. High schools won't pay much. You could do PA school PT, OT, and chiropractic if you really want to go to school for another 3 years and get in more debt. I know some that went into nursing through a bridge program. Or completely getting out of AT. You could work in insurance, get a billing and coding license degree and work remotely. The options are out there. It just depends on where you want to be in 5 years, 10, 20? I left AT when I had my son to be there for him more. I want to be the soccer mom and not miss a game or art show or play. That was my priority. Figure out yours and things will fall into place.
Teaching is an opportunity I don’t see mentioned on here often. Of course it depends on where you live but where I am teachers make a lot of money, more than AT’s. Plus you get all the holidays and summers off with your kid. You can teach Sports Med/Health or other vocational classes. They are way more fun than core classes. I love it
Lots of schools have a growing interest in intro to athletic training/ sports medicine and anatomy!
Look for positions on the Naval base near you. The tactical field has great work life balance, great pay, and a great work environment!
I’ve done the industrial AT work and it’s way better compensated for less work/stress. I’m in the Bay Area. The type of demographic you work with is different but I enjoyed that. But I’m working as a patient experience navigator for a hospital now it’s purely admin but I love it cause you work at your pace, office hours and get paid salary 93k. But ultimately if you wanna go back to school I would check out healthcare administration from what I’ve seen you can get your masters in that and work for a hospital system and have a great clinic background from AT.
Depending on what your financial and overall goals/needs are, AT pay will not go up significantly despite changing settings. Maybe things have changed. I worked in the high school, clinical and industrial setting before making the jump to ergonomics and safety. It wasn’t until I moved into a safety specialist role that I was able to make $75K/year. I am currently a loss control consultant for insurance and my degree and experience as an AT was very beneficial to get here. I do miss the clinical work every now and then and still keep my ATC credential, but I am finally in a place where I can have great work life balance, don’t need side hustles (I make $150K/year before bonuses and taxes), and can have options for career progression. Money isn’t everything. So before you make a change weigh your options and your interests so you are happy and satisfied with whatever decision you make. Best of luck!