Kinesiology Career Pathways
Athletic Training
Athletic trainers, also known as ATs, specialize in the management, prevention, and recovery of injured athletes. Many times, athletic trainers are the first medical professionals on the scene after an injury. Athletic trainers collaborate with doctors to provide emergency and follow-up care and develop injury prevention and treatment programs for injured athletes.
According to the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), Athletic Trainers work in the following settings:
- Public and private secondary schools, colleges and universities, professional and Olympic sports
- Youth leagues, municipal and independently owned youth sports facilities
- Physician practice, similar to nurses, physician assistants, physical therapists and other professional clinical personnel
- Rural and urban hospitals, hospital emergency rooms, urgent and ambulatory care centers
- Clinics with specialties in sports medicine, cardiac rehab, medical fitness, wellness and physical therapy
- Occupational health departments in commercial settings, which include manufacturing, distribution and offices to assist with ergonomics
- Police and fire departments and academies, municipal departments, branches of the military
- Performing arts including professional and collegiate level dance and music
If you enjoy sports and physical activity, the human body, solving problems, caring for patients, and working with people, then a career in athletic training might be right for you.
UTEP Kinesiology students interested in becoming an Athletic Trainer are in a very competitive position given the extensive range of courses offered in the Exercise Science concentration.