Qualities you need in an athletic trainer

Today, it’s almost imperative that a sports team have an athletic trainer as part of the coaching staff.   Athletic trainers are professional healthcare personnel who look after the health and wellbeing of players during training and games.  They treat injuries and can even spot problems before they turn into something big and career-threatening.  If you’re looking for an athletic trainer for your team, here are some qualities to take note of.

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Prepared for anything

In sports, anything can happen.  A bad fall can mean the end of a player’s career and responding quickly to the incident may very well save that player’s career.  When interviewing an athletic trainer, go through their experiences and ask their professional opinion on previous predicaments you and your players experienced before.

High ethical standards

Some athletic trainers turn a blind eye on players who use performance-enhancing drugs.  But this isn’t just the case where ethics are tested.  An unethical athletic trainer would allow a player to risk further injuries by continuing to play when they are not in the best shape.

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Honest and trustworthy

Players and coaches don’t need to have sugarcoated opinions.  If a player needs to be benched to avoid injuries, the athletic trainer says so.  They also need to be approachable so that players feel at ease talking to them after games or during training.

Ryan Shephard here, future sports therapist. I am currently a student at the University of Michigan majoring in Athletic Training. These days, I have courses in anatomy, physiology, nutrition, and pharmacology. I'm enjoying learning from the industry's best. What's even more interesting is that we also get to work with the country's top athletes. For more insightful reads on athletic trainers, visit this blog.