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	Sports Medicine
	Job description
	Sports Medicine is not a unified career, but a widely varied group of careers. Central to the career field is concern with the health and well being of the athlete. The term "athlete" encompasses a large segment of the population and includes amateur and professional athletes and also those who exercise for health and recreation. Sports Medicine professionals work with people of all ages and abilities including the handicapped.
	Primary professions include
	Athletic Trainers help with the athlete's physical conditioning and decides when the athlete is fit to compete. They recommend exercises to strengthen muscles and advise athletes on how to prevent injuries. They prescribe special diets to improve general health and athletic performance. They tape or wrap limbs to support joints, muscles, and ligaments. They fit players with protective equipment and check to ensure it works properly. During competition, trainers give first aid to injured players, such as cleaning and bandaging wounds, and applying ice and heat to promote healing. They call in physicians to care for serious injuries. Trainers develop rehabilitation programs for injured athletes to ensure proper healing. These programs usually include a combination of treatments and exercise. They may massage athletes to relieve soreness, strains, and bruises. They prescribe equipment such as braces and pads to allow injured athletes to continue competing. Athletic Trainers may specialize in one sport. In Washington State, Sports Medicine Athletic Trainer programs are available at Central Washington University, Washington State University and Eastern Washington State University. Physicians treat athlete's injuries and illnesses. For the most part, they are either practitioners in family practices or orthopedic surgeons. Team physicians treat the illnesses and medical problems that arise during the sports season. They perform the physical examinations and treat the less serious injuries that occur. They work very closely with the team orthopedic surgeons who handle the major injuries of the musculoskeletal system, perform the surgery on these injuries, and supervise the rehabilitation of athletes after injury. Both are involved in the prevention of injury. These professionals have an MD. In Washington State, training is available at the University of Washington School of Medicine. To practice, a physician must earn a college degree followed by a four year degree as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or a Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) from an accredited school and pass an examination for state licensure from the Board of Medical Examiners. This job description sheet is not intended to include all careers within sports medicine, but only to give a brief overview of the jobs within the field.

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	* Note: General career descriptions are updated as necessary, however salary expectations and projected outlooks have not been updated since 2000. Go to Workforce Explorer Washington and search your career for the most up-to-date salary and job growth expectations. Washington Healthcare Careers and Workforce College are also good resources for job information.

	For additional information, contact your school's career counselor or
WWAHEC 2033 Sixth Avenue, Ste. 310 Seattle, WA 98121 Ph: 206.441.7137 Fax: 206.441.7158	E-mail WWAHEC with a question

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	Page updated 01/26/2010