PT vs. Head Athletic Trainer in the NBA, NFL, MLB etc.

[dougEfresh]

I was just reading an article about Athletic Trainers and the differences between PT and Athletic Trainers. I was wondering which would make more money, a PT in a regular clinic or a Head Athletic Trainer in the NBA, NFL, MLB and etc?

Also, I was wondering is a PT in Sports Medicine more qualified to work as a Head Athletic Trainer than an individual with a regular ATC certification?

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[MuscleHead]

i think PTs are less qualified, and honestly, i think you HAVE to have the ATC in order to even work in a training room. could be wrong though.

good question about the salary difference. im curious as well

 

[Cyres]

They are two separate professions. An AT cannot call him/herself a PT or practice as one, and the vice versa is also true. That said, there can be considerable overlap between the two when rehabilitating athletes. You do not have to have be an AT to work in a training room.

I'm not sure on the pay. But I would think that a head athletic trainer for a professional sports team would make more than a new grad staff PT and roughly equal to an experienced PT. The dozen or so AT under the head AT would be making much less than the either staff PT. I would think that a PT who owns that clinic would make more than both the head AT and staff PT combined.

A PT with an SCS would be better at rehabilitating an injured athlete. An AT would be better at managing an emergency during an athletic event.

I am a DPT, ATC.

 

[truthseeker]

They are two separate professions. An AT cannot call him/herself a PT or practice as one, and the vice versa is also true. That said, there can be considerable overlap between the two when rehabilitating athletes. You do not have to have be an AT to work in a training room.

I'm not sure on the pay. But I would think that a head athletic trainer for a professional sports team would make more than a new grad staff PT and roughly equal to an experienced PT. The dozen or so AT under the head AT would be making much less than the either staff PT. I would think that a PT who owns that clinic would make more than both the head AT and staff PT combined.

A PT with an SCS would be better at rehabilitating an injured athlete. An AT would be better at managing an emergency during an athletic event.

I am a DPT, ATC.

I agree with Cyres. The main difference between a head ATC with a major league team is the hours worked. A good friend of mine was offered head AT jobs with NHL franchises. Pay was good but the hours are ridiculous. He actually decided to go to med school and be a pediatrician in order to spend more time with his family. Chew on that one.

The gear, the spotlight, the energy are all very very cool in prof sports. the hours are horrendous, there are primadonnas and untouchables, there are malingerers just like in the real world. The hourly pay for a PT is much much much better than that of a major league head trainer. I would even say that a new grad, per hour, makes about the same.

 

[BASuperman]

So if somone were to become a (DPT ATC SCS CSCS) would this make them a highly qualified individual for working in the professional/collegiate sports realm? I understand that alot of it is "who you know" and networking, but are obtaining jobs in this area of emphasis possible?

 

[raq]

I am planning on becoming a DPT, ATC, LAT, SCS, CSCS. I just became a certified athletic trainer, and I am currently a physical therapy student. I haven't sat for my CSCS exam yet because i was studying for the BOC and started PT school 2 weeks after I graduated from undergrad, but these are the credentials I plan on having in the long run. I want to be the director of rehab for a DI university's athletics program. I have had experience with collegiate athletes during my clinical rotations with a DI women's soccer team and a high profiled DI football team. I believe my background in athletic training will definitely help me reach my goal and help me excel as physical therapist. I'd say that if you definitely want to work with athletes as a physical therapist, an athletic training background will put you above the rest.

 

[truthseeker]

I am planning on becoming a DPT, ATC, LAT, SCS, CSCS. I just became a certified athletic trainer, and I am currently a physical therapy student. I haven't sat for my CSCS exam yet because i was studying for the BOC and started PT school 2 weeks after I graduated from undergrad, but these are the credentials I plan on having in the long run. I want to be the director of rehab for a DI university's athletics program. I have had experience with collegiate athletes during my clinical rotations with a DI women's soccer team and a high profiled DI football team. I believe my background in athletic training will definitely help me reach my goal and help me excel as physical therapist. I'd say that if you definitely want to work with athletes as a physical therapist, an athletic training background will put you above the rest.

I agree with raq. Obtaining jobs in sports is very possible. However, in baseball you usually have to go through the minors just like the players and the turnover above you is much slower. If you have D1 football or basketball experience you might have a leg up on others because of who you know (networking is a nicer term), but there are plenty of people with more experience than you who also know people. Its a fun job, but the better a job is, the longer people want to keep it. AND, the easier it is to fill once an opening becomes available.