Is Sports Medicine The Right Career For You?

by Kevin Smith Author

Are you thinking about choosing a career in sports medicine? Sports medicine focuses on helping people improve their athletic abilities, recover from an injury, and prevent any further injuries. It is a fast-growing occupation within the health care field. The field of sports medicine encompasses many different jobs, such as physicians, physician assistants, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and many more.

It is a great career if you enjoy sports and helping people. If you are interested in learning more about the sports medicine profession, you can consider volunteering or shadowing someone in the field and continue doing research to make sure it is right for you. From educational requirements to potential salaries, here are some facts you should know about sports medicine in Renton, WA.

Education

Since there are varying jobs within the field of sports medicine, there are also varying schooling requirements. For physicians, they are required to have a Doctorate of Medicine, whereas physical therapists and athletic trainers are required to have Bachelor’s degrees. Since sports medicine is in the health care field, you will have to take a majority of the sciences, so make sure that is something that you are interested in. Along with traditional education, each profession may require state licensure.

Salaries

The median salary for physicians in the sports medicine field in 2016 was $214,000, physical therapists were $84,000, and athletic trainers was $44,000. Each of these jobs also had increasing projected job growth during the next ten years, meaning there is room for more professionals. According to ExploreHealthCareers.org, the field of sports medicine is booming, with one of the fastest rates of growth of any healthcare field.

Physicians

Sports medicine physicians are trained within the field of medicine to treat injuries that relate to sports or exercise. They diagnose, treat, and prevent injuries due to physical activity.

Physical Therapists

Physical therapists are greatly needed. Their role is to treat a variety of injuries, mainly focusing on and specializing in sports-related injuries.

Athletic Trainer

Another field within sports medicine is an athletic trainer. Certified athletic trainers work exclusively with athletes. They can work with sports teams at the high school, college, or higher levels, and can even work for individual athletes.

Whether you want to be a physical therapist or physician within the field of sports medicine, make sure you do your research before you choose. Hopefully, these facts will help you decide if you want to join the profession of sports medicine in Renton, WA.