Description
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent injuries that occur during sporting events, athletic training, and physical activities.
- • Select and prepare medical equipment or medications to be taken to athletic competition sites.
- • Provide coaches and therapists with assistance in selecting and fitting protective equipment.
- • Advise against injured athletes returning to games or competition if resuming activity could lead to further injury.
- • Observe and evaluate athletes' mental well-being.
- • Participate in continuing education activities to improve and maintain knowledge and skills.
- • Develop and prescribe exercise programs, such as off-season conditioning regimens.
- • Advise athletes on ways that substances, such as herbal remedies, could affect drug testing results.
- • Conduct research in the prevention or treatment of injuries or medical conditions related to sports and exercise.
- • Advise athletes, trainers, or coaches to alter or cease sports practices that are potentially harmful.
- • Attend games and competitions to provide evaluation and treatment of activity-related injuries or medical conditions.
- • Record athletes' medical histories, and perform physical examinations.
- • Supervise the rehabilitation of injured athletes.
- • Refer athletes for specialized consultation, physical therapy, or diagnostic testing.
- • Record athletes' medical care information, and maintain medical records.
- • Inform coaches, trainers, or other interested parties regarding the medical conditions of athletes.
- • Provide education and counseling on illness and injury prevention.
- • Prescribe orthotics, prosthetics, and adaptive equipment.
- • Prescribe medications for the treatment of athletic-related injuries.
- • Order and interpret the results of laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging procedures.
- • Inform athletes about nutrition, hydration, dietary supplements, or uses and possible consequences of medication.
- • Evaluate and manage chronic pain conditions.
- • Examine and evaluate athletes prior to participation in sports activities to determine level of physical fitness or predisposition to injuries.
- • Develop and test procedures for dealing with emergencies during practices or competitions.
- • Coordinate sports care activities with other experts, including specialty physicians and surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, or coaches.
- • Advise coaches, trainers, or physical therapists on the proper use of exercises and other therapeutic techniques, and alert them to potentially dangerous practices.
- • Examine, evaluate and treat athletes who have been injured or who have medical problems such as exercise-induced asthma.
- • Diagnose or treat disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
