Description
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent sports and exercise injuries in children and adolescents, emphasizing growth, development, and safe return to play.
- • Select and prepare pediatric-appropriate medical equipment and medications for school and youth sporting events.
- • Assist coaches, athletic trainers, and parents in selecting and fitting child-sized protective equipment.
- • Make age-appropriate return-to-play decisions, including concussion protocols, to prevent further injury.
- • Observe and evaluate pediatric athletes' mental well-being, body image, and risk behaviors.
- • Participate in continuing education focused on pediatric and adolescent sports medicine.
- • Develop age-appropriate conditioning and injury-prevention programs that account for growth and maturation.
- • Counsel families and athletes on supplements, energy drinks, and substances that may affect health or drug testing.
- • Conduct or support research on pediatric sports injury prevention and treatment.
- • Advise athletes, parents, and coaches to modify or cease training practices that may harm developing bodies.
- • Attend school, club, and community competitions to provide sideline evaluation and acute care.
- • Record pediatric-focused medical histories with guardian input and perform physical examinations.
- • Supervise rehabilitation plans tailored to the pediatric athlete.
- • Refer athletes to pediatric subspecialists, physical therapy, or diagnostic testing when indicated.
- • Maintain comprehensive medical records and complete school clearance and return-to-play documentation.
- • Inform coaches, school staff, and trainers about athletes' medical conditions with guardian consent.
- • Provide education and counseling to athletes, parents, and coaches on illness and injury prevention.
- • Prescribe orthotics, braces, and adaptive equipment appropriate for growing children.
- • Prescribe weight-based medications and therapies for sports-related conditions.
- • Order and interpret laboratory tests and imaging with attention to pediatric safety and growth plate injury.
- • Advise on nutrition, hydration, bone health, and the risks and benefits of supplements and medications.
- • Evaluate and manage pediatric chronic pain and overuse conditions common in youth sports.
- • Perform pre-participation evaluations for school and youth sports to assess fitness and injury risk.
- • Develop and drill pediatric emergency action plans for practices and competitions.
- • Coordinate care with pediatricians, specialty physicians, surgeons, athletic trainers, physical therapists, school nurses, and coaches.
- • Advise coaches and therapists on safe exercise progressions that protect growth plates and prevent overtraining.
- • Examine, diagnose, and treat injuries and conditions such as sprains, fractures, concussions, exercise-induced asthma, and apophyseal disorders.
- • Guide safe return-to-learn and return-to-play after concussion.
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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
