Description
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent sports- and exercise-related injuries and conditions for athletes and active individuals.
- • Select and prepare medical equipment and medications for practices and competitions.
- • Assist coaches and therapists with selecting and fitting protective equipment.
- • Advise against return to play when risk of further injury exists.
- • Assess athletes' mental well-being and readiness.
- • Engage in continuing education to maintain clinical competency.
- • Develop and prescribe exercise and conditioning programs.
- • Counsel athletes on substances, supplements, and drug-testing implications.
- • Conduct or contribute to research on sports injury prevention and treatment.
- • Recommend altering or ceasing harmful training or sports practices.
- • Attend practices and events to evaluate and treat activity-related injuries.
- • Obtain medical histories and perform physical examinations.
- • Oversee rehabilitation plans for injured athletes.
- • Refer patients for specialty consultation, physical therapy, or diagnostics.
- • Document care and maintain accurate medical records.
- • Communicate relevant medical status to coaches and trainers within privacy regulations.
- • Provide education and counseling on injury and illness prevention.
- • Prescribe orthotics, prosthetics, and adaptive equipment.
- • Prescribe medications for sports-related injuries and conditions.
- • Order and interpret laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging.
- • Counsel on nutrition, hydration, supplements, and medication risks.
- • Evaluate and manage acute and chronic pain conditions.
- • Perform pre-participation evaluations to assess fitness and injury risk.
- • Develop and implement emergency action plans for practices and competitions.
- • Coordinate care with surgeons, specialists, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and coaches.
- • Guide coaches, trainers, and therapists on safe exercise and therapeutic techniques.
- • Evaluate and treat injuries and sport-related medical problems (e.g., exercise-induced asthma).
- • Diagnose and treat musculoskeletal disorders.
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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
