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Athletic trainer

Athletic trainers prevent, assess and treat injury and illness in active people, from the sideline to the clinic.

ATCNational certification, then a state credential24 of 24 topics covered

What it is

A general description of the work. Scope, which is set in law, is covered topic by topic below.

Commonly works on

  • Emergency and sideline care
  • Concussion
  • Injury prevention
  • Rehabilitation and return to sport

Typical settings

  • Schools and colleges
  • Professional sport
  • Clinics
  • Industry and the military

Athletic training took shape in the early twentieth century, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association was founded in 1950, when about 200 athletic trainers met in Kansas City. NATA has since set standards for the profession's education, certification and state regulation.

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who work under the direction of, or in collaboration with, a physician. Their services include injury and illness prevention, emergency care, examination and clinical diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation, and NATA stresses that they treat all types of patients, not just athletes, in a variety of job settings. NATA notes that athletic trainers are often confused with personal trainers, though their education and duties follow the medical model.

The professional degree moved to the master's level: the decision was approved in 2015, and bachelor's programs stopped enrolling students after the fall 2022 term. Only graduates of CAATE-accredited programs may sit the Board of Certification examination, which every state regulator accepts.

Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia regulate athletic training, and an athletic trainer must hold that state credential before practicing; California is the exception. Most states require the BOC's ATC credential as a condition of the state credential.

Updated October 11, 2026

Sources

  1. NATA History nata.org (official site), National Athletic Trainers' Association
  2. Athletic Training nata.org (official site), National Athletic Trainers' Association
  3. Professional Programs caate.net (official site), Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education
  4. BOC Athletic Trainer State Regulations bocatc.org (official site), Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer
  5. Florida Statutes 468.701, Definitions (Athletic Trainers) leg.state.fl.us (official site), Florida Legislature

A general description of the profession. It does not say what you may do under your license; for that, see the scope statuses below and your state board.

How it is regulated

The national layer. States add their own requirements, and the state board has the final word.

National certification, then a state credential

A national body sets the entry standard and certifies people who meet it. States then regulate practice on top of that, by license, certification or registration depending on the state. The two layers are separate obligations, each with its own renewal.

Credential
ATC
Regulation
National certification, then a state credential
Program accreditor
Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) caate.net (official site)
Entry exam
Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer (BOC) bocatc.org (official site)
Typical time to qualify
Around 6 years from starting undergraduate study
National renewal body
Board of Certification (BOC)

Licensure

Two layers, and they are separate obligations. BOC certification is national; the state credential is required in 49 states and the District of Columbia and is what authorizes practice there.

AT Compact

Enacted, not yet issuing privileges

Threshold met, nothing issuable yet. Seven states have enacted it — the minimum needed to activate — and the commission that would actually issue privileges is still being formed.

Sources retrieved 2026-07-28 · About our sources

Scope at a glance

The national picture for athletic trainers, topic by topic. Your state can differ; each topic page says how to check.

  • Spinal manipulationManual therapy
    Not typicalAthletic training laws that address it exclude spinal manipulation and thrust techniques, and the national certification body's practice analysis does not include them.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Joint mobilizationManual therapy
    Within scopeJoint mobilization is part of athletic trainer education and certification, and state laws that address it allow non-thrust mobilization, sometimes with conditions such as Nevada's master's degree requirement.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilizationManual therapy
    Within scopeInstrument-assisted soft tissue work is generally part of athletic training manual therapy, within each state's supervision rules.Updated October 10, 2026
  • CuppingManual therapy
    Varies by stateAthletic training laws rarely name cupping; Washington's health department allows a form of it when the treatment goal fits athletic training, but whether it is allowed depends on your state.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Dry needlingNeedling
    Varies by stateSome states let athletic trainers dry needle after added training, while others have found it outside athletic training.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Ordering diagnostic imagingImaging and diagnostics
    Varies by stateAthletic training acts rarely address imaging; where a board has, as Ohio's did, it said the physician must be the ordering party, though an athletic trainer may carry out the order under the physician's protocol. Beyond that, whether it is allowed depends on your state board.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Therapeutic exerciseExercise
    Within scopeTherapeutic exercise for rehabilitation and reconditioning is a core athletic training service, though some states limit athletic trainers to athletic injuries and require physician supervision or direction.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Blood flow restriction trainingExercise
    Varies by statePractice acts rarely name blood flow restriction; athletic trainers' exercise-based rehabilitation can include it, but whether it is allowed depends on your state board.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Sport-related concussionSport
    Within scopeRecognizing, assessing and managing sport-related concussion is core athletic training work, done in collaboration with a directing physician; whether an athletic trainer may sign the return-to-play clearance depends on the state's youth concussion law.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Kinesiology tapingSport
    Within scopeTaping is a routine athletic training skill; practice acts usually cover it under general language about supportive devices rather than naming elastic tape.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Electrical stimulationModalities
    Within scopeAthletic trainers use electrical stimulation as a standard therapeutic modality, within their state practice act and physician direction.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Therapeutic ultrasoundModalities
    Within scopeAthletic trainers use therapeutic ultrasound as a standard modality, within their state practice act and physician direction.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Vestibular rehabilitationExercise
    Varies by stateAthletic trainers assess vestibular and eye-movement function after concussion, and some states let them treat concussion during return-to-sport rehabilitation while others exclude neurological conditions, so whether they may provide vestibular rehabilitation depends on the state.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Aquatic therapyExercise
    Within scopeAthletic training laws name therapeutic exercise and water-based modalities, though athletic trainers are often limited to athletic injuries and physician direction.Updated October 10, 2026
  • Soft tissue mobilizationManual therapy
    Within scopeSoft tissue techniques are an entry-level athletic training skill, though at least one state's athletic training law (Nevada) excludes massage of the superficial soft tissues.Updated October 11, 2026
  • TractionManual therapy
    Varies by stateSome athletic training laws name traction devices or mechanical modalities, while others list modalities without them, so it depends on the state.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Photobiomodulation (laser therapy)Modalities
    Within scopeAthletic training acts we read name light among the physical agents athletic trainers may use, under physician direction.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Shockwave therapyModalities
    Varies by stateAthletic training acts name sound and mechanical modalities but not shockwave therapy, so its use depends on the state board's reading and physician direction.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasoundImaging and diagnostics
    Varies by stateAthletic training laws do not mention ultrasound imaging, and athletic trainers work under physician direction or protocol, so any use depends on the state board and the directing physician.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Return to play clearanceSport
    Varies by stateMany youth concussion laws let an athletic trainer sign return-to-play clearance, often only in consultation with or under the supervision of a physician, but some states reserve it for a physician.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Direct accessPractice authority
    Not typicalAthletic training laws tie practice to a physician, through direction, standing orders or written protocols, so athletic trainers do not practice independently of one, even though they routinely see athletes without an individual referral under those protocols.Updated October 11, 2026
  • TelehealthPractice authority
    Varies by stateTelehealth laws such as Arizona's cover athletic trainers, but athletic training remains tied to physician direction and to the state's own rules, so remote practice depends on the state.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Topical and administered medicationsPractice authority
    Varies by stateAthletic trainers administer medications only under physician direction or specific state laws, such as Rhode Island's requirement that they carry an epinephrine auto-injector; the details differ by state.Updated October 11, 2026
  • Ordering laboratory testsImaging and diagnostics
    Not typicalAthletic training laws tie practice to physician direction and do not authorize athletic trainers to order laboratory tests.Updated October 11, 2026

Bodies and guidance

The organizations that accredit, examine, regulate and represent the profession, and the documents they publish.

Bodies

Guidance

Overlap with other professions

The professions athletic trainers share the most patients and techniques with.

How to become an athletic trainer

The national steps in order. Each state adds its own requirements, so the last step is always the board.

  1. Step 1

    Earn a bachelor's degree

  2. Step 2

    Complete a CAATE-accredited professional master's program

  3. Step 3

    Pass the BOC examination

  4. Step 4

    Obtain the state credential where required

Where to get licensed

Each step in full, with the board for every state and the compacts that apply.

Get licensed as an athletic trainer

Career path

Education routes, settings and how the profession is changing.

Planned for Phase 2