Lissette
What’s the hardest part of being an athletic trainer that people don’t talk about?
I’m going into the athletic training career path and one question I’ve been thinking about is what’s the hardest part of being an athletic trainer that people don’t really talk about? A lot of people only see the surface like helping athletes being around sports and getting to work with teams but I know there’s more to it than that. I’ve heard that one of the toughest parts is the pressure of making quick decisions that can seriously affect someone’s health and future. Like if an athlete wants to keep playing but might be injured you have to be the one to step in even if they get upset or a coach disagrees. Another thing I think people don’t talk about enough is the emotional side. You’re not just dealing with injuries you’re dealing with people who might be frustrated scared or even in denial about what’s going on with their body. So I would just like to the reality and what should I be prepared for.
1 answer
Rachael Hewson
Rachael’s Answer
In terms of clinical practice, at first it can be hard to have to make quick confident decisions, and then act on them right away. As you advance in your clinical practice that becomes easier, but it still can be hard if you have patients that have vague symptoms, an unclear diagnosis, or are not responding to treatment how you might expect, and you have to pivot your approach. It can also be very mentally fatiguing if you are the only AT or one of just a few on staff, and there is a high patient load having to make decisions for a lot of patients at a time.
Mentally/emotionally it can be hard to deliver a diagnosis for a serious injury like an ACL tear for example. It can be a heavy and emotional experience for the athlete, which can weigh on the clinician who helps guide them through that and helps them manage those emotions.
In terms of personal life, depending on the setting, your job can interfere with your personal life a lot in terms of late nights, early mornings, inconsistent days off, traveling and being away from your family for extended periods.
Every job and every athletic training practice setting comes with its own set of "hard things", so these can all be weighed against your goals. My goal was to work in collegiate athletics, so I took a lot of hard stuff along with the amazing things that came with that role. I did have to be away from my family and miss family events, but I also had the opportunity to literally travel the globe with my teams, have amazing experiences with my athletes and coaches, be an independent and confident clinician managing the care for my teams, feel the joy and success of the hard work helping athletes return to play after months or even years of rehab and recovery, etc. Now, my goals have shifted, and I recently switched practice settings to a role with more regular hours and better pay. And there are different "hard things" that come with this setting than in my pervious setting.
All of this to say, athletic training has some hard parts and some amazing parts, and it all depends on what your goals are and which direction you want to take your career.