The month of March was National Athletic Training Month. This month spread awareness about the important work athletic trainers do. If you haven't met her, Mrs. Smith, or “Smithy,” is the athletic trainer here at Middle Creek. Through many hours of hard work and dedication, she has been helping athletes get back on the field and healthy for 11 years.
Athletic trainers work many hours with patients to provide treatment for athletes in high school or college. There is no average week for an athletic trainer, as the job is fast-paced and many factors impact what a day could look like. For instance, injuries are unpredictable, and things such as weather may affect games and practice schedules. Although this job sounds exciting and unpredictable compared to a desk job, there are many requirements that athletic trainers must meet to obtain their licensing.
70 percent of athletic trainers have a master's degree but to become an athletic trainer you are only required to have a bachelor's degree. You must take classes such as biology, nutrition, anatomy, and kinesiology.
When I asked Smithy why she chose this career path she responded, “I didn't want to be stuck at a desk job, and I wanted something to do with sports.” The job field for athletic trainers is relatively small, so jobs can be competitive, but with a few additional requirements they could also pursue similar fields to become physical therapists, athletic directors, or clinical practice administrators.
Being able to get a player back on the field after an injury is Smithy's favorite part of her job. I asked her what advice she had to give for someone who may want to pursue this career. She said, “Always take time for yourself and never be pressured into saying ‘yes’ when you should be saying ‘no.’”
This can be a very hard thing to face when being an athletic trainer because you want players to get back to doing what they love, but their health and well-being come first. With that said, Smithy's least favorite part of her job is “telling people ‘no,’ and being the weather girl”.
Not only does Smithy teach Sports Medicine classes here at Middle Creek, but she also teaches other health-related classes such as First Aid/Emergency Response. On top of all of that, she spends time at Wake Tech Community College teaching CPR classes.
Next time you see her in the halls, make sure to thank her for the hard work she puts into the athletic program here at Middle Creek!
Comments