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Necessary Necessary. After successfully completing a residency program, physical therapists must pass the National Physical Therapy Examination to become professionally licensed, while physicians must take the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
Although not required, many sports medicine healthcare providers also hold certifications in specialty areas of medicine, such as emergency and internal medicine. Depending on the sports medicine career you wish to pursue, you may need an advanced degree. Physician assistants and occupational therapists, for example, can continue their education beyond the master's degree level to become physical therapists or team physicians. Physical therapists need a doctor of physical therapy, while team physicians need a doctor of medicine.
Both occupations typically require a clinical residency in addition to a doctoral degree. Physical therapists and physicians looking to specialize further can participate in a fellowship in an advanced clinical area.
While certificate programs and online courses can help sharpen your knowledge and position you for higher earning potential, they usually do not lead to significant career advancement. For example, certified athletic trainers and registered occupational therapists must take continuing education units regularly to maintain certification and stay relevant with new techniques and technologies in their field. The continuing education units or hours that professionals must complete each renewal period vary by state.
Physical therapists are required to take a certain number of continuing education courses every two years in order to renew their license.
Alternatively, physicians working in states like Arkansas and Louisiana must take at least 20 hours of continuing medical education courses each year, although some states only require licensure renewal every two or three years.
Another way to enhance your professional skill set and career outlook is by joining professional organizations and networking. Becoming involved in these organizations allows you to attend conferences and meet distinguished professionals in your field. While continuing education is important and can lead to career advancements, networking can help expand your career options beyond your current place of employment.
Since each sports medicine career requires different levels of education, it is important to decide which type of career path you intend to switch to.
If you are interested in becoming an athletic trainer, you must earn a degree from an accredited athletic training program and successfully pass a certification exam. Other positions, such as occupational therapists and kinesiotherapists, typically require a master's degree and clinical experience, which usually takes about two years of postbaccalaureate study to obtain.
Additionally, these professionals must be licensed. Positions that require a professional degree, such as physical therapists and physicians, are very difficult to transition into. Along with earning a doctorate, both of these occupations require extensive education and training, including clinical experience, residency programs, fellowships, and licensure. Obtaining qualifications for these careers typically requires several additional years of full-time study and practice. Sports medicine professionals work across the healthcare and education sectors.
Many sports medicine healthcare providers work in hospitals, nursing facilities, and private offices and clinics, while others work directly for professional sports teams. Professionals can also find employment opportunities in fitness centers, colleges, and secondary schools. General medical and surgical hospitals treat patients who need emergency medical care or surgical procedures.
In this industry, sports medicine surgeons and physicians diagnose and treat injuries. At health practitioners' offices, medical professionals meet with patients to discuss medical issues, diagnose illnesses, and create treatment plans. A health practitioner with a sports medicine background can specialize in a particular sports injury and provide expert care to patients. Nursing care facilities help patients with severe injuries and diseases regain mobility and attain a higher quality of life.
Physical therapists and nurses with a degree in sports medicine can provide patients with specialized care. Sports medicine professionals work for spectator sports teams to create treatment plans for injured players. They assist players with physical therapy routines, observe players to watch for injuries, and provide on-field care. In elementary and secondary schools, coaches and physical education teachers use their sports medicine education to instill healthy habits in their students, promote physical health, and prevent injuries.
The reason I became a doctor of chiropractic was mainly my dad. He is also a chiropractor and I grew up helping him in his office by changing the face paper in each treatment room and showing patients to the rooms. In fact, in our fifth-grade yearbook, we were asked what we wanted to be when we grow up; most kids wrote movie star, athlete, or teacher, but I wrote chiropractor.
As I went through my undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I decided to pursue my interests in working with athletes and ended up working as an assistant in the athletic training department. One day, while in the training room, I was lucky enough to shadow the chiropractor for the athletic department and see my two loves of working with athletes and chiropractic in action.
As graduation approached, I knew I wanted to become a chiropractor who focused on working with athletes. Challenges when working with athletes involve being limited in the equipment you have available when providing on-field care; most of the time we have room for just a table and some portable tools.
Being creative with care is important when dealing with athletes and limited on-field resources. Success when working in an athletic setting is when all providers that are part of the medical team are working together to ensure the course of action is in the athlete's best interest.
In the clinical setting, success is when our patients are able to resume doing what brings them joy. I enjoy all of them for different reasons. I enjoy teaching because I get to help kids learn more about the human body and cultivate a love for the sciences and healthcare, regardless of what profession they end up in.
I love working with athletes on the sideline as well as in the office because I get to be creative in how I approach their care and tailor it to their sport.
If I had to choose, I would say I enjoy the clinical setting most of all because most patients are not elite athletes — they are people with a problem that they have trusted me to help them with, and I love to hear that they can get back to doing the things that bring them joy. Clinical settings allow me to take techniques that I use for treating athletes and apply them to the general population. I enjoy watching as their range of motion, strength, and quality of life improves.
Each year, Massachusetts requires 12 hours of continuing education, and being a certified chiropractic sports physician requires these 12 hours to be in sports medicine. Most of my continuing education is from hands-on seminars that teach me a new technique or concept to help my patients.
FAKTR stands for functional and kinetic treatment with rehabilitation and utilizes instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization and various other manual techniques to personalize care based on a patient's musculoskeletal issues. While I've been certified in the concept for seven years, the hands-on seminar was a great refresher and the new research that was presented helped to validate the treatment concept.
I also subscribe to a number of medical journals and use keywords to discover new studies regarding spine and joint health and treatment of soft tissue injuries. The best advice I can give is to shadow a variety of professionals in the sports medicine field to discover which roles you're most drawn to. Taking courses and attending seminars about sports medicine can help you make sure you are passionate about sports medicine.
If you know that you absolutely want to pursue a career in sports medicine, then I suggest applying to schools with programs like exercise science and kinesiology. Make sure to diversify the electives you take within those programs to learn as many techniques as you can; every athlete is different and the more choices you have in your treatment toolbag, the faster you can help them recover.
As the field of sports medicine continues to evolve in terms of evidence-based research and technological advances, there are many educational resources that can help assist current and aspiring practitioners. The following lists outline a few professional organizations and popular publications available to sports medicine students. Members receive fellowship opportunities and benefit from invitations to the annual Stand Alone conference.
Members must attend at least one conference every five years to remain in good standing. American Council on Exercise : Earning ACE certification can greatly improve your employment prospects as a coach or physical trainer. Besides granting certification, ACE publishes evidence-based research, hosts networking events, and promotes fitness programs.
American College of Sports Medicine : ACSM student members benefit from access to professional publications and discounts on certification exams. Professional members receive invitations to ACSM conferences and voting privileges. Members and nonmembers can take ACSM continuing education courses. International Federation of Sports Medicine : FIMS members gain access to professional discounts, leadership opportunities, and networking events. Membership requirements include at least five years of relevant experience.
Members receive student loan refinancing assistance, discounts on insurance, and professional development resources. Nonmembers can access AMA's collection of free resources, including relevant literature. National Athletic Trainers' Association : NATA has 70 years of experience providing athletic trainers with continuing education and networking opportunities.
Members can access a private job board, professional publications, and professional interest groups. The organization collaborates with federal health agencies and offers sports medicine continuing education resources. Base salary: what is it, how to calculate, what to offer A base salary, also known as base pay, is the initial compensation Browse all Compensation Trends Articles. For Individuals. Career Resources Access helpful tools and insights for career planning and salary negotiation.
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