A certified athletic trainer is a highly qualified health care professional educated and experienced in dealing with the health care problems of competitive and recreational athletes. An athletic trainer's duties include prevention, recognition, immediate treatment and rehabilitation of injuries caused during physical activity of athletic competition. Athletic trainers work closely with physicians and other allied health care professionals on a daily basis. It is the athletic trainer who, after consultation with the team physician, informs the coach as to the extent of the injury and condition of the athlete, and then professionally treats and rehabilitates the athlete.
Athletic training is a full-time profession.
It includes attending games and practices, traveling with teams, administering treatments and maintaining health and injury files on all athletes. The hours are long and the demands are great, but the rewards are many. Most student athletic trainers in Cornell's program will accumulate 2,000 - 2,200 hours during their four years. Students in the program are urged to obtain a teaching certification degree in a field of their choice preferably in the sciences or health and must complete courses in the Athletic Training Concentration. As a student athletic trainer at Cornell College, you will have opportunities to gain knowledge and an experience in the field of athletic training.