Athletic Trainer Internships
Athletic training involves prevention, diagnosis as well as intervention of emergency, chronic and acute medical conditions that involve impairment of any body part. It is done by athletic trainers who are certified health professionals specializing in sports medicine. Athletic trainers play an important role in team sports at all levels where they deal with injury protection, clinical evaluation, immediate care and treatment. Most, if not all, athletic trainers have passed through athletic trainer internships in the formative years of their careers. Here are some important facts that you need to know about these internships.
Benefits of Athletic Trainer Internships
Good internships are hard to come by but when they do they avail to the intern a wide range of benefits. Chief among these benefits is the gaining of the relevant knowledge, skills and experience needed to be a competent athletic trainer. Some sporting leagues have athletic trainers’ bodies like Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society in the case of National Football League (NFL). As an intern, you work with the staff of such bodies where you gain invaluable knowledge as well as techniques in athletic training domains such as injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Internships also expose you to the use of various equipment that you might not have been exposed to in the course of your study. This is particularly true when you intern in large bodies like NBA and NFL that have big budgets which enable them to acquire all manner of equipment. More importantly, athletic training internships enable you to build a wide and beneficial network which is critical for your career development.
Organizations that offer Internships and their application requirements
The USA has many athletic training internship programs for student athletic trainers that give them experience in different domains of athletic training. The internships offered are either seasonal or training camp. Some of the best known athletic training internships are:
- Disney Sports Graduate Internship Program – Started in 1996, the program offers internships to 40 students every year. The program takes two months and only students in Master’s and Doctorate programs are allowed to apply.
- University of Wisconsin Hospital’s Athletic Training Student Clinical Internship – The program offers comprehensive training in all the five major domains of athletic training. Applicants must have maintained a GPA of 3.0 and above, completed athletic training coursework from an accredited college or university and be in their final year. Also considered is the student’s community involvement either as a volunteer or as an initiator of projects beneficial to the community.
- National Football League – Each team in NFL usually has 1 or 2 internship positions. Applications are done in the fall for these positions. The applicants must be certified athletic trainers and have a degree from an accredited Athletics Training Education Program.
- Mayo Clinic, Minnesota – It offers Athletic Training Program Summer Internship whose applicants should have a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Athletics Training and have a GPA of 3.0 or better.
As explained above, athletic trainer internships are very critical for a successful career in the same field. The given internship programs are just a few of the many that are offered across the country. Enrolling in such programs will go a long way in establishing a strong foundation in athletics training career.
Other Opportunities
Find more Internship opportunities on our Athletic Trainer Job Board. Search and apply for internships today.
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