How does someone become an athletic trainer, and what qualifications would they need?
“I went to Northeastern University before they ended their program. Boston University has a program, and I got my master’s there. Springfield College has an athletic trainer program. So does Bridgewater State and Simmons College. You have to take a curriculum with all the sciences. There are courses in muscular-skeletal, emergency first aid, and injury evaluation and diagnosis. “To get certification through the National Athletic Trainers Association, you must complete a four-year program, and obtain 1,000 contact hours. That’s practical work, observing and hands-on, to gain clinical hours. Once you complete the undergraduate curriculum, you can go for board certification. Once that’s complete, you apply for a state license to function as an athletic trainer. You also have to be certified in CPR, first aid automatic electronic defibrillator.” Are there common misconceptions about what a trainer does? “I think people who go to prep schools have a better idea of what trainers do. Prep sch
