Certified Athletic Trainer Directory
Connect directly with BOC-certified ATCs available for individual hire in your area. All listings are credential-reviewed.
What is an Athletic Trainer?
Athletic trainers (ATs) are highly educated, multi-skilled healthcare professionals licensed and certified to practice across the full continuum of care — from injury prevention and acute injury management to chronic injury rehabilitation and return to activity. They are not personal trainers. Athletic trainers hold at minimum a bachelor's degree, pass the national BOC certification exam (ATC), and in most states must hold a state license (LAT) to practice.
Athletic trainers are trained to evaluate musculoskeletal injuries — sprains, strains, fractures, concussions, and more — and determine the appropriate course of care or referral to a physician.
From movement screening and corrective exercise to taping, bracing, and sport-specific conditioning programs, athletic trainers work proactively to reduce injury risk before it happens.
Athletic trainers design and implement individualized rehabilitation programs following injury or surgery, guiding patients from initial recovery through full return to activity.
Athletic trainers apply evidence-based treatments including manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and other modalities to support healing. Scope of practice varies by state and individual credentials.
For patients recovering from orthopedic procedures — ACL reconstruction, rotator cuff repair, joint replacement, and more — athletic trainers provide structured, progressive rehabilitation in coordination with the surgical team.
Not every injury requires surgery. Athletic trainers are skilled in conservative management strategies — bracing, activity modification, therapeutic exercise, and gradual return-to-sport protocols — that help patients avoid the operating room.
Athletic trainers bridge the gap between rehabilitation and performance, ensuring patients not only recover from injury but return to their sport or activity at full capacity and with reduced re-injury risk.
Athletic trainers are trained in emergency response — including CPR, AED use, concussion protocols, heat illness management, and spine injury response — making them a critical first responder in athletic and active settings.
Athletic trainers are not personal trainers. The ATC credential is a nationally recognized healthcare certification requiring formal education, clinical training, and passage of the BOC examination. Many states also require a state license (LAT) to practice. Learn more at NATA.org →
How it works
Enter your zip code or city to browse BOC-certified athletic trainers available in your area.
View each athletic trainer's submitted credentials, specialty, service area, and contact information.
Reach out to the athletic trainer yourself. All scheduling and coordination is between you and them.
List your credentials, specialty, and website to grow your client base and online presence.