Kawika Watson

Pathways

Lesson 4: Career Research Essay (P)

Sports Medicine Physician

To start off with, being a Sports Medicine Physician is someone who “applies protective or
injury-preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, and braces.” (No name, 2021). They treat
injuries of athletes and carry out any injured athlete that is on the field. Their job is to find what’s
wrong, how to treat the injury, get them back on their feet, and prevent re-injury. “Sports
medicine physicians are responsible for treating musculoskeletal injuries that occur as a result of
participation in sports, such as knee and shoulder injuries, ankle sprains, head injuries, tendonitis
and fractures.” (No name, No date).

Second, the skills and abilities that are needed for this career are “physical, intellectual, and
emotional stamina needed to work long hours as well as emotional strength and maturity. You
have to be able to work effectively with other healthcare practitioners, such as physical therapists
and enjoy finding solutions to problems.” (No name, No date). You have to know and be able to
handle injuries while staying calm.

Also, a college that offers training in sports medicine is UCR which is located in Riverside CA.
You can attain training by taking a sports medicine class in high school which I had personally
done in freshman year and I had to do 6 hours of training for the sports medicine class at UCR
for the football team and I have received college credits for that. “The most common majors
include athletic training, exercise science and others that cover human physiology, human
anatomy, athletic injury prevention, kinesiology, community health, sports nutrition, therapeutic
exercise and biomechanics.” (No name, No Date). The starting salary is around $129,588 a year
and $62 an hour and you can get raises each year.

There are also other careers that are related to this career like a physical therapist. They are
related because they both are focused on healing an injury and preventing re-injury. The
difference is that sports medicine includes surgery while physical therapy is only based off of
stretches and exercises.The occupational outlook of this career is that there is “predicted job
growth between 2018 and 2028 would be 7% for all physicians and surgeons, which includes
sports medicine doctors, 19% for athletic trainers, and 22% for physical therapists.” (No name,
No date.)
Last but not least, I would be successful in this career because I am someone who doesn’t get
bothered by handling injuries and I have always been interested in this field as I took this class in
freshman year and loved it. I also love sports and I thought what would be a better way to have a
career with working with a sports team. I do believe I have the strength and the passion to
become a sports medicine physician.

Citations

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, April 9). Athletic trainers : Occupational outlook
handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/athletic-trainers.htm#tab-2.

How to become a sports medicine physician. CASEM ACMSE How to Become a Sports
Medicine Physician Comments. (n.d.).
https://casem-acmse.org/education/how-to-become-a-sport-medicine-physician/.

What degree is needed for a career in sports medicine? Top Master's in Healthcare
Administration. (n.d.).
https://www.topmastersinhealthcare.com/faq/what-degree-is-needed-for-a-career-in-sports-medic
ine/.

Take online Courses. earn college Credit. research schools, DEGREES & careers. Study.com |
Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees & Careers. (n.d.).
https://study.com/sports_medicine_career.html#:~:text=Employment%20Outlook%20in%20a%2
0Sport%20Medicine%20Career&text=The%20U.S.%20Bureau%20of%20Labor%20Statistics%
20(BLS)%20predicted%20job%20growth,and%2022%25%20for%20physical%20therapists.