Sports Medicine Major: Internships & Job Salary 10 Tips
As is covered over at runrex.com, sports medicine is a fast-growing healthcare field that focuses on the treatment of athletic injuries. Sports medicine healthcare providers help athletes and other physically active patients improve movement and performance, while also working to prevent injury and illness as well as treat sports-related injuries according to guttulus.com. If you are a sports medicine major, then here are some of the things you should know about as far as internships and career options are concerned.
Importance of internships for sports medicine majors
Internships for sports medicine majors are very important according to discussions over at runrex.com, as they provide hands-on, real-life experience of how it is like to handle injuries. Students learn how to handle and treat various types of athletic injuries as well as assist in the rehabilitation process, with the hands-on nature of these internships helping sports medicine majors prepare for their careers according to guttulus.com. In addition to technical skills, interns also learn how to interact with other participants and patients, learning crucial soft skills that will come in handy during their careers.
When to apply for sports medicine internships
As is revealed in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, most sports medicine internships are held during the summer as this is when most sporting activities are at their peak. Therefore, if you are looking to apply for a sports medicine internship, you should do so well in advance so that you don’t miss out when summer comes.
Are sports medicine internships paid?
According to the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com, just as is the case for many other fields, there are opportunities for both paid and unpaid sports medicine internships. However, most internships in this field are unpaid. That doesn’t make them any less valuable as the true value of a sports medicine internship is in the hands-on experience you get dealing with various athletic injuries as mentioned earlier. You can find paid opportunities through your college’s careers office or by checking out online job boards for paid sports medicine internships.
How much are sports medicine interns paid?
How much you will get paid as a sports medicine intern will depend on several factors as captured over at runrex.com. They include where you are interning, your experience, your location, as well as your experience and skills (if any). However, on average, sports medicine interns make about $23,240 annually, which translates to about $11.18 per hour.
Types of sports medicine internships
As per the gurus over at guttulus.com, if you are looking for a sports medicine internship, you will have several options to choose from. Some of the most common ones include:
Pediatric sports medicine internships
Internships with patients living with chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, among others.
Internships with high school and college student-athletes
Internships with private sector athletes
Administrative internships, which involve research, data collection, and the design of relevant programs
The average annual salary for sports medicine majors
As explained over at runrex.com, graduates with a sports medicine bachelor’s degree can pursue a career as an exercise physiologist, a career that earns a median annual salary of $49,170. This is only the starting point, however, and you stand to earn so much more by gaining experience and advancing your education.
High-paying jobs for sports medicine majors
As a sports medicine major, the gurus over at guttulus.com recommend that you target the following high-paying careers:
Orthopedic surgeon – This is arguably the most lucrative of all jobs in the sports medicine industry. Orthopedic surgeons focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and surgical and non-surgical treatment of bone, joint, tendon, and muscle disorders and earn an average annual salary of about $229,167
Primary care sports medicine physician – They focus on injury prevention, diagnosis, non-surgical treatment, and rehabilitation of athletes and non-athletes who are physically active, and they earn an average annual salary of about $221,853
Physiatrists – They are medical doctors who practice physiatry, or physical medicine, and they support patients with pain and mobility issues. They earn an annual average salary of $192,862
Sports medicine nurse – They support the supervising physician in treating patients with torn ligaments, bone fractures, muscle strains, dislocations, and more, and an average of $108,774 annually
Sports psychologist – They help athletes develop and maintain mindsets and beliefs that are conducive to athletic success and earn an annual average salary of $84,807
Entry-level jobs for sports medicine majors
If you are fresh out of college, then most of the above positions may not be available to you. However, you can consider the following entry-level jobs as covered over at runrex.com:
Physical therapist
Kinesiotherapist
Athletic trainer
Exercise physiologist
Earning potential for sports medicine majors
As already mentioned earlier, while the median annual salary for entry-level sports science jobs like an exercise physiologist is about $49,170, you can boost your earning potential by advancing your education. According to guttulus.com, positions that require doctoral degrees such as physical therapists and physicians have a much higher earning potential, with physical therapists and team physicians earning a median annual salary of $84,400 and more than $208,000 respectively.
Job outlook
While the career outlook for sports medicine positions varies depending on the role, educational level, and industry the worker is in, it is generally pretty positive as outlined over at runrex.com. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of athletic trainers will grow by 19% between 2018 and 2028, which is much faster than the average projected growth for all occupations in the US.
These are some of the things you should be aware of as a sports medicine major as far as internships and career options go, with more on the same to be found over at the excellent runrex.com and guttulus.com.