A career in sports medicine today is vastly different than it was years ago, when choices were very narrow for those who chose to specialize in the field. In the past, such a career held few options other than serving as a team doctor for a college or professional athletic team. These days, there are a number of paths that can be traveled with an education in sports medicine, the field having blossomed into a range of specialties that deal with overall health and well being, as well as focusing on treatment and prevention of sports related injury or disease.
Today, a career in sports medicine can take a person more places than ever before. No longer is it just professional athletes that seek the assistance of sports medicine providers. Over recent years, a tremendous amount of research has emerged showing a direct connection between regular exercise and nearly every aspect of physical and mental health, significantly increasing the demand for sports medicine services by average people as they strive to ward off the health effects of today’s more sedentary lifestyle. Many corporations hire sports medicine professionals to assist employees in company fitness centers, and private gyms and fitness establishments become more prevalent every day.
The road to a career in sports medicine does not necessarily involve long years of college and medical school. As fitness and exercise have become more mainstream, the field of sports medicine has opened up to encompass a number of subspecialties. Sports medicine has become a field of teamwork, with a variety of professionals and paraprofessionals involved in the process, including those who specialize in athletic training, physical therapy, sport psychology, nutrition, athletic training, nursing, and biomechanics. For many of these categories, an undergraduate degree is enough to meet the educational requirements.
A career in sports medicine can be taken in a number of directions, making it easy to find a niche in this widely varied field to fit your interests and strengths. Whether you prefer to work in the professional sports arena or in the neighborhood gym, opportunities abound in this fast growing field.