Careers in Athletic Training

"We have been fortunate to have alumni from Whitworth University's Athletic Training Program as a part of our intercollegiate sports medicine staff for nearly two decades. The athletic trainers that have come from Whitworth's program to work with us have been great clinicians and excellent professionals, and they have had a genuine respect for the history of our profession. More importantly, they have all been good people with strong values that represent everything positive about Whitworth University, at the same time leading the way as quality health care professionals."
– Anonymous, University Director of Sports Medicine in the Pacific Northwest

Career Opportunities for Our Graduates

Whitworth graduates have been successful in finding rewarding athletic training careers upon graduation. Employers often tell us our graduates come well-prepared, and several regional employers have a long history of hiring Whitworth graduates. Over 85 percent of our grads find employment within the athletic training field within six months of graduating (find more detailed employment data here). 

The average annual salary for newly credentialed athletic trainers with one to five years of experience was $47,575 in 2021. With a master's, the average salary nationwide is $60,512.*

*According to the 2021 NATA Salary Survey. Athletic trainers are represented in the U.S. by the National Athletic Trainer's Association.

Alumni Careers

More than 125 graduates have finished Whitworth's AT program since its initial accreditation in 1999, and we have many more alumni from before that time. Whitworth athletic training alumni have worked in their discipline for Washington State University, University of Washington, Boeing/Work Fit, Tri-City Orthopedics, Amazon, ATI Physical Therapy, local and regional high schools, and numerous other organizations.

In general, our alumni find careers as:

• Secondary school athletic trainers and/or teachers
• College and university athletic trainers and faculty
• Employees in clinical, corporate and industrial settings, such as physical therapy clinics, physicians' offices and industrial-injury-prevention programs

The following is a small sample of careers pursued by Whitworth athletic training alumni:

• Coral Hjert '20
  Athletic trainer at Amazon
• Autumn Rollins '20
  Assistant Athletic Trainer at Eastern Washington University
• Dani Ubben '15
  Athletic trainer for Lakes High School & ATI Physical Therapy
• Nate Gonzalez '11
  Athletic trainer with Work Right NW
• Jenn Stueckle '99
  Athletic trainer at University of Washington, volleyball and beach volleyball
• Jodi (Baker) Dickert '97
  Professor & clinical education coordinator for athletic training, California Baptist University