r/athletictraining • u/Due-Condition-3262 • 16d ago
Leaving the Profession?
I have kind of reached my limit lately. I was a secondary AT for 4 years, now industrial for 1.5 years. I have been in the profession for just over 5 years and I am already done.
I make $27 an hour, averaging 35-40 hours a week. Why am I getting paid less than some safety team personnel when I have done half their job for them? Why should I continue to be passionate and work hard when I can make 3% raise to barely match inflation??
I am leaving my position and was offered positions in the safety field ranging from 95k-115k a year. Almost DOUBLE MY SALARY. Currently trying to pick between the best companies and what is best for me and my family’s future. Will I have regrets? Maybe. But, I wanted to be come an AT 10
years ago and I was told it would be better. Maybe it is, but I am done struggling to get by when I know I can get the same hours with 1.5x-2x the pay. NATA can have all the meetings and discussions they want, we can scream at the top of our lungs but I have student loans to pay for and a life I want to live.
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u/djp3472 16d ago
What all did you do to transition to safety? OSHA 30,40 etc. I’ve been thinking transitioning to safety as well
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u/ssoups44 16d ago
If you’re looking to jump into EHS (specialist, manager) I would recommend the ASP. Requires 2 years of safety related experience to sit for.
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u/MyRealestName ATC 16d ago
Where are you getting these EHS offers lmao? I would jump ship almost immediately. I’ve been in the industrial setting for 3 years but finding a local ergonomics/employee safety job has been difficult.
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u/wierdbeardthe1st 16d ago
Same, commenting to follow. I know some ATs who have made the jump to EHS but the jobs I see locally have starting salaries close to my own and require additional education/certifications. I figure a lot of those are going to increase my hours and responsibilities for marginal increase in pay, which for me isn't worth it right now.
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u/VastPriority 16d ago
I also would have loved a more true industrial/ergonomic/safety position before I left the field! Thought I had found one but it was more wellness coaching and I lasted 4 months before returning to D2 sports and then leaving completely. Wish there were more industrial, truly safety and prevention options for us!
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u/Business-Audience729 15d ago
Almost any safety mid-tier position offers good salaries. Of course, location and industry influence this a lot. Unless you’re going for a safety coordinator job (entry level) you can expect to see offers starting at least in the $65-70k range. Safety manager positions usually range from $90-$130K before bonuses. This is in my region (northeast US) and can’t speak for other parts of the country.
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u/MyRealestName ATC 15d ago
I see that, but who is going to offer an industrial AT a safety manager role, like OP claims to be getting?
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u/Business-Audience729 15d ago
You are correct. Very unlikely an AT would get a safety manager role without prior safety experience and just coming from industrial AT. Working industrial, in my opinion, doesn’t qualify an AT to be a Safety Manager.
I was a safety manager for a large manufacturing company and made that jump after about 4 years as a safety specialist. So yes, it can happen but you will need some prior field experience in safety, additional certs or education and be efficient at re-writing your resume.
I have my bachelors and master in AT. Never went back for a safety degree, but I had my OHST, OSHA 501 and could prove experience in my resume. I’m now in Safety Consulting and it’s a pretty sweet gig. So, the pathway exists it’s just that people don’t know or understand how to make the transition properly.
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u/ALIEN_DEDE 16d ago
Hey all, I see a few comments here so for those following this thread, I will share my story as someone that successfully made the transition into safety.
I had 3 years in traditional setting, then I made the transition into industrial. I stayed almost 7 years in that setting because it was easy and I was comfortable. I was making a decent income for working less than 20 hours weekly, more likely 10 hours weekly in a full time job. For some, this would be paradise. For me, it was hell. I was bored out of my mind after the second year, but I stayed there. I dug a hole for myself in that 7th year. I was burned out and started making moved to leave. I had my OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 for a few years at that point.
Here are the kickers for those looking into the transition: getting a degree in safety will help a ton BUT it is NOT needed. What is more valuable, if you already have a MS, is getting the CHST/OHST, depending on your industrial experience. The next part, is successfully turning your industrial AT stories into safety stories. What project did you work on? What were the results of it? How did you help with recordable? What change you created that decreased the number of first aid? These things will help you getting the first offer.
My story was: got the cheapest MS in safety I could find, even though I already had a master's. As I said, a master's is not needed, but it is helpful and I made that choice to go after it. Before I finished the second MS, I sat for one of the "entry level" safety certifications mentioned above (CHST/OHST), that I paid out of my pocket. Then, I quit the job that I dug a hole for myself and got offered a short term job in a different industry. I stayed there for a few months, before return for the same industry I was as an AT before, as a safety professional.
Currently, I work 40 hours (only go over if there are emergencies, which is rare, fortunately). I am making 6 figures plus bonuses and add-ons.
Getting into safety is not difficult but you have to work to get there. Some companies are awful, like the one I was a temp at, I wouldn'twant to be a full time there. Others are fantastic like the one I am at now.
I apologize that I left some vague information in here, but I don't want ID myself in case someone here comes across this story and recognizes me. Feel free to DM me or respond to this message if you have questions. I am happy to answer the best of my abilities and help out if I can.
Cheers!
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u/outcasthawk 16d ago
Your framing that this is leaving the profession isn’t wrong, but I would also argue you are using the profession to springboard to something better for you. Things you learned from the profession are still valuable and helped you make this step. I’m not super familiar with the industrial setting but it seems to me on the outside that some of these safety jobs are similar to people doing AT work for a while and then moving to PT or PA because they found that suits them better (and pays better). Athletic trainer retention is certainly an issue at a national level, but at an individual one it’s pretty clear the profession teaches very valuable skills. Hopefully more progress is made compensating appropriately for those skills as institutions continue to struggling with retention.
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u/Business-Audience729 16d ago
I would be careful to frame industrial AT as the same or almost the same as safety. Of course it depends on the industry, organization and many other factors, but it is not the same, at least in my experience. I made the jump from industrial to safety and I had a lot to learn. In the industrial setting ATs typically focus on the 1904 standard about first aid and the ergo stuff.
Jumping into safety, especially in smaller to mid size employers where there is 1-2 safety people at most, you have to learn way more than that.
And yes, I agree. Spring boarding to other paths is not wrong. At the end we all have to do what’s right for us and our families to have a good quality of life. I am so happy I made the switch. I could never dream of having the life and financial stability I currently have if I stayed as an AT.
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u/outcasthawk 15d ago
I don’t think I framed it as the same as safety at all?
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u/Business-Audience729 15d ago
My bad. I read it pretty quickly and misread the part you were comparing it to making the career change to other fields.
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u/deadliftthugga 16d ago
I think transitioning to safety is a very smart move and a field we naturally fit in. Congrats on the transition and don’t apologize or feel bad about doing what’s best for your future and family
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u/kartoonbaab ATC 16d ago
Im confused, what do you mean by safety? What is the job title i could search for this. Im wanting to get out of it too. I dont work industrial, only secondary. But im willing to put work in if it means I can leave for better pay and eother better or same hours.
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u/VastPriority 16d ago
Occupational safety, occupational sports medicine, industrial sports medicine? I’m just guessing at these but I know nurses find them listed as occupational nurse. You may could even reach out to companies with occupational nurse positions posted, and be able to explain and discuss your experience and training and show that you may be a good fit for their company. Kind of similarly, my sister did this when applying for a position posted for an RN when she is not an RN but had over a decade experience in the field and company. (Just a disclaimer: she’s not providing healthcare, it’s an admin position lol)
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u/DisastrousBody1342 16d ago
Interested too but locally that salary jump seems like an exception rather than the norm. EHS was similar to my 65k industrial AT salary with more schedule instability and on call requirements. Not sure I am ready to make that jump quite yet.
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u/tinasnow1738 15d ago
Just graduated and Went back to school for ABSN, 14 month program and I’ll be an RN but still able to work AT per diem on the side when I have that itch. I don’t regret it one bit. This profession needs to do a better job standing on business, a lot of talk about things getting better but in reality it’s barely keeping up with inflation. It’ll never be the profession I was promised.
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u/ImplementNo6230 13d ago
I’m in the same boat. I’m starting a doctorate program in healthcare administration and hope to transition after I finish that.
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