Athletic Trainers and Physician Assistants: When One Begets the Other

Student athletic trainers carry a full load of science, anatomy, physiology, and physics classes during the day, and often spend time in the training room caring for athletes before and after class. When I was in school, large intercollegiate programs like Oregon State had a few staff trainers, and around 20 student trainers. We’d tape limbs, clean things, stock shelves, carry hot packs around, strap electric devices to athletes, clean whirlpools, attend practices of various and sundry sports, and finish our long days with homework.