Introduction

The range of career choices and preferences has undergone a sea change in the last few years. Nowadays, professionals are increasingly opting for different and innovative career choices. Sports medicine careers are one such category of professional choices that have been finding an increasing number of takers in the last few years.

In this section, we highlight the academic and professional requirements for choosing one of the lines of the sports medicine careers.

The Educational Aspect

To begin with, it is important to understand what does it imply by studying sports medicine. The study of sports medicine basically relates to the application of medical principals to sport, exercise and physical performance.

It is also crucial to understand that studying sports medicine does not refer to a specific field or degree. In fact, there are a vast number of fields of study that combine medical science with exercise.

Exercise science is basically defined as a scientific study of physiological and biomechanical principals related to the adaptation of the human body to movement and physical activity. Research and study is one of the most important aspects of exercise science.

Moving on, individuals who graduate in exercise science then seek an appropriate professional field of work in clinical as well as academic settings. The sports medicine careers in such cases might include the jobs of a fitness instructor, scientific researcher, nutritionist and academic professors.

Meanwhile, the specific study of sports medicine relates tot the study of specialty fields in medicine that deals with injuries related to sports or any other athletic events.

In addition, to opt for the sports medicine careers, it is also important to undertake study that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of injuries which happen during sport events and physical activities.

The Professional Scope

There are a huge number of medical and health professionals that choose to work in the area of sports medicine. These professionals come from vast backgrounds that might include one of the below:

* Athletic training
* Exercise physiology
* Physical therapy
* Primary care
* Nursing
* Sport psychology
* Nutrition

The most prominent aspect of these professionals is their training which they have achieved in the care and treatment of injuries and illnesses that relate to people who participate in sports and physical activities at any level.

The Team Structure

Sports medicine careers are now finding an increasing number of takers in the recent years. The most common positions as professionals in the field of sports medicine are the jobs of sports medicine physicians, fitness instructors and trainers and many more.

1