1992 entry-level athletic trainer salaries

The purpose of this study was to examine the salaries for entry-level positions in athletic training during the year 1992. An entry-level position was defined as an athletic trainer, certified by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), with no full-time paid employment experience. According to the "Placement Vacancy Notice" published by the NATA, there were 234 entry-level vacancies in the hospital/clinic, 135 with the college/university, and 58 at the high school setting. A survey was designed and mailed to the location of each of these 427 entry-level positions. Distribution of responses was 78 (33%), 55 (41%), and 23 (40%) for hospital/clinic, college/university, and high school, respectively. Overall, beginning salaries for entry-level athletic training positions were $23,108 (+/- $3,309) for a bachelor's degree and $25,223 (+/- $3, 794) for a master's degree. A stipend ($4,219 +/- $1,458) was included in most of the high school positions. Term of contract for high school was usually 10 months (10.2 +/- 0.8 months), hospital/clinic was 12 months (11.9 +/- 0.6 months), while the college/university varied from 9 to 12 months (10.8 +/- 1.3 months). Further studies are recommended to establish salary norms and trends for entry-level positions so that athletic trainers will understand what monetary compensation is expected for their services.