129 New Athletic Trainer Jobs — Monday, July 6, 2026 - A Reflection from the Convention

129 new athletic trainer jobs hit the board this week.

That is a pullback from last week’s record 214, but that was always going to be a tough act to follow. The July 4th holiday week slows posting cadence across every industry, and athletic training is no exception.

No six-figure ceilings on the board this week outside of a PRN posting from a small Illinois hospital. The top of the market landed in the $90,000–$95,000 range, led by Houston Christian University’s Assistant AD role and Amazon back on the board in Colorado with RSUs included.

The military block was also notable. Cognito Systems had multiple H2F postings across Army bases this week, reflecting the continued growth of the Human Performance pipeline as a legitimate career path for athletic trainers.

One more thing before the picks.

Last week, I launched the new and improved AT Finder Talent Network and job board platform.

This platform was built around the reality of the current athletic training employment market: there are not enough athletic trainers to fill every role, and ATs deserve more control, more visibility, and more leverage in the process.

Like everything I launch, I moved action first. That means there were some hiccups early. I believe we have those cleaned up now, and we are ready to keep building.

But this only works if the athletic training community helps push it forward.

If you are an athletic trainer — actively looking, casually curious, or just interested in understanding the market — joining the Talent Network is free and always will be.

If you know another athletic trainer who should have access to better opportunities, send it to them.

If you know an employer, recruiter, AD, HR director, clinic owner, or staffing company trying to hire athletic trainers, send them to AT Finder.

The more ATs in the network, the stronger the data becomes.

The stronger the data becomes, the harder it is for employers to ignore what athletic trainers actually want.

And the more employers involved, the more opportunities we can bring directly back to the profession.

That is the goal.

More access. More transparency. More leverage for athletic trainers.

Let’s get into the picks.

Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine  |  Houston Christian University

Houston, TX  |  $90,000–$95,000 (Annual)

Asst AD title with Head Football AT responsibilities, supervisory oversight of staff and graduate assistants, and access to Memorial Hermann Health Care System resources. D-I program at a faith-based university in Houston — no state income tax and Houston runs close to the national average on cost of living, which makes the $90,000–$95,000 range genuine purchasing power. No retirement disclosure listed — ask specifically given the leadership scope. Master’s degree and Texas licensure required. Ask about sport assignments beyond football, travel expectations, and the structure of the Memorial Hermann partnership for physician coverage.

Injury Prevention Specialist  |  Amazon

Loveland, CO  |  $54,200–$95,700 (Annual) + Sign-On + RSUs

Amazon’s sixth appearance on this board in 2026. Consistent structure throughout: day-one benefits, 401(k) matching, sign-on payments, and restricted stock units on top of the base salary. Loveland is in the Fort Collins–Greeley corridor, north of Denver — cost of living runs close to the national average and the salary range is solid purchasing power there. Ask about shift structure, solo versus team coverage at this facility, and the RSU vesting schedule. The wide salary band reflects placement based on experience — confirm where you’d land before treating any number in the range as your working salary.

Athletic Trainer  |  Modern Government Solutions

Portland, OR  |  $69,000–$93,000 (Annual)

Special Operations Human Performance Program — comprehensive injury prevention and rehabilitative care for elite military personnel with high clinical autonomy in developing rehabilitation protocols. Five years of high-level collegiate or professional experience required. Master’s degree and BOC certification required. Portland runs roughly 15–20% above the national average on cost of living — the $93,000 ceiling is workable there. No retirement or bonus disclosure listed. Ask about daily caseload, standing orders structure, clinical decision-making authority, and what the 10% travel actually looks like in practice.

Certified Athletic Trainer  |  The Stone Clinic

San Francisco, CA  |  $80,000–$85,000 (Annual)

100% employer-paid premiums for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance for employees — not a contribution, the full premium. That benefit has real dollar value that does not appear in the salary range. The Stone Clinic is one of the most recognized orthopedic and sports medicine practices in the country, focused on biologic joint restoration and advanced manual therapy. Elite clinical environment with a stable M–F schedule and no team travel. San Francisco runs 70–80% above the national average on cost of living — the $80,000–$85,000 range is tight in that market. The benefits package is the reason this earns inclusion. Two years of orthopedic or sports clinic experience required.

COMMUNITY CONTEXT:

After publishing this week’s board, I received thoughtful feedback from an athletic trainer with direct Bay Area market experience regarding The Stone Clinic posting.

I originally included this role because of the full employer-paid benefits package and the clinic’s reputation in orthopedic and sports medicine care. That said, the additional local context matters and changes how this opportunity should be viewed.

According to the feedback I received, 100% employer-paid medical coverage is increasingly standard for competitive roles in the Bay Area, especially as healthcare employers compete with the tech sector. While it is still a valuable benefit, it may not be as unique in that region as it would be in other markets.

The cost-of-living context is also important. A salary range of $80,000–$85,000 in San Francisco is extremely tight when small one-bedroom apartments in nearby areas can run well over $2,000 per month, and similar units in San Francisco can start around $4,000 per month. That changes the real value of the compensation package quickly.

The same reader also shared concerns that the position has reportedly been open for an extended period of time, has had a history of turnover, and has previously raised concerns around employee classification.

That does not mean every candidate should automatically avoid the role, but it does mean this posting deserves more scrutiny than I originally gave it.

If you are considering this position, I would ask very direct questions about:

• Why the role has been open for so long

• Recent turnover in the position

• Whether the role is W-2 or 1099

• Expected weekly schedule and patient volume

• Actual take-home value after Bay Area housing costs

• Growth potential within the clinic

• Whether the salary is negotiable based on local market rates

This is exactly why AT Finder exists.

A job posting never tells the full story. Salary, benefits, location, setting, turnover, schedule, classification, and local market conditions all matter.

Based on this added context, I would no longer frame this as a top opportunity simply because of the benefits package. The benefits are valuable, but in the Bay Area, the salary range and reported history around the role make this much more of a “proceed with caution” posting than a featured pick.

I appreciate the reader who reached out and shared this perspective. This kind of feedback makes the board stronger and helps athletic trainers make more informed decisions.

Employer clarification from The Stone Clinic: The current ATC opening is a W-2 employee position, not a 1099 contractor role. The role includes 100% employer-paid employee premiums for Gold-level PPO medical, dental, and vision, plus life insurance and disability coverage. The listed salary reflects base compensation and is negotiable based on experience and fit. Rehabilitation department employees are also eligible for a monthly team productivity bonus. The clinic is continuing to recruit because they are expanding their current ATC staff and looking for the right long-term fit for a specialized clinical rehabilitation and performance role, not because of high turnover in the ATC position.

Lead Athletic Trainer  |  Cognito Systems

Barstow, CA (Fort Irwin)  |  $75,767–$80,453 (Annual) + Sign-On + Relocation

Lead AT role managing an interdisciplinary team within the Army’s H2F Human Performance program at Fort Irwin. Sign-on bonus and relocation assistance confirmed. 401(k) with immediate vesting confirmed. Tuition reimbursement and professional certification support confirmed. Barstow is a small high desert community east of Los Angeles — cost of living runs well below the national average, which changes what the salary actually buys. Five years of experience and a Master’s degree required. Ask about daily soldier caseload, clinical space availability, and whether treatment hours overlap with early morning physical training schedules.

Worth Calling Out This Week

Athletic Trainer  |  Missouri State University

Springfield, MO  |  $20.00/hr (Capped at 1,560 Hours Annually)

This posting is listed as an athletic trainer position. It is structured as an internship. $20.00 per hour, capped at 1,560 hours per year — that is a maximum annual income of $31,200 before the cap kicks in. The role covers Division I football and swimming, includes travel, and requires active BOC certification and Missouri state licensure. Missouri State does cover licensure fees, NATA dues, and continuing education support, which is genuinely worth noting. But a capped-hour structure at $20/hr for a credentialed, licensed healthcare professional covering D-I athletics is not a position. It is an internship without the title. Candidates deserve to know that before they apply.

What's Worth Noting This Week:

Normally in this section, I use this space to highlight athletic trainer news or trends that I think are important for moving the profession forward.

This week, I want to do something a little different.

I want to reflect on my experience attending the NATA Conference.

One of my biggest goals going into the week was simple: meet people doing cool things in athletic training.

That sounds easy enough, but for those who know me outside of Athletic Trainer Finder, I am not always the most outgoing person in the room. Walking up to people, introducing myself, and starting those conversations can feel daunting.

But I also know this: if you want to build something meaningful, you cannot do it completely alone.

At some point, you need people around you who understand the work. People who get the grind. People who have been through the uncertainty, the doubt, the early mornings, the late nights, and the moments where you wonder if what you are building is actually going to work.

Sometimes those people are the difference between burning out and getting the exact boost you needed to keep going.

On Wednesday morning, I attended a session led by Matt Campbell of Midwest Concussion Clinic and Joel Luedke of Clinically Pressed on telehealth and entrepreneurial pathways in athletic training.

Early in my AT Finder journey, Joel sent me a message on LinkedIn. He told me he thought what I was building was cool and that he was going to check it out.

It was a small message, but it meant a lot.

At that point, I was still trying to figure out whether Athletic Trainer Finder was going to resonate. I was still very much in the “is this actually something?” stage. So to hear from someone like Joel, completely out of the blue, gave me one of those shots in the arm I needed to keep going.

I wanted to make sure I thanked him in person.

After the session, a group of people gathered around Joel and Matt to talk. Being a little shy, I missed my first chance.

Later that day, I saw Joel again in the exhibit hall. This time, I made myself go up to him. I told him I enjoyed the presentation and thanked him for reaching out early on.

He could not have been more approachable.

A few minutes later, he mentioned they were filming a live podcast and asked if I wanted to jump on.

That led to me sitting down with Matt Campbell, Adam Halpern (WaveOn Health), and Liz Burkhardt (St. Luke’s)  to talk about the current state of athletic training and where we think the profession is headed. It was an awesome conversation.

But it never happens if I do not take the risk of introducing myself.

And more importantly, it never happens if I do not take the risk of starting Athletic Trainer Finder in the first place.

Something Matt said during the session stuck with me.

The difference between the entrepreneurs in that room and everyone else with a big idea is not that the entrepreneurs had everything figured out. It is that they took action.

That is really my “What’s Worth Noting” this week.

Take action.

Put yourself out there.

If you have an idea, stop waiting for it to be perfect.

It will not be.

Stop waiting for the exact right time.

It will not come.

Start messy. Start small. Start unsure.

But start.

The risk of putting yourself out there can feel uncomfortable, but the reward is almost always greater than the risk. The conversations you have, the people you meet, the confidence you build, and the doors that open are worth far more than the fear of being ignored, rejected, or misunderstood.

That is how things move forward.

And that is how I will always continue to grow Athletic Trainer Finder.

By taking action, listening, learning, adjusting, and continuing to bet on the idea that this profession is worth building for.

Until next week — stop looking, start finding.