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131 New Athletic Trainer Jobs — Monday, February 16, 2026
- Kyle Peckham
- Feb 16
- 6 min read
This week’s newsletter is brought to you by the To the Bone Sports Medicine Podcast.
Hosted by Shelby Daly, DAT, ATC, CSCS, To the Bone features thoughtful conversations on the realities shaping athletic training and sports medicine today — from clinical practice and technology to career paths and the business side of the profession. Listen at tothebonepodcast.com or on your favorite podcast player.
Welcome to Edition #7 of the Athletic Trainer Finder Weekly Digest.
First off, it has been awesome watching the flood of BOC pass posts roll across social media this week. Seriously. If you passed during this testing window, congrats. You earned it. If you didn’t get the result you were hoping for, don’t spiral. Adjust the study plan, tighten up the weak domains, and go attack it again. Plenty of excellent ATs didn’t pass on the first try. It’s a hurdle, not a final verdict.
Now that a fresh wave of certified athletic trainers is entering the market, here’s some honest advice for new grads: Do not accept the first offer just because it’s the first offer. It’s tempting. You want stability. You want to be done with the search. But sometimes going through a second or even third interview process gives you clarity. It forces you to compare environments, compensation structures, support systems, and culture. The first offer might feel good, but is it actually aligned with what you want long term?
Ask yourself:
What does coverage really look like?
Who is your backup if you are sick or need a day off?
What does growth look like in 2–3 years?
Are they investing in your career, or just filling a position?
The market is shifting and you have more leverage than you think.
With so many new ATs entering the workforce, this should be an opportunity for employers who have struggled to fill roles. But here’s the reality: if employers don’t adjust, they’ll continue to struggle. Posting the same job posting with the same compensation and the same vague language is not a winning strategy if you haven’t found success.
This week’s market was very much a continuation of what we’ve been seeing. A large chunk of roles fell into that familiar “mid-$50k to high-$60k” range. And let’s be honest, those numbers alone aren’t moving the needle in most regions.
Base salary is just the starting point. The real differentiators are in 10-month vs. 12-month contracts, health insurance quality/premiums, retirement match, PTO and holiday structure, stipends and bonuses, Professional development support.
A $62k 10-month role with strong benefits can look very different than a $68k 12-month role with minimal support. Context matters.
One trend that stood out this week: a handful of jobs cycled back onto the market for another hiring round, and almost none of them made meaningful changes to the posting. Same language. Same compensation. Same structure. If you couldn’t fill it the first time, doing the exact same thing again probably isn’t going to solve it. Now is the time to refine the offer. Tighten the posting. Clarify expectations. Adjust compensation if possible. If employers need guidance on how to position a role competitively, reach out. The market is giving feedback, you just have to listen.
That said, it wasn’t all flat this week. There were several genuinely strong opportunities across multiple settings, including some roles that clearly understood how to position themselves competitively. The surge of PRN and temporary coverage continues, which tells us staffing gaps are still very real. And we’re seeing a steady uptick in postings for the 2026–2027 school year, which is right on schedule for this time of year.
For new grads: This is your window. For experienced ATs considering a move: this is leverage season. For employers: adapt or repeat the same cycle.
Let’s get into my picks for the week.
Certified Athletic Trainer
Los Altos Hills, CA
$86,987–$116,521 (annual)
This role stands out because it treats athletic training like a legitimate professional position in one of the most expensive regions in the country. The salary floor is meaningfully higher than what most secondary or collegiate jobs are offering, and the ceiling supports long-term retention instead of forcing experienced ATs to job-hop for raises. As a public-sector role, this is almost certainly a line-item budgeted position, which brings stability and internal leverage that booster-funded or reactive hires don’t have. The remaining question is coverage scope, because community colleges can quietly overload ATs, but structurally this is one of the more serious postings on the board.
Athletic Trainer
King George, VA
$59,676–$107,886 (annual)
This job earns attention because it openly acknowledges experience has value. For a public high school district to publish a range that stretches into six figures is rare and suggests this isn’t a “plug the hole and hope” hire. The transparency alone forces an honest conversation early in the process instead of wasting everyone’s time. The obvious follow-up is where most hires actually land within the band, but even then, this posting signals a district that understands the AT market better than most.
Clinical Liaison, Sports Medicine
Sacramento, CA
$79,164–$98,945 (annual)
We saw the Director, Sports Medicine and Athletic Training role at Sutter Health come on in the 4th edition of the newsletter and this role looks to be a direct report to that position. This role is compelling because it offers a credible off-ramp from pure coverage work without forcing a massive pay cut. It reads like a relationship-driven, system-level position rather than a nights-and-weekends grind, and the salary range reflects that shift. For an AT who understands the clinical side and wants to work closer to administration, referral networks, or program coordination, this is a smart evolution. The appeal here is sustainability and upward mobility, not the training room grind.
Athletic Trainer (ATC) – Injury Prevention
Fremont, CA
$90,000 (annual)
A single-number $90k salary with no gymnastics immediately establishes credibility. This job doesn’t pretend to be athletics, doesn’t romanticize workload, and doesn’t hide behind vague language. It’s an industrial prevention role that pays ATs for applied expertise rather than emotional endurance. The real evaluation point is daily caseload and travel, but structurally this is a clean, honest posting that reflects what non-traditional AT roles should look like.
Head Athletic Trainer
Corinth, TX
$62,333–$84,843 (annual, 187-day contract)
This is a true head athletic trainer role in both title and responsibility, with full ownership of medical care, concussion oversight, emergency planning, rehabilitation, and program administration. The reporting line to the athletic director supports appropriate professional autonomy, and the salary range is realistic for a Texas ISD position. The 187-day contract reflects a standard school-year structure rather than bonus compensation, with the stipend covering all required duties, including potential work outside the contract window. This role makes sense for an experienced AT seeking leadership and program control, but compensation should land in the upper half of the range to match the scope, and candidates should clarify the benefits package since it isn’t clearly outlined.
Verified Job of the Week
The compensation on these listings and the descriptions have been independently confirmed with the employer.
Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) Lead Regenerative Performance Manager
Tucson, AZ
Base Salary $50,000-$55,000 + Uncapped commission
This is a full-time Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC) Lead Regenerative Performance Manager position at Moveo Health in Tucson, AZ, focused on leading a high-level, cash-pay regenerative medicine and performance program for active adults and executives. This clinical, hands-on leadership role offers a stable weekday schedule with no nights, weekends, or sideline coverage, utilizing advanced non-invasive technologies. Compensation includes a $50,000–$55,000 base salary plus uncapped, per-session, performance-based commission, making it ideal for an entrepreneurial ATC motivated by growth and comfortable with a high-end clientele.
As always, the market tells a story every week, and right now it’s saying this: opportunity is there, but you have to be intentional. For new grads, be patient and evaluate offers with a long-term lens. For experienced ATs, know your value and don’t be afraid to explore what’s out there. And for employers, small adjustments can make a big difference in attracting the right candidate. The market has cooled off a bit, but expect it to heat up as we get into the Spring and closer to Summer! Until next week, stop searching and start finding!
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