Sports therapist
Sports therapists give advice to athletes on how to train and compete safely, as well as treat injuries and assist with rehabilitation. Their aim is to prevent injuries and to help those who are injured to return to full fitness.
Sports therapy and rehabilitation is concerned with musculoskeletal conditions arising from sporting activity, not with general healthcare. It focuses on understanding and preventing sports injuries and dealing with the effects of physical and emotional trauma due to sports injuries.
Sports therapists may work in sports injuries clinics or may work directly with a sports club or sportsperson, either professional or amateur. Many therapists combine working in this discipline with other sports-related roles. They may have a range of clients and workplaces, rather than being employed by one organisation.
A similar job role is sports rehabilitator, as they also deal with musculoskeletal management and exercise-based rehabilitation and fitness. They are regulated by British Association of Sports Rehabilitators and Trainers (BASRaT) who accredit individual sports rehabilitation course. The course is three years long. However, the role is graduate level and is the course is only available at seven further education institutions.
A sports therapist may be involved in any or all of the following activities:
At present, sports therapy is not a state registered profession. Anyone who has taken a sports therapy course (ranging from a weekend course to a three-year degree) can, in theory, call themselves a sports therapist and offer treatments. In practice, the type and range of treatments that individual therapists are qualified and insured to provide depend upon which courses they have taken.
However, the Society of Sports Therapists (SST) is currently working with the Health Professions Council (HPC) towards the profession becoming state registered. Once state registration is achieved, only individuals with an HPC-recognised qualification in sports therapy will be able to register and call themselves sports therapists. State registration for individual courses is planned by 2012 and aims to make sports therapy an all-graduate profession.
Currently, entry is possible with a degree or a postgraduate qualification in sports therapy. Sports therapy qualifications are validated by the SST and other professional bodies.
Non-graduate entry is also currently an option. Diploma and advanced diploma courses (some validated by the SST), can be taken full time or part time. Diploma courses may also be an option for non-sports-therapy graduates or diplomates. It is very important to choose a course validated by a recognised body as this enables you to administer a wide range of treatments safely and to obtain professional indemnity insurance.
Courses consist of about 40% sports and exercise science and these subjects underpin the entire profession.
It is not necessary for sports therapists to be athletes or players, though many in the profession do come from this background.
Additional experience in coaching and fitness training is highly recommended, as therapists must be aware of what different sporting disciplines entail in order to provide suitable treatment.
Personal qualities are important. Candidates need to show evidence of the following:
Jobs are rarely advertised and you will need to network and develop contacts in order to build a reputation and raise your profile. This might be through:
Students are advised to look for vacation, weekend and evening work which will add to your CV and to your network. Even an administrative role, for example as a receptionist in a sports injuries clinic, can add to your knowledge and marketability.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
New treatments, research and theories in this field are constantly being introduced. It is necessary for sports therapists to continually update and develop their skills and knowledge.
Therapists may also wish to specialise in particular aspects of injuries and techniques, such as spinal mobility. This can be achieved by attending courses and reading professional journals.
It is usual for professionals to maintain a general interest in various sports, since this can provide important new perspectives.
Continuing professional development (CPD) may also be a condition of a sports therapist's insurance or professional membership. For example, members of the Society of Sports Therapists (SST) are required to undertake mandatory CPD training every year and also have a valid first aid certificate in order to meet the requirements for automatic professional indemnity.
Self-employed sports therapists have to meet their own training costs and attend training in their own time.
As sports therapy is a career that, at present, can be entered at different levels, there are always opportunities for therapists to take additional qualifications whilst working. For example, a graduate could take a part-time Masters degree. Improving and building on qualifications enables a sports therapist to offer a wider range of treatments and can lead to more employment options.
A newly qualified sports therapist is unlikely to start in a full-time job; the majority of therapists build up their work using a portfolio approach, often supplementing their income with another part-time or full-time job.
From student days onwards, networking by making and retaining contacts within sport, sports therapy and the wider fields of healthcare and complementary therapies are important for career development. Many opportunities are not advertised and sports therapists often find work through personal recommendation or word of mouth. Voluntary roles can lead to paid employment, and part-time or temporary posts to full-time work.
Sports therapists might find additional work on a part-time basis with senior or junior members of local sports clubs and teams, as well as with individual athletes. A full-time job as a sports therapist for a sports club or team could be an option after a few years’ experience, perhaps with supervisory responsibility for an assistant. As a general rule, it will take ten years or more before you are working at 'elite' level.
A further option might be to move into full-time or part-time lecturing in further or higher education.
The level and content of therapists’ qualifications often influence their progression and their reputation.
Most sports therapists are either self-employed, have two or more part-time jobs, or combine the two options, and so could be working for several different types of employer at the same time.
Opportunities exist in:
The level and content of your qualifications will influence the types of organisation for which you can work, as some employers specify particular qualifications and specialist knowledge.
Search graduate jobs on this site.
The Society of Sports Therapists (SST) and UK Sport advertise vacancies on their websites.
Occasionally, sports magazines advertise suitable vacancies, as do employment websites and national professional sporting bodies. It is important to keep a regular eye on all relevant journals and websites, as there is no way to tell when and where a sports therapy post might be advertised. It is also worth making speculative applications.
Many vacancies are filled through contacts or personal recommendation. Networking and involvement in sport at any level is a good way of finding work. Several of the websites of national sports bodies and sports institutes provide lists of links to the national governing bodies of individual sports. These often have directories of sports clubs, which may be useful for speculative applications.
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