Athletic Trainers build judgment and decision making, social perceptiveness and instructing skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Physical Therapists (90%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physical Therapists | 90% | $102,760 | +64% | None |
| 2 | Exercise Physiologists | 90% | $59,460 | −5% | None |
| 3 | Occupational Therapists | 87% | $100,330 | +60% | None |
| 4 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 84% | $68,380 | +9% | None |
| 5 | Recreational Therapists | 83% | $61,960 | −1% | None |
| 6 | Registered Nurses | 82% | $97,550 | +56% | None |
| 7 | Acute Care Nurses | 78% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | None |
| 8 | Orthotists and Prosthetists | 77% | $81,110 | +30% | None |
| 9 | Critical Care Nurses | 77% | $97,550Pay for the broader BLS group “Registered Nurses” | Not compared | None |
| 10 | Nurse Anesthetists | 76% | $236,590 | +278% | None |
Compared with Athletic Trainers, median $62,520. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as athletic trainers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
90% skill match · $102,760 · +64% pay
Operations Analysis · Repairing · Service Orientation
90% skill match · $59,460 · −5% pay
Complex Problem Solving · Instructing · Programming
87% skill match · $100,330 · +60% pay
Operations Analysis · Coordination · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Physical Therapists (90% skill match, median $102,760), Exercise Physiologists (90% skill match, median $59,460) and Occupational Therapists (87% skill match, median $100,330), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 15 pay more than athletic trainers at the median. The biggest increases: Nurse Anesthetists (+278%, $236,590), Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (+72%, $107,310) and Physical Therapists (+64%, $102,760).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.