Current Release: April 28th, 2009 | Vol. XXX Iss. 10

Photo by Ed phillips

Trainers go overtime

By Lindsey Spears

lmspears@vwc.edu

They can be seen on sidelines at almost every sporting event. However, for the Athletic Trainers at Virginia Wesleyan College, it is not all fun and games.

 We put in a lot of hours and do a lot of work that most people would be grossed out by, said Assistant Athletic Trainer Laura Mushik.  Not many people would want to do the job that we do.

Mushik started working at VWC this past fall after completing four years of undergraduate work at James Madison University and two years at Mercer University to complete her Master s. She became interested in athletic training in high school.

 I took an Intro to Sports Medicine class and really liked it, she said.  I knew then that this was something I wanted to do.

Although Mushik enjoys the field, she finds it demanding.

 The hours you put in are really, really long, so they are definitely an issue, she said.

During the school year Mushik works an average of 60 hours a week. Her base pay is about $30,000, plus benefits such as dental care, health insurance and a 401K plan. With this pay, she is making about $12.50 per hour. According to the US Census, the average American makes nearly $40,000 per year. In comparison, for the hours that Mushik puts in, she is making well under the national average.

This pay rate is not only true for Mushik at VWC, but also for many athletic trainers across the nation. According to the National Athletic Trainer s Association (NATA), a professional membership association for certified athletic trainers, 25 percent of athletic trainers who work at the college or university level make less than $32,000 a year.

 We work hard, Mushik says.  People think that it s a normal Sunday thing to have off from work, but we have to still do our jobs. If teams are practicing or playing, we have to be there, no matter what.

David Quamenn and Kyle Schneider are graduate assistant athletic trainers here at VWC. They are supposed to work only 20 hours per week, while still attending classes to finish their degree. However, on average they work anywhere from 30 to 40 hours per week. Their pay is a stipend that is meant to go towards their schooling.

Mushik has been there before. While getting her Master s at Mercer, she worked as a graduate assistant for their athletic training staff.

 The stipend isn t enough to help pay for the basics of living, Mushik said.  I still had to pay rent, bills, food expenses, everything. So I still had to take out student loans to get all of that covered.

The hours cut into the time that athletic trainers have for their personal lives. Mushik grew up in Virginia Beach with her family, and even though she still works and lives here, she says that it is hard to see her them regularly.

 I live pretty close to them, Mushik said,  but I still miss a lot of events with them because of my job.

Although the job may have some negative aspects, Mushik loves what she does. She grew up playing volleyball and softball in high school, so she enjoys being around sports.

 I love being around college athletes and being around the competitiveness again, she says.  Even though I am just on the sidelines, I still get caught up in the games, especially if they are close.

Another aspect of the job that Mushik finds appealing is the fact that she doesn t have to dress up to come to work:

 I like being able to wear sweat pants to work every day. I don t think I would enjoy being in a job where I had to be in a suit and sit in an office all day long.

The athletes seem to appreciate not only her work, but also the work of the entire athletic training staff.

 We would be in trouble if we did not have our athletic trainers, said sophomore volleyball player Marissa Wood.

Wood used the athletic training staff a lot during and after her season due to the fact she had issues with her feet. She believes that for the type of work they do, such as taping feet and dealing with blood, the athletic training staff does not get enough pay.

 They aren t only a part of the staff here at VWC, Wood said,  but they are part of our teams, our family.

Jason Taylor, a member of the VWC Track and Field team, also feels that the athletic training staff does a lot for him and his teammates.

 By getting hurt in season, I definitely relied on them to help get me better, Taylor said.  Although they do a good job, I just wish there were more of them. I feel like there should be one for every team.

Mushik agrees but states that with the current budget, it is impossible for VWC to provide more athletic trainers on staff. She said that the staff sometimes doesn t get enough money to buy supplies when they run out during the year. However, staying open all day and allowing athletes to come in at anytime, the athletic trainers are doing the best they can.

 We definitely could use more money, Mushik said,  but we do what we can with what we ve got.