Certified athletic trainers are multi-skilled health care professionals who work under the direction of, or in collaboration with, a physician, within the limits of their education and their state's regulations. As part of a health care team they provide primary care, injury and illness prevention, wellness promotion and education, emergency care, examination and clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Their professional conduct is governed by the NATA Code of Ethics.

Athletic trainers are often confused with personal trainers, but the education, the skill set, the duties and the patients are all different. Athletic training follows the medical model, and entry into the profession now requires graduating from an accredited master's program.