Glossary
Athletic Trainer Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential athletic trainer terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key athletic trainer vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in athletic trainer training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- ATC
- Certified athletic trainer credential.
- BOC
- Board of Certification.
- CAATE
- The accrediting body for athletic training programs.
- Concussion protocol
- Steps for evaluating and returning athletes after concussions.
- Emergency action plan
- A written plan for emergencies.
- Heat illness
- Conditions such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
- Pre-participation exam
- A physical before sports.
- Prophylactic taping
- Taping to prevent injury.
- Rehabilitation
- Restoring function after injury.
- Return-to-play
- Criteria for returning to sport.
- RICE
- Rest, ice, compression, elevation.
- Special tests
- Tests to evaluate specific injuries.
- Spine boarding
- Immobilizing suspected spinal injuries.
- Sprain
- A ligament injury.
- Strain
- A muscle or tendon injury.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Athletic Trainer practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Athletic Trainer training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.