Athletic Trainers vs Physical Therapist Assistants AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

low risk

Athletic Trainers

62 shared · 26 different

core competencies

low risk

Physical Therapist Assistants

Side-by-Side Comparison

Physical Therapist Assistants leads 5–0

Metric	Athletic Trainers	Physical Therapist Assistants
Risk Score	23.4%	22.5%
Risk Tier	Low Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	15th	12th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	5 / 15	1 / 15
Median Salary	$60,250	$65,510
Employment	29K	108K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Medicine and Dentistry

Personnel and Human Resources

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Performing Administrative Activities

Administration and Management

Education and Training

Therapy and Counseling

Clerical

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Inductive Reasoning

Scheduling Work and Activities

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Athletic Trainers

37%

total discount

Physical Therapist Assistants

34%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Athletic Trainers

5 of 15 at risk

86%File athlete insurance claims and communicate with insurance providers.

68%Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.

51%Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.

51%Plan or implement comprehensive athletic injury or illness prevention programs.

51%Inspect playing fields to locate any items that could injure players.

Physical Therapist Assistants

1 of 15 at risk

86%Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.

43%Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.

43%Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.

42%Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.

39%Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.

Wage Comparison

Physical Therapist Assistants earns +$5,260(+9%) vs Athletic Trainers

Athletic TrainersPhysical Therapist Assistants

10th

$45,380$46,020

25th

$51,590$58,240

Median

$60,250$65,510

75th

$70,880$77,270

90th

$84,100$87,630

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Athletic Trainers2028–2035

Physical Therapist Assistants2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Physical Therapist Assistants has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Athletic Trainers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Athletic Trainers

$46,158

from $60,250

Physical Therapist Assistants

$50,757

from $65,510

After adjusting for AI risk, Physical Therapist Assistants offers $4,600 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Athletic

Unique to Physical

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Regulatory Barriers

Decision Complexity

Creativity

Social Intelligence

Athletic TrainersPhysical Therapist Assistants

Find transitions from Athletic Trainers Find transitions from Physical Therapist Assistants