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schedule off-season surgeries and then work with the athletes as they rehab from the surgery. Before the teams draft new players, the trainers are gathering medical information about the players their teams are interested in selecting. Then, several months before the season starts, the trainers work with athletes as they begin their training for the next season. ReadyWhen Needed Team doctors or sports doctors in general don’t have the constant contact with athletes that athletic trainers do. They usually have jobs at universities or hospitals, while some run their own private practice. Dr. Christopher Ahmad, for example, is the head team physician of the New York Yankees but is also a professor and works at a New York hospital. The team also uses Dr. Daniel Murphy to help injured players. He’s based in Tampa, Fla., where the Yankees train and have a minor-league team. For Murphy, a busy time comes when the season ends, as players rehabilitate from injuries. On his practice’s Web site he writes, “There’s a lot of pressure to get these players healthy and back on the field as soon as possible. It’s kind of an accelerated rehabilitation program where the stakes are very high, but the players are also very driven and motivated, so it’s an exciting process to

34 C areers O ff T he F ield • Health Careers in Sports