Context: The graduate assistant athletic trainer (AT) position often serves as one's first experience working independently as an AT and is also an important aspect of the professional socialization process. The socialization experiences of graduate assistant ATs have yet to be fully explored.Objective: To understand the socialization process for graduate assistant ATs during their graduate experience.Design: Qualitative study.Setting: We conducted phone interviews with all participants.Patients or Other Participants: A total of 25 graduate assistant ATs (20 women, 5 men) studying in 1 of 3 academic tracks: (1) accredited postprofessional athletic training program (n = 8), (2) postprofessional athletic training program (n = 11), or (3) a nonathletic training degree program (n = 6). The average age was 25 ± 5 years, and the median age was 24 years. Participants were certified by the Board of Certification for an average of 2 ± 0.4 years.Data Collection and Analysis: We analyzed the data using a general inductive approach. Peer review, field notes, and intercoder reliability established trustworthiness. Data saturation guided participant recruitment.Results: The ability to gain clinical independence as a practitioner was an important socialization process. Having the chance to develop a relationship with a mentor, who provided support, guidance, and more of a hierarchical relationship, was an important socializing agent for the graduate assistant AT. Participants used the orientation session as a means to understand the expectations and role of the graduate-assistant position. Academic coursework was a way to achieve better inductance into the role via the opportunity to apply classroom skills during their clinical practice.Conclusions: Socializing the graduate assistant blends formal and informal processes. Transition to practice is a critical aspect of the profession; thus, supporting autonomous practice with directed mentoring can promote professional maturity.

Context: One of the greatest catalysts for turnover among female athletic trainers (ATs) is motherhood, especially if employed at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I level. The medical education literature regularly identifies the importance of role models in professional character formation. However, few researchers have examined the responsibility of mentorship and professional role models as it relates to female ATs' perceptions of motherhood and retention. Objective: To evaluate perceptions of motherhood and retention in relation to mentorship and role models among female ATs currently employed in the collegiate setting. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Female athletic trainers working in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-seven female ATs employed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting volunteered. Average age of the participants was 35 ± 9 years. All were full-time ATs with an average of 11 ± 8 years of clinical experience. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants responded to questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. Multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review were included as steps to establish data credibility. Results: Male and female role models and mentors can positively or negatively influence the career and work–life balance perceptions of female ATs working in the Division I setting. Female ATs have a desire to see more women in the profession handle the demands of motherhood and the demands of their clinical setting. Women who have had female mentors are more positive about the prospect of balancing the rigors of motherhood and job demands. Conclusions: Role models and mentors are valuable resources for promoting perseverance in the profession in the highly demanding clinical settings. As more female ATs remain in the profession who are able to maintain work–life balance and are available to serve as role models, the attitudes of other women may start to change.

Context: Academic and medical models are emerging as alternatives to the athletics model, which is the more predominant model in the collegiate athletic training setting. Little is known about athletic trainers' (ATs') perceptions of these models.Objective: To investigate the perceived benefits of and barriers in the medical and academic models.Design: Qualitative study.Setting: National Collegiate Athletic Association Divisions I, II, and III.Patients or Other Participants: A total of 16 full-time ATs (10 men, 6 women; age = 32 ± 6 years, experience = 10 ± 6 years) working in the medical (n = 8) or academic (n = 8) models.Data Collection and Analysis: We conducted semistructured telephone interviews and evaluated the qualitative data using a general inductive approach. Multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review were completed to satisfy data credibility.Results: In the medical model, role congruency and work-life balance emerged as benefits, whereas role conflict, specifically intersender conflict with coaches, was a barrier. In the academic model, role congruency emerged as a benefit, and barriers were role strain and work-life conflict. Subscales of role strain included role conflict and role ambiguity for new employees. Role conflict stemmed from intersender conflict with coaches and athletics administrative personnel and interrole conflict with fulfilling multiple overlapping roles (academic, clinical, administrative).Conclusions: The infrastructure in which ATs provide medical care needs to be evaluated. We found that the medical model can support better alignment for both patient care and the wellbeing of ATs. Whereas the academic model has perceived benefits, role incongruence exists, mostly because of the role complexity associated with balancing teaching, patient-care, and administrative duties.

The literature regarding work-life balance (WLB) is plentiful, particularly in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate setting due to its demanding nature as defined by work hours and travel. Despite the comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to WLB for athletic trainers (ATs) in this setting, the effect of time of year has yet to be investigated.Context: To determine the influence sport season timing (ie, preseason, in-season, off-season) can have on perceptions and experiences of WLB for ATs.Objective: Qualitative, case-study design.Design: Division I collegiate practice setting.Setting: Six ATs employed in the Division I college setting (3 women, 3 men) volunteered and completed our study over 1 year. The average age of participants was 31.0 ± 3 years, and they had 9.0 ± 3 years of experience.Patients or Other Participants: We conducted semistructured one-on-one phone interviews with each participant at 4 points during the year (August, November, February, June). All interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed inductively, and we used peer review, multiple-analyst triangulation, and member checks for credibility.Data Collection and Analysis: Time of year (eg, competitive in-season), organizational demands (eg, hours and travel), and life stage (eg, roles assumed) were factors that influenced WLB for ATs in the collegiate setting. Having a positive and adaptable mind-set; having coworker, supervisor, and personal support; and engaging in personal or family time were factors that counterbalanced the inhibitors.Results: Our results indicate that a career as an AT in the collegiate setting can create WLB concerns; these concerns, however, seem to peak during the competitive in-season for the AT's primary coverage team. Additionally, conflict that arises for ATs seems to be stimulated by time, as work roles are often less accommodating due to the athletic atmosphere.Conclusions:

Context: Individual factors can impact numerous work-life interface outcomes including work-family conflict and burnout. Recently, the concept of work-addiction has been investigated as an individual factor that could impact numerous outcomes. While there is a large body of literature investigating work-family conflict and burnout in athletic training, little is known about the incidence of work-addiction or its potential impact on these outcomes. Objective: To gather descriptive data on work-addiction risk and examine the impact work-addiction may have on work-life interface outcomes in athletic training. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online Web-based survey. Patients and Other Participants: Athletic trainers employed in all work settings were recruited to participate via social media and email distribution lists. Data from 226 (n = 65, 28.8% males, n = 161, 71.2% females) athletic trainers, currently employed in more than 13 work settings were included in data analysis. Main Outcome Measure(s): The online questionnaire consisted of four main sections: demographic questions, work-family conflict scale, Copenhagen Burnout inventory, and the Work-Addiction Risk Test. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were run to determine if group differences existed. Simple linear regressions were used to determine if work-addiction risk scores were predicative of burnout and work-family conflict. Results: Athletic trainers experienced moderate levels of Personal (55.0±19.1) and Work-Related (50.0±16.0) burnout and are at medium risk for work-addiction (58.3±11.2). No demographic differences were observed in burnout or work-family conflict scores, but these scores were different based on work-addiction risk. Females were more at risk for compulsive tendencies than males. Work-addiction risk scores were predictive of both burnout and work-family conflict, though explained a relatively small percentage of variability. Conclusions: Those athletic trainers at higher risk for work-addiction report higher levels of burnout. Because of the medium risk for work-addiction among athletic trainers, work-addiction mitigation strategies should be implemented by individuals and organizations.

Context: Professional commitment simply describes one's obligation to his or her work. For athletic trainers (ATs), the demanding work environment and job expectations may affect their characterization of professional commitment. Our breadth of knowledge regarding professional commitment within athletic training is narrow. Objective: To evaluate the professional commitment of ATs in the collegiate setting. Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Collegiate. Patients or Other Participants: Thirty-three Board of Certification-certified ATs employed in the collegiate setting (National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I = 11, Division II = 9, Division III = 13) with an average of 10 ± 8 years of clinical experience volunteered. Data saturation guided the total number of participants. Data Collection and Analysis: Online journaling via QuestionPro was completed by all participants. Multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review were conducted for data credibility. Analysis followed a general inductive method. Results: Four themes speak to the factors that negatively affect ATs' professional enthusiasm and commitment: (1) life stage, (2) work overload, (3) organizational climate, and (4) human resources. The latter 3 speak to the effect the workplace can have on ATs' professional commitment, and the first speaks to the effect outside responsibilities can have. Conclusions: Our results suggest that several of the factors that negatively influence the professional commitment of collegiate ATs are modifiable organizational components. Developing resiliency strategies at the individual and organizational levels may help to facilitate improved professional commitment for the AT.