scholarly journals Descriptive Qualities Of Athletic Training Education Program Directors

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Leone ◽  
Michael R. Judd ◽  
Robert M. Colandreo
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Curriculum And Instruction ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
Professional Preparation ◽  
Doctoral Degrees ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
And Gender

Context: Limited literature explores professional preparation of program directors (PD) to lead an athletic training education program (ATEP). Objective: To explore challenges, effectiveness, leadership, and PD role selection. Design: Descriptive and qualitative exploratory email survey. Setting: Educational. Participants: Emails were sent to 345 PDs from a Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) listing. Main Outcome Measure(s): Measures of central tendency were used to observe years of experience, role selection (applied versus appointed), education level, and gender. Program Director effectiveness, leadership, and challenges were grouped according to common themes. Results: Most PDs (82.5%; n = 99) reported having one to ten years of experience. Mean years of experience was 7.46 (±6.36) years. A majority, 61.7% (n = 74), reported having applied for their position. Educationally, 54.2% (n = 65) held doctoral degrees compared to 45.8% (n = 55) whose highest degree was a masters degree. Six themes emerged for PD effectiveness and challenges. Lastly, seven themes regarding leadership were described. Conclusions: Program Directors should approach their role with savvy, caring, and humanistic attitudes, developed by professional preparation. Firm in their convictions and vision, PDs also are viewed as empathetic advocates for students. Program Directors play a critical role in the advocacy of the profession within institutions of higher education through professional preparation of students. Several themes pertaining to professional preparation of PDs may positively impact the profession. Future PD's should seek educational programs that prepare them for these challenges of the position, such as professional preparation in education and higher administration or curriculum and instruction.

scholarly journals Strategies for Highly Effective Athletic Training Education Program Directors: A Practical Approach to Interdependence

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25
Author(s):  
James E. Leone ◽  
Kimberly A. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Athletic Trainers ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Literary Work ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
Professional Preparation ◽  
Certified Athletic Trainers ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Highly Effective

Objective: Following Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, this article seeks to communicate effective strategies for athletic training education Program Directors (PDs) to follow. Commentary of Covey's work and practical strategies to integrate them into PD practice and responsibilities are provided. Background: Due to a lack of professional preparation, Program Directors often relate to what they know best–working long hours to get the job accomplished. It is not uncommon for PDs to mirror the work schedules of clinically practicing certified athletic trainers. With this in mind, we propose approaching the role of PD using Stephen Covey's wisdom from his literary work, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Practical strategies for integrating Covey's work into a PD's daily responsibilities, as well as remaining compliant with CAATE Standard expectations, are discussed.

scholarly journals An Assessment of Burnout in Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program Directors

2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Walter ◽  
Bonnie L. Van Lunen ◽  
Stacy E. Walker ◽  
Zahra C. Ismaeli ◽  
James A. Oñate
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Tenure Track ◽  
Pearson Product Moment Correlation

Abstract Context: Athletic training education program directors (ATEPDs) often manage their time among students, program administration, and patient care. Objective: To assess the level of burnout in ATEPDs and to determine the relationship between burnout and various demographics of ATEPDs. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Public and private colleges and universities nationwide. Patients or Other Participants: Two hundred forty-nine ATEPDs of undergraduate athletic training education programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Intervention(s): We administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to all participants. Main Outcome Measure(s): The MBI consisted of 21 items assessing 3 characteristics of burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Another component of the survey requested demographic information about the ATEPDs. We used univariate, multivariate, and factorial analyses of variance with the α level set a priori at .05. We also calculated Pearson product moment correlation coefficients. Results: Women had greater emotional exhaustion than men (20.67 ± 9.43 and 16.47 ± 9.64, respectively) (P  =  .001). The difference between tenure-status groups for emotional exhaustion was significant (P  =  .014), with tenure-track ATEPDs scoring higher on emotional exhaustion than tenured ATEPDs. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients revealed a weak negative relationship among emotional exhaustion and age (r  =  −0.263, P < .001), years of program director experience (r  =  −0.157, P  =  .013), and years at current job (r  =  −0.162, P  =  .010), indicating that as ATEPDs aged, gained more experience, and stayed in their current jobs, their emotional exhaustion scores decreased. There was also a weak negative relationship between age and depersonalization (r  =  −0.171, P  =  .007). There was a weak positive relationship between years at current job and personal accomplishment (r  =  0.197, P  =  .002). Conclusions: We found that ATEPDs experienced a moderate form of emotional exhaustion burnout and low depersonalization and personal accomplishment burnout, with women experiencing greater emotional exhaustion than males. Additionally, ATEPDs in tenure-track positions experienced greater emotional exhaustion than tenured ATEPDs. The ATEPDs need to obtain healthy coping strategies early within their directorships to manage components related to burnout.

Engagement Theory in Action: An Investigation of Athletic Training Program Directors

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Kimberly S. Peer
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Athletic Training ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Engagement Theory ◽  
Terminal Degree ◽  
Athletic Training Program Directors

Objective: To examine the use of good practice indicators by athletic training program directors and to provide a theoretical framework using engagement theory, a learner-centered process focusing on program improvement through continuous planning and evaluation, as a foundation for implementing good practices in athletic training education programs. Design and Setting: Athletic training education program directors completed the study's instrument. Responses were analyzed using correlations and regression models following return of the instruments via United States mail. Subjects: Seventy-three undergraduate athletic training education program directors for CAAHEP (now CAATE)-accredited, entry-level programs completed the instrument for this study. Measurements: Subjects completed a demographic sheet indicating Carnegie classification (research and doctoral or comprehensive and baccalaureate), appointment type (administrative/academic or academic/athletic), and degree type (education or non-education). The participants also completed a faculty inventory based on the “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.” Data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 10.0). The independent variables were institution type, program director appointment type, and terminal degree type. The dependent variables were the collective and individual subscale scores on the inventory. Results: There were no differences in self reported principles of good practice between program directors of different institution, appointment or terminal degree types. It was clear however, that athletic training program directors across the country report use of quality practices in their teaching. Conclusions/Recommendations: Engagement theory provides a strong foundation for implementing quality indicators in both didactic and clinical instruction in athletic training education programs. The faculty inventory used in this study provides athletic training educators an instrument to use to reflect upon current practices to determine whether they reflect the quality indicators that promote engagement.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Athletic Training Students' Clinical Proficiencies

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy E. Walker ◽  
Thomas G. Weidner ◽  
Kirk J. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Athletic Training ◽  
Clinical Experience ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Athletic Training Students ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Content Areas ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Program Characteristics

Abstract Context: Appropriate methods for evaluating clinical proficiencies are essential in ensuring entry-level competence. Objective: To investigate the common methods athletic training education programs use to evaluate student performance of clinical proficiencies. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: Public and private institutions nationwide. Patients or Other Participants: All program directors of athletic training education programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs as of January 2006 (n  =  337); 201 (59.6%) program directors responded. Data Collection and Analysis: The institutional survey consisted of 11 items regarding institutional and program demographics. The 14-item Methods of Clinical Proficiency Evaluation in Athletic Training survey consisted of respondents' demographic characteristics and Likert-scale items regarding clinical proficiency evaluation methods and barriers, educational content areas, and clinical experience settings. We used analyses of variance and independent t tests to assess differences among athletic training education program characteristics and the barriers, methods, content areas, and settings regarding clinical proficiency evaluation. Results: Of the 3 methods investigated, simulations (n  =  191, 95.0%) were the most prevalent method of clinical proficiency evaluation. An independent-samples t test revealed that more opportunities existed for real-time evaluations in the college or high school athletic training room (t189  =  2.866, P  =  .037) than in other settings. Orthopaedic clinical examination and diagnosis (4.37 ± 0.826) and therapeutic modalities (4.36 ± 0.738) content areas were scored the highest in sufficient opportunities for real-time clinical proficiency evaluations. An inadequate volume of injuries or conditions (3.99 ± 1.033) and injury/condition occurrence not coinciding with the clinical proficiency assessment timetable (4.06 ± 0.995) were barriers to real-time evaluation. One-way analyses of variance revealed no difference between athletic training education program characteristics and the opportunities for and barriers to real-time evaluations among the various clinical experience settings. Conclusions: No one primary barrier hindered real-time clinical proficiency evaluation. To determine athletic training students' clinical proficiency for entry-level employment, athletic training education programs must incorporate standardized patients or take a disciplined approach to using simulation for instruction and evaluation.

scholarly journals Managing Risk in an Athletic Training Education Program

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Swann ◽  
W. David Carr
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Managing Risk

scholarly journals Frustrations Among Graduates of Athletic Training Education Programs

2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Bowman ◽  
Thomas M. Dodge
Keyword(s):  
Athletic Training ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Student Stress ◽  
Athletic Training Student ◽  
National Athletic Trainers Association

Context Although previous researchers have begun to identify sources of athletic training student stress, the specific reasons for student frustrations are not yet fully understood. It is important for athletic training administrators to understand sources of student frustration to provide a supportive learning environment. Objective To determine the factors that lead to feelings of frustration while completing a professional athletic training education program (ATEP). Design Qualitative study. Setting National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) accredited postprofessional education program. Patients or Other Participants Fourteen successful graduates (12 women, 2 men) of accredited professional undergraduate ATEPs enrolled in an NATA-accredited postprofessional education program. Data Collection and Analysis We conducted semistructured interviews and analyzed data with a grounded theory approach using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. We negotiated over the coding scheme and performed peer debriefings and member checks to ensure trustworthiness of the results. Results Four themes emerged from the data: (1) Athletic training student frustrations appear to stem from the amount of stress involved in completing an ATEP, leading to anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. (2) The interactions students have with classmates, faculty, and preceptors can also be a source of frustration for athletic training students. (3) Monotonous clinical experiences often left students feeling disengaged. (4) Students questioned entering the athletic training profession because of the fear of work-life balance problems and low compensation. Conclusions In order to reduce frustration, athletic training education programs should validate students' decisions to pursue athletic training and validate their contributions to the ATEP; provide clinical education experiences with graded autonomy; encourage positive personal interactions between students, faculty, and preceptors; and successfully model the benefits of a career in athletic training.

scholarly journals Choosing a Career in Athletic Training: Exploring the Perceptions of Potential Recruits

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Mensch ◽  
Murray Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Athletic Training ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Athletic Training Education ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
School Level ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Initial Exposure

Abstract Context: The success of any academic program, including athletic training, depends upon attracting and keeping quality students. Therefore, understanding potential recruits' perceptions of athletic training is important. Objective: To (1) gain insight regarding undergraduate students' decisions to enter or not enter an athletic training education program (ATEP), and (2) examine potential athletic training recruits' perceptions of the roles and responsibilities of certified athletic trainers. Design: We used a descriptive study employing a grounded theory approach to explore perceptions of the athletic training profession by college students with various levels of interest in athletic training. Setting: Athletic training education program from a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I research-intensive university. Patients or Other Participants: Forty-six undergraduate students (23 interested in applying to an ATEP and 23 who were aware of but not interested in applying to an ATEP). Main Outcome Measure(s): Data from in-depth, semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Member checks and peer-debriefing techniques were used to ensure trustworthiness of the study. Results: Three contributing factors appeared to influence the recruitment of students to a career in athletic training: (1) a strong affiliation to a sports/team model, (2) initial exposure at the high school level, and (3) an incomplete understanding of athletic training. Conclusions: Awareness of how students are recruited into ATEPs is important information for our profession. Educators and administrators must create a comprehensive recruitment strategy using factors that influence potential recruits' decisions to enter the athletic training profession, specifically their association with sports and their experiences during high school.

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