scholarly journals Impact of Various Collegiate Settings on Athletic Trainers’ Definition of Professional Commitment

Author(s):  
Stephine Mazerolle ◽  
Christianne Eason

Purpose: Professional commitment is an individualized concept that combines commitment to a profession and the organization of employment. Currently there is no distinct definition of professional commitment within the context of athletic training. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of collegiate divisional setting on the definition of professional commitment. Methods: Online asynchronous interviews. Inclusion criteria consisted of full-time employment in the collegiate setting with at least 1 year of experience beyond a graduate assistantship. Thirty-three BOC certified ATs employed in the collegiate setting (Division I =11, Division II = 9, Division III = 13) volunteered with an average of 10 ± 8 years of clinical experience. Data saturation guided the total number of participants. Participants journaled their thoughts and experiences via QuestionPro™. Multiple analyst triangulation and peer review were included and data was analyzed utilizing general inductive analysis. Results: The importance of current practices emerged across all three settings. ATs in the Division I setting viewed commitment as advocating for their student athletes, providing the best care possible, and mentoring them as young adults. In the Division II setting, ATs were focused on life-long learning as a reflection of commitment. This was often accomplished by attending seminars, completing CEUs, and continually adding to their skill set in order to provide the best care for their student athletes. Division III focused their definition on being a multifaceted health care provider. Exceeding expectations and being a dedicated professional was an aspect of professional commitment. Conclusions: It is important to understand what keeps ATs motivated in the profession in order to enhance retention strategies. Overall, ATs’ professional commitment is derived from providing quality care to student-athletes, continuously advancing education within the profession, and being a multifaceted healthcare provider.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-106
Author(s):  
Zoe Arnold

Upon entering college in the United States, students are exposed to alcohol and, relatedly, the potentially dangerous experiences and effects that come with consuming alcohol. This is especially true for collegiate student-athletes, who have been found to have the highest consumption rate among student groups on campus. The purpose of the study was to understand the relationship between how student-athletes at a focus university, a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, experience alcohol consumption, how their consumption affects their academic grade point average (GPA), and how athletic identity plays a role in their experiences. While the research focuses on this one university, the findings are congruent with similar studies which focused on other colleges and/or the American college experience as a whole. Due to the large number of student-athletes in collegiate athletics, understanding and examining the correlation between alcohol consumption and the effect it has on academic success can be beneficial for multiple entities within a college dynamic. Survey data was collected from current student-athletes at a mid-sized Division I college in the Midwestern region of the United States. From this data, chi-square analysis showed that female student-athletes had statistically higher GPA than males, and a substantial sum of overall participants binge-drank during their last drinking occasion, and on both game and non-game days. A majority of respondents identify more with being a full-time athlete than being a full-time student. Results provide validity to past research studies, and allow for understanding to why student-athletes are at a higher risk of binge drinking. Practical implications and limitations are noted. Suggestions for future research include a larger sample from a variety of different universities, and understanding motivations between specific sports for academic success and alcohol consumption. Keywords: alcohol consumption, identity, gender, sport, culture, academics


Economies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Candon Johnson ◽  
Robert Schultz ◽  
Joshua C. Hall

This paper investigates the impact of having open 400 meter (400 m) runners on NCAA relay teams. Using data from 2012–2016 containing the top 100 4 × 400 m in each NCAA Division relay times for each year, it is found that more 400 m specialists lead to an increase in the overall performance of the team, measured by a decrease in relay times. The effect is examined across Division I–III NCAA track teams. The results are consistent across each division. We view this as a test of the role of specialization on performance. Using runners who specialize in 400 m races should increase overall team performance as long as specialization does not lead to an inefficient allocation of team human capital. An additional performance measure is used examining the difference between projected and actual relay times. Divisions I and II are found to perform better than projected with an increase in 400 m runners, but there is no effect found in Division III.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis L. Thombs ◽  
Monair J. Hamilton

Social norm feedback is a promising strategy for reducing alcohol misuse on college campuses. However, little is known about the impact of these interventions on at-risk populations, such as student-athletes. This study examined the effects of a campus-wide media campaign on Division I student-athletes at three universities. A discriminant function analysis revealed that a composite measure of perceived campus drinking norms distinguished between two campaign exposure groups. With the exception of one perceived norm measure (closest friends), the campaign-exposed group reported more conservative estimates of alcohol use in peers. However, there was no evidence that the campaign had reduced alcohol use. The inability of the campaign to reduce perceptions of alcohol use among one's closest friends may have accounted for the lack of change in drinking behavior. Discussion is directed to the potential limitations of using social norm feedback campaigns to reduce alcohol misuse in high-risk groups, such as student-athletes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mickey C. Melendez

Traditionally, graduation rates have been employed as a primary measure of college success for student-athletes. However, other sport related factors influencing college success and adjustment have yet to be adequately researched in the literature. The purpose of this study was to examine more closely the impact of race, gender, and athletic identity on the college adjustment of a group of freshmen and sophomore varsity student-athletes. A regression model employing athletic identity as a moderator of race for specific indices of college adjustment in student-athletes was tested. One-hundred and one varsity student-athletes from three Division 1 universities participated in the study. Findings revealed significant correlations among the variables of gender, race, athletic identity, and certain aspects of college adjustment. In addition, the model of athletic identity as a moderator of race in student-athletes was partially supported. Implications of the current findings to student-athlete retention and support services are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 2691-2699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence W. Judge ◽  
David M. Bellar ◽  
Erin L. Gilreath ◽  
Jeffrey C. Petersen ◽  
Bruce W. Craig ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Andreas Stamatis ◽  
Zacharias Papadakis

The majority of American student-athletes participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) programs. Those programs are categorized into three different Divisions, which demonstrate differences in athletic scholarship support, level of competition, and philosophy. Among them, Division III (DIII) institutions account for the highest percentage of schools who play collegiate sports, followed by Division I (DI). Recent events and evidence on depression and suicide, anxiety, disordered eating and eating disorders, and substance use and abuse have raised awareness on mental health difficulties in this specific population of young adults. The purpose of this study is to add to the current state of knowledge by investigating whether there are differences in the promotion of a wellness lifestyle between a DI and a DIII university. Using an online interview created by Côté, Ericcson, and Law (2005) all student athletes from both Rice University (DI) and State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh (DIII) were recruited via email. Sixty-three participated from Rice and 90 from SUNY Plattsburgh. The response rate was 17% and 29%, respectively. Descriptive statistics and parametric tests were used in data analysis. By comparing these two case studies, differences with statistical significance were found in the current activities of sleeping, socializing, school/career, and studying. These differences infer that a DIII school may be promoting a wellness lifestyle more than a DI school. Possible limitations are the use of unequal samples and self-reported data. Future research on comparing more cases of different Division schools is recommended.


2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 1174-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Y. Kerr ◽  
Erin M. Snook ◽  
Robert C. Lynall ◽  
Thomas P. Dompier ◽  
Latrice Sales ◽  
...  

Context  National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) legislation requires that member institutions have policies to guide the recognition and management of sport-related concussions. Identifying the nature of these policies and the mechanisms of their implementation can help identify areas of needed improvement. Objective  To estimate the characteristics and prevalence of concussion-related protocols and preparticipation assessments used for incoming NCAA student-athletes. Design  Cross-sectional study. Setting  Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants  Head athletic trainers from all 1113 NCAA member institutions were contacted; 327 (29.4%) completed the survey. Intervention(s)  Participants received an e-mail link to the Web-based survey. Weekly reminders were sent during the 4-week window. Main Outcome Measure(s)  Respondents described concussion-related protocols and preparticipation assessments (eg, concussion history, neurocognitive testing, balance testing, symptom checklists). Descriptive statistics were compared by division and football program status. Results  Most universities provided concussion education to student-athletes (95.4%), had return-to-play policies (96.6%), and obtained the number of previous concussions sustained by incoming student-athletes (97.9%). Fewer had return-to-learn policies (63.3%). Other concussion-history–related information (eg, symptoms, hospitalization) was more often collected by Division I universities. Common preparticipation neurocognitive and balance tests were the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT; 77.1%) and Balance Error Scoring System (46.5%). In total, 43.7% complied with recommendations for preparticipation assessments that included concussion history, neurocognitive testing, balance testing, and symptom checklists. This was due to moderate use of balance testing (56.6%); larger proportions used concussion history (99.7%), neurocognitive testing (83.2%), and symptom checklists (91.7%). More Division I universities (55.2%) complied with baseline assessment recommendations than Division II (38.2%, χ2 = 5.49, P = .02) and Division III (36.1%, χ2 = 9.11, P = .002) universities. Conclusions  National Collegiate Athletic Association member institutions implement numerous strategies to monitor student-athletes. Division II and III universities may need additional assistance to collect in-depth concussion histories and conduct balance testing. Universities should continue developing or adapting (or both) return-to-learn policies.


2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon H. Thompson ◽  
Presley Smith ◽  
Rita DiGioacchino

A serious commitment to sport and exercise may predispose female athletes to the development of eating disorders. The energy restriction and accompanying menstrual disorders that are often associated with eating disorders may increase female athletes’ injury risks. The purpose of this study was to assess NCAA Division I, II, and III female collegiate cross country athletes’ weekly exercise time, rates of injury, menstrual dysfunction, and subclinical eating disorder risks. A paper-pencil survey was completed by athletes (mean age = 19.64 years) from NCAA Division I (n = 82), Division II (n = 103) and Division III (n = 115) colleges across the United States. Division I athletes spent significantly more weekly exercise time (M = 687.97 minutes) than Division II (M = 512.38 minutes, p = .0007) or Division III (M = 501.32 minutes, p = .0003) athletes. When examining rates of menstrual dysfunction, 23 percent reported amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea. Over 60 percent (64.3%) of the athletes reported a performance-related injury, with the knee being the most commonly injured site. 24 percent (23.7%) of the athletes reported having stress fractures. Scores for subclinical eating disorders for Division I athletes were significantly higher (M = 87.11) than Division III athletes (M = 82.94, p = .0042). Division I female athletes may be at an increased risk of developing subclinical eating disorders compared to those competing in Division II or III. Because early identification of those with subclinical eating disorders prevents the progression to eating disorders, further study is warranted.


2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 524-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Mazerolle ◽  
Christianne M. Eason ◽  
William A. Pitney

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.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1772
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Riviere ◽  
Rae Leach ◽  
Haleigh Mann ◽  
Samuel Robinson ◽  
Donna O. Burnett ◽  
...  

In the last decade, the number of full-time registered dietitians (RDs) serving intercollegiate athletes in the United States has more than quadrupled. However, many student athletes may be at increased risk of nutrition-related problems that impact physical and academic performance, which include inadequate macronutrients, inadequate micronutrients, and excessive macronutrients. This narrative review reports the current literature to date on nutrition-related knowledge in collegiate athletes and the impact of sports RDs on student athletes’ nutrition knowledge and behaviors. To date, only observational and quasi-experimental studies have been published with regard to changes in nutrition knowledge and behaviors in NCAA athletes. While these studies report benefits of the RD as a member of the interdisciplinary student athlete support team, more well-designed randomized control trials are warranted to determine benefits related to health outcomes and sport-specific performance outcomes.


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