Exploring the Transition to Practice for the Newly Credentialed Athletic Trainer: A Programmatic View.

contextSome newly credentialed athletic trainers (ATs) pursue a postprofessional degree with a curriculum that specifically advances their athletic training practice. It is unknown how those postprofessional programs assist in their transition to practice.

objectiveTo gain an understanding of initiatives used by postprofessional athletic training programs to facilitate role transition from student to professional during their graduate degree programs.

designQualitative study.

settingSemistructured telephone interviews. PATIENTS OR OTHER

participantsA total of 19 program directors (10 men, 9 women) from 13 Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education-accredited and 6 unaccredited postprofessional athletic training programs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Telephone interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. For data analysis, we used the principles of general inductive approach. Credibility was maintained using peer review, member checks, and researcher triangulation.

resultsThree facilitators of transition to practice emerged: orientation sessions, mentoring, and assistantship. Participants used orientation sessions ranging from a few hours to more than 1 week to provide and discuss program polices and expectations and to outline roles and responsibilities. Faculty, preceptors, and mentors were integrated into the orientation for the academic and clinical portions of the program. All participants described a mentoring process in which students were assigned by the program or informally developed. Mentors included the assigned preceptor, a staff AT, or peer students in the program. The clinical assistantship provided exposure to the daily aspects of being an AT. Barriers to transition to practice included previous educational experiences and time management. Participants reported that students with more diverse didactic and clinical education experiences had easier transitions. The ability to manage time also emerged as a challenge.

conclusionsPostprofessional athletic training programs used a formal orientation session as an initial means to help the newly credentialed AT transition into the role. Mentoring provided both more informal and ongoing support during the transition.