RESUMEN
CONTEXT: The Athletic Training Locations and Services (ATLAS) Annual Report suggested that athletic trainer (AT) employment status differed based on geographic locale. However, the influence of geographic locale and school size on AT employment is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine if differences existed in the odds of having AT services by locale for public and private schools and by student enrollment for public schools. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Public and private secondary schools with athletics programs. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Data from 20â078 US public and private secondary schools were obtained. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES(S): Data were collected by the ATLAS Project. Athletic trainer employment status, locale (city, suburban, town, or rural) for public and private schools, and school size category (large, moderate, medium, or small) only for public schools were obtained. The employment status of ATs was examined for each category using odds ratios. Logistic regression analysis produced a prediction model. RESULTS: Of the 19â918 public and private schools with available AT employment status and locale, suburban schools had the highest access to AT services (80.1%) with increased odds compared with rural schools (odds ratio = 3.55 [95% CI = 3.28, 3.85]). Of 15â850 public schools with known AT employment status and student enrollment, large schools had the highest rate of AT services (92.1%) with nearly 18.5 times greater odds (odds ratio = 18.49 [95% CI = 16.20, 21.08]) versus small schools. The logistic model demonstrated that the odds of access to an AT increased by 2.883 times as the school size went up by 1 category. CONCLUSIONS: Nationally, suburban schools and large public schools had the greatest access to AT services compared with schools that were in more remote areas and with lower student enrollment. These findings elucidate the geographic locales and student enrollment levels with the highest prevalence of AT services.
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Instituciones Académicas , Deportes , Humanos , Estudios Transversales , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Deportes/educación , EmpleoRESUMEN
Interprofessional education is an area of emphasis within healthcare. Little is known regarding what other healthcare professions athletic training students engage with during interprofessional education. Therefore, our purpose was to identify the healthcare students that athletic training students engage with in the classroom/laboratory and during clinical education. We used a cross-sectional survey design with open-ended questions to survey 90 athletic training program directors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and an analysis of variance to determine differences between demographic characteristics and engagement with other healthcare students in the classroom/laboratory and during clinical education. The alpha level was set at .05. Overall, athletic training students regularly engaged with students from other healthcare professions in the classroom/laboratory and during clinical education, with physical therapy and nursing being most common. Unfortunately, more than 30% of respondents indicated no engagement with other healthcare professions during clinical education or in the classroom. It was concluded that athletic training faculty need to capitalize on opportunities to expose athletic training students to other healthcare students, as well as utilizing teaching and evaluation strategies that foster interprofessional education and practice. Similarly, students need to capitalized on opportunities to engage in interprofessional practice.
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Educación Interprofesional , Deportes , Estudios Transversales , Humanos , Relaciones Interprofesionales , EstudiantesRESUMEN
CONTEXT: Our previous research determined the frequency of participation and perceived effect of formal and informal continuing education (CE) activities. However, actual preferences for and barriers to CE must be characterized. OBJECTIVE: To determine the types of formal and informal CE activities preferred by athletic trainers (ATs) and barriers to their participation in these activities. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Athletic training practice settings. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Of a geographically stratified random sample of 1000 ATs, 427 ATs (42.7%) completed the survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): As part of a larger study, the Survey of Formal and Informal Athletic Training Continuing Education Activities (FIATCEA) was developed and administered electronically. The FIATCEA consists of demographic characteristics and Likert scale items (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) about preferred CE activities and barriers to these activities. Internal consistency of survey items, as determined by Cronbach α, was 0.638 for preferred CE activities and 0.860 for barriers to these activities. Descriptive statistics were computed for all items. Differences between respondent demographic characteristics and preferred CE activities and barriers to these activities were determined via analysis of variance and dependent t tests. The α level was set at .05. RESULTS: Hands-on clinical workshops and professional networking were the preferred formal and informal CE activities, respectively. The most frequently reported barriers to formal CE were the cost of attending and travel distance, whereas the most frequently reported barriers to informal CE were personal and job-specific factors. Differences were noted between both the cost of CE and travel distance to CE and all other barriers to CE participation (F(1,411) = 233.54, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, ATs preferred formal CE activities. The same barriers (eg, cost, travel distance) to formal CE appeared to be universal to all ATs. Informal CE was highly valued by ATs because it could be individualized.
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Educación Continua , Deportes/educación , Deportes/psicología , Adulto , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMEN
CONTEXT: Continuing education (CE) is intended to promote professional growth and, ultimately, to enhance professional practice. OBJECTIVE: To determine certified athletic trainers' participation in formal (ie, approved for CE credit) and informal (ie, not approved for CE credit) CE activities and the perceived effect these activities have on professional practice with regard to improving knowledge, clinical skills and abilities, attitudes toward patient care, and patient care itself. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Athletic training practice settings. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Of a geographic, stratified random sample of 1000 athletic trainers, 427 (42.7%) completed the survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The Survey of Formal and Informal Athletic Training Continuing Education Activities was developed and administered electronically. The survey consisted of demographic characteristics and Likert-scale items regarding CE participation and perceived effect of CE on professional practice. Internal consistency of survey items was determined using the Cronbach alpha (alpha = 0.945). Descriptive statistics were computed for all items. An analysis of variance and dependent t tests were calculated to determine differences among respondents' demographic characteristics and their participation in, and perceived effect of, CE activities. The alpha level was set at .05. RESULTS: Respondents completed more informal CE activities than formal CE activities. Participation in informal CE activities included reading athletic training journals (75.4%), whereas formal CE activities included attending a Board of Certification-approved workshop, seminar, or professional conference not conducted by the National Athletic Trainers' Association or affiliates or committees (75.6%). Informal CE activities were perceived to improve clinical skills or abilities and attitudes toward patient care. Formal CE activities were perceived to enhance knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: More respondents completed informal CE activities than formal CE activities. Both formal and informal CE activities were perceived to enhance athletic training professional practice. Informal CE activities should be explored and considered for CE credit.
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Educación Continua , Competencia Profesional/normas , Práctica Profesional , Medicina Deportiva/educación , Desarrollo de Personal , Análisis de Varianza , Estudios Transversales , Recolección de Datos , Femenino , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Atención al Paciente/normas , Percepción , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
CONTEXT: Appropriate methods for evaluating clinical proficiencies are essential to ensuring entry-level competence in athletic training. OBJECTIVE: To identify the methods Approved Clinical Instructors (ACIs) use to evaluate student performance of clinical proficiencies. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. SETTING: Public and private institutions in National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) District 4. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Approved Clinical Instructors from accredited athletic training education programs in the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association, which is NATA District 4 (N = 135). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants completed a previously validated survey instrument, Methods of Clinical Proficiency Evaluation in Athletic Training, that consisted of 15 items, including demographic characteristics of the respondents and Likert-scale items (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) regarding methods of clinical proficiency evaluation, barriers, educational content areas, and clinical experience settings. We used analyses of variance and 2-tailed, independent-samples t tests to assess differences among ACI demographic characteristics and the methods, barriers, educational content areas, settings, and opportunities for feedback regarding clinical proficiency evaluation. Qualitative analysis of respondents' comments was completed. RESULTS: The ACIs (n = 106 of 133 respondents, 79.7%) most often used simulations to evaluate clinical proficiencies. Only 59 (55.1%) of the 107 ACIs responding to a follow-up question reported that they feel students engage in a sufficient number of real-time evaluations to prepare them for entry-level practice. An independent-samples t test revealed that no particular clinical experience setting provided more opportunities than another for real-time evaluations (t(119) range, -0.909 to 1.796, P > or = .05). The occurrence of injuries not coinciding with the clinical proficiency evaluation timetable (4.00 + or - 0.832) was a barrier to real-time evaluations. Respondents' comments indicated much interest in opportunities and barriers regarding real-time clinical proficiency evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: Most clinical proficiencies are evaluated via simulations. The ACIs should maximize real-time situations to evaluate students' clinical proficiencies whenever feasible. Athletic training education program administrators should develop alternative methods of clinical proficiency evaluations.
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Competencia Clínica , Medicina Deportiva/educación , Medicina Deportiva/normas , Adulto , Análisis de Varianza , Simulación por Computador , Estudios Transversales , Recolección de Datos , Evaluación Educacional , Escolaridad , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Deportes/educación , Deportes/normas , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
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 (t(189) = 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.