Context: The success of any academic program, including athletic training, depends upon attracting and keeping quality students. The nature of persistent students versus students who prematurely leave the athletic training major is not known. Understanding the profiles of athletic training students who persist or leave is important.Objective: To (1) explore the relationships among the following variables: anticipatory factors, academic integration, clinical integration, social integration, and motivation; (2) determine which of the aforementioned variables discriminate between senior athletic training students and major changers; and (3) identify which variable is the strongest predictor of persistence in athletic training education programs.Design: Descriptive study using a qualitative and quantitative mixed-methods approach.Setting: Thirteen athletic training education programs located in District 3 of the National Athletic Trainers' Association.Patients or Other Participants: Ninety-four senior-level athletic training students and 31 college students who changed majors from athletic training to another degree option.Data Collection: Data were collected with the Athletic Training Education Program Student Retention Questionnaire (ATEPSRQ).Analysis: Data from the ATEPSRQ were analyzed via Pearson correlations, multivariate analysis of variance, univariate analysis of variance, and a stepwise discriminant analysis. Openended questions were transcribed and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Member checks and peer debriefing techniques ensured trustworthiness of the study.Results: Pearson correlations identified moderate relationships among motivation and clinical integration (r 5 0.515, P , .01) and motivation and academic integration (r 5 0.509, P , .01). Univariate analyses of variance showed that academic integration (F 1,122 5 8.483, P , .004), clinical integration (F 1,119 5 30.214, P , .001), and motivation (F 1,121 5 68.887, P , .001) discriminated between seniors and major changers. Discriminant analysis indicated that motivation was the strongest predictor of persistence in athletic training education, accounting for 37.2% of the variance between groups. The theoretic model accurately classified 95.7% of the seniors and 53.8% of the major changers. A common theme emerging from the qualitative data was the presence of a strong peer-support group that surrounded many of the senior-level students.Conclusions: Understanding student retention in athletic training is important for our profession. Results from this study suggest 3 key factors associated with student persistence in athletic training education programs: (1) student motivation, (2) clinical and academic integration, and (3) the presence of a peer-support system. Educators and program directors must create comprehensive recruitment and retention strategies that address factors influencing students' decisions to stay in the athletic training profession.Key Words: socialization, persistence, career choice, retention, drop-ou...

Context: Organizational effectiveness and the continuity of patient care can be affected by certain levels of attrition. However, little is known about the retention and attrition of female certified athletic trainers (ATs) in certain settings.Objective: To gain insight and understanding into the factors and circumstances affecting female ATs' decisions to persist in or leave the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (NCAA D-I FBS) setting.Design: Qualitative study. Setting: The 12 NCAA D-I FBS institutions within the Southeastern Conference.Patients or Other Participants: A total of 23 women who were current full-time ATs (n 5 12) or former full-time ATs (n 5 11) at Southeastern Conference institutions participated.Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected via indepth, semistructured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed via a grounded theory approach. Peer review and member checking methods were performed to establish trustworthiness.Results: The decision to persist involved 4 main factors:(1) increased autonomy, (2) increased social support, (3) enjoyment of job/fitting the NCAA D-I mold, and (4) kinship responsibility. Two subfactors of persistence, the NCAA D-I atmosphere and positive athlete dynamics, emerged under the main factor of enjoyment of job/fitting the NCAA D-I mold. The decision to leave included 3 main factors: (1) life balance issues, (2) role conflict and role overload, and (3) kinship responsibility. Two subfactors of leaving, supervisory/coach conflict and decreased autonomy, emerged under the main factor of role conflict and role overload.Conclusions: A female AT's decision to persist in or leave the NCAA D-I FBS setting can involve several factors. In order to retain capable ATs long term in the NCAA D-I setting, an individual's attributes and obligations, the setting's cultural issues, and an organization's social support paradigm should be considered.Key Words: job satisfaction, turnover, qualitative research Key PointsN Although a certain amount of employee turnover is expected and necessary, high levels of turnover can negatively affect organizations.N A female athletic trainer's decision to persist in or leave the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision setting can involve a number of factors, including enjoyment of the atmosphere and student-athletes; ''fit'' with the job; social support and autonomy; responsibility to family members; life balance issues; and role conflict and role overload.N To promote the retention of qualified female athletic trainers in the Division I setting, an individual's attributes, personal obligations, and perceived life balance should be considered in conjunction with the organization's social support structure and cultural issues.

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 peerdebriefing 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.Key Words: socialization, subjective warrant, recruitment, career choice Key Points• Secondary school athletic trainers appeared to be the primary socializing agents for college preparatory students.• The primary attractor to a career in athletic training was the relationship with sports and the feeling of being part of a team.• Recruits' understanding of the athletic training profession was limited; providing more accurate and more complete information about athletic training may help to attract a more diverse population.B ecoming a certified athletic trainer (AT) is a career choice. We are unsure of the factors that influence individuals to choose athletic training and not other health-related professions, but these factors can play a significant role in attracting competent candidates to 1 of the 330 accredited programs. A key concept in any recruitment process involves understanding a potential recruit's perceptions of the skills and abilities necessary for preparation and practice in the chosen field. 1 Once candidates have chosen to major in athletic training, correcting any flawed perceptions is a key function of professional preparation program...

Background:Research evaluating the effect of comprehensive coach education and practice contact restriction in youth football injury rates is sparse. In 2012, USA Football released their Heads Up Football coaching education program (HUF), and Pop Warner Football (PW) instituted guidelines to restrict contact during practice.Purpose:To compare injury rates among youth football players aged 5 to 15 years by whether their leagues implemented HUF and/or were PW-affiliated.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.Methods:Athletic trainers (ATs) evaluated and tracked injuries at each practice and game during the 2014 youth football season. Players were drawn from 10 leagues across 4 states. The non–Heads Up Football (NHUF) group consisted of 704 players (none of whom were PW-affiliated) from 29 teams within 4 leagues. The HUF+PW group consisted of 741 players from 27 teams within 2 leagues. The HUF-only group consisted of 663 players from 44 teams within 4 leagues. Injury rates and injury rate ratios (IRRs) were reported with 95% CIs.Results:A total of 370 injuries were reported during 71,262 athlete-exposures (AEs) (rate, 5.19/1000 AEs). Compared with the NHUF group (7.32/1000 AEs), the practice injury rates were lower for the HUF+PW group (0.97/1000 AEs; IRR, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.08-0.21) and the HUF-only group (2.73/1000 AEs; IRR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.26-0.53). Compared with the NHUF group (13.42/1000 AEs), the game injury rate was lower for the HUF+PW group (3.42/1000 AEs; IRR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.15-0.44) but not for the HUF-only group (13.76/1000 AEs; IRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.73-1.43). Also, the HUF+PW game injury rate was lower than that of HUF-only (IRR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.12-0.36). Higher injury rates were typically found in those aged 11 to 15 years compared with those aged 5 to 10 years. However, stronger effects related to HUF implementation and PW affiliation were seen among 11- to 15-year-olds. When restricted to concussions only, the sole difference was found between the practice concussion rates among 11- to 15-year-olds in the HUF+PW (0.14/1000 AEs) and NHUF groups (0.79/1000 AEs) (IRR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04-0.85).Conclusion:These findings support comprehensive coach education and practice contact restrictions as effective methods of injury mitigation. Future research should continue evaluating similar programming within other levels of competition and sports.

Urban students often have difficulty engaging in the learning process and affiliating with others. A three-phase research design was used to examine the effectiveness of a high school physical education curriculum reform initiative entitled "Sport for Peace" to enhance student engagement and willingness to interact positively with others. Ten physical educators in six urban schools taught a traditional soccer unit (Phase I) followed by instruction and mentoring in the Sport for Peace curriculum (Phase II). In the third phase of the research, teachers developed and taught a Sport for Peace unit to their students. Data were collected using observation and interview methods and analyzed with constant comparison. Results suggested that the Sport for Peace curricular structures fostered shared responsibility for learning, trust, respect, and a sense of family. Both high- and low-skilled girls and boys felt successful and responded positively, creating a class community more conducive to engagement and participation.