Context Previous research from a sample of US secondary schools (n = 10 553) indicated that 67% of schools had access to an athletic trainer (AT; 35% full time [FT], 30% part time [PT], and 2% per diem). However, the population-based statistic in all secondary schools with athletic programs (n = approximately 20 000) is yet to be determined. Objective To determine the level of AT services and employment status in US secondary schools with athletics by National Athletic Trainers' Association district. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Public and private secondary schools with athletics. Patients or Other Participants Data from all 20 272 US public and private secondary schools were obtained. Main Outcome Measure(s) Data were collected from September 2015 to April 2018 by phone or e-mail communication with school administrators or ATs and by online surveys of secondary school ATs. Employment categories were school district, school district with teaching, medical or university facility, and independent contractor. Data are presented as total number and percentage of ATs. Descriptive statistics were calculated for FT, PT, and no AT services data for public, private, public + private, and employment type by state and by National Athletic Trainers' Association district. Results Of the 20 272 secondary schools, 66% (n = 13 473) had access to AT services, while 34% (n = 6799) had no access. Of those schools with AT services, 53% (n = 7119) received FT services, while 47% (n = 6354) received PT services. Public schools (n = 16 076) received 37%, 32%, and 31%, whereas private schools (n = 4196) received 27%, 28%, and 45%, for FT, PT, and no AT services, respectively. Most of the Athletic Training Locations and Services Survey participants (n = 6754, 57%) were employed by a medical or university facility, followed by a school district, school district with teaching, and independent contractor. Combined, 38% of AT employment was via the school district. Conclusions The percentages of US schools with AT access and FT and PT services were similar to those noted in previous research. One-third of secondary schools had no access to AT services. The majority of AT employment was via medical or university facilities. These data depict the largest and most updated representation of AT services in secondary schools.

Context: Mentorship has been identified as a key aspect to the transition into higher education for the junior faculty member, as it is an effective organizational socializing agent. The literature, however, often examines mentorship as a derivative of the socialization process, rather than as the primary focus of investigation. Objective: Explore the perceptions of mentorship for the athletic training faculty member on professional development and transition into a new faculty role, specifically looking at mentorship through a role transition and inductance lens for the junior faculty member. Design: Phenomenology. Setting: Higher education institutions. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty junior athletic training faculty members (14 women, 6 men) who met our inclusion criteria. All participants were in positions leading to promotion or tenure. Saturation was met with our 20 participants. Main Outcome Measure(s): Semistructured phone interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim afterward. Using a phenomenological approach, we analyzed the data. Credibility of the data was confirmed with peer review and researcher triangulation. Results: Mentoring relationships were determined to be internal and external to the athletic training faculty member's institutions. Relationships were classified as informal, regardless of the location of the mentor. Internal mentoring relationships were informal and navigated by the faculty member with individuals the faculty member believed to have valued experiences and knowledge regarding the institution's culture and expectations for role performance and promotion. External mentors, mostly doctoral advisors, were individuals who could continue to support professional development and the specific tenets of higher education independently of institutional expectations. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that mentoring is done by a constellation of individuals, as each mentoring relationship fulfills a particular need of the junior faculty member and one mentor may not provide or possess all the necessary experiences to support the transition.

Context: Evidence suggests that doctoral education is incongruent with faculty positions, but this has yet to be specifically examined in athletic training. Objective: To gain understanding of the alignment of doctoral education and faculty workload, including institutional characteristics, from the perspectives of junior faculty members. Design: Qualitative, phenomenological research. Setting: Higher education institutions with Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education–accredited programs. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty athletic training faculty members (14 women and 6 men) who were 32 ± 3 years of age and averaged 10 ± 4 years of experience as athletic trainers and 2 ± 2 years as a full-time faculty member. Main Outcome Measure(s): We developed, peer-reviewed, and piloted 2 semistructured interview guides to obtain participants' perspectives on their doctoral preparation, entrance into higher education, and faculty workload. We completed telephone interviews with each participant over the course of 4 months. Transcribed interviews were analyzed by 2 investigators using a phenomenological approach, then reviewed by 2 additional qualitative researchers. Mechanisms of trustworthiness included member-checking, multianalyst triangulation, and peer review. Results: Two themes emerged from this study: (1) workload and (2) congruency. Faculty workload was dominated by teaching, but faculty had several demands on their time, including administration, service, and research. Most faculty positions focused on teaching, whereas their doctoral education was more focused on research, possibly because of a lack of congruency between doctoral education and faculty position institution types. Although mismatches occurred between doctoral education and faculty workload, participants were often aware of these differences and selected faculty positions aligned with their career goals. Conclusions: Faculty workload is generally teaching-focused and contains additional demands that are often not included in doctoral education programs. Doctoral advisors should promote adequate socialization to these characteristics of faculty positions, and doctoral students should consider their interests and faculty workload when searching for faculty positions.

Context: The Athletic Training Locations and Services (ATLAS) Annual Report suggests there are differences in athletic trainer (AT) employment status on the basis of geographic locale. However, the influence of geographic locale and the school size on AT employment is undetermined. Objective: To describe if differences exist 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 20,078 US public and private secondary schools were obtained. Main Outcome Measures(s): Data were collected by the ATLAS Project. AT employment status, locales (City, Suburban, Town, and Rural) for public and private schools, and school size category (large, moderate, medium, and small) only for public schools were obtained. AT employment status was examined for each category with odds ratios. A prediction model was produced by Logistic Regression Analysis. Results: Of the 19,918 public and private schools with AT employment status and locale, Suburban schools had the highest access to AT services (80.1%) with an increased odds compared with Rural schools (OR = 3.55 [3.28 to 3.850]). Of 15,850 public schools with AT employment status and student enrollment, large schools had the highest rate of having AT services (92.1%) with nearly 18.5 times greater odds (OR = 18.480 [16.197 to 21.083]) versus small schools. The logistic model determined that an odds of having access to AT increases by 2.883 times as the school size goes up by one category. Conclusions: Nationally, Suburban schools and large public schools have the largest access to AT services compared to schools that are in more remote areas and with less student enrollment. These findings elucidate the geographic locales and student enrollment levels where AT services are most prevalent.

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