Context: Many newly credentialed athletic trainers gain initial employment as graduate assistants (GAs) in the collegiate setting, yet their socialization into their role is unknown. Exploring the socialization process of GAs in the collegiate setting could provide insight into how that process occurs.Objective: To explore the professional socialization of GAs in the collegiate setting to determine how GAs are socialized and developed as athletic trainers.Design: Qualitative study. Setting: Individual phone interviews.Patients or Other Participants: Athletic trainers (N ¼ 21) who had supervised GAs in the collegiate setting for a minimum of 8 years (16 men [76%], 5 women [24%]; years of supervision experience ¼ 14.6 6 6.6).Data Collection and Analysis: Data were collected via phone interviews, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed by a 4-person consensus team with a consensual qualitative-research design. The team independently coded the data and compared ideas until a consensus was reached, and a codebook was created. Trustworthiness was established through member checks and multianalyst triangulation.Results: Four themes emerged: (1) role orientation, (2) professional development and support, (3) role expectations, and (4) success. Role orientation occurred both formally (eg, review of policies and procedures) and informally (eg, immediate role immersion). Professional development and support consisted of the supervisor mentoring and intervening when appropriate. Role expectations included decision-making ability, independent practice, and professionalism; however, supervisors often expected GAs to function as experienced, full-time staff. Success of the GAs depended on their adaptability and on the proper selection of GAs by supervisors.Conclusions: Supervisors socialize GAs into the collegiate setting by providing orientation, professional development, mentoring, and intervention when necessary. Supervisors are encouraged to use these socialization tactics to enhance the professional development of GAs in the collegiate setting.Key Words: professional development, orientation, mentoring, qualitative research Key PointsSupervisors believed graduate assistantships were important in the professional growth of new athletic trainers to help transition them into clinical practice. Several processes were used to socialize graduate assistants into their roles in the collegiate setting, including orientations and providing mentorship and support. Supervisors were responsible for professionally developing graduate assistants, but several supervisors had unrealistic expectations for graduate assistants to practice as full-time staff and experienced athletic trainers.

Employers could enhance the transition to practice by providing formal orientation and mentorship. Professional programs could prepare students for the transition by discussing how to find support and mentoring and by involving preceptors who provide students with opportunities to give patient care.

Context  Some 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. Objective  To gain an understanding of initiatives used by postprofessional athletic training programs to facilitate role transition from student to professional during their graduate degree programs. Design  Qualitative study. Setting  Semistructured telephone interviews. Patients or Other Participants  A 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. Results  Three 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. Conclusions  Postprofessional 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.

Context: Although evidence-based practice (EBP) has become more prevalent, athletic trainers' perceptions of importance and knowledge of these concepts and their confidence in EBP are largely unknown.Objective: To assess perceived importance and knowledge of and confidence in EBP concepts in athletic trainers in various roles and with different degree levels.Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Online survey instrument.Patients or Other Participants: The survey was sent to 6702 athletic training educators, clinicians, and postprofessional students. A total of 1209 completed the survey, for a response rate of 18.04%.Main Outcome Measure(s): Demographic information and perceived importance and knowledge of and confidence in the steps of EBP were obtained. One-way analysis of variance, a Kruskal-Wallis test, and an independent-samples t test were used to determine differences in scores among the demographic variables.Results: Athletic trainers demonstrated low knowledge scores (64.2% 6 1.29%) and mild to moderate confidence (2.71 6 0.55 out of 4.0). They valued EBP as moderately to extremely important (3.49 6 0.41 out of 4.0). Perceived importance scores differed among roles (clinicians unaffiliated with an education program scored lower than postprofessional educators, P ¼ .001) and highest educational degree attained (athletic trainers with terminal degrees scored higher than those with bachelor's or master's degrees, P , .001). Postprofessional athletic training students demonstrated the highest total EBP knowledge scores (4.65 6 0.91), whereas clinicians demonstrated the lowest scores (3.62 6 1.35). Individuals with terminal degrees had higher (P , .001) total knowledge scores (4.31 6 1.24) than those with bachelor's (3.78 6 1.2) or master's degrees (3.76 6 1.35). Postprofessional educators demonstrated greater confidence in knowledge scores (3.36 6 0.40 out of 4.0) than did those in all other athletic training roles (P , .001).Conclusions: Overall knowledge of the basic EBP steps remained low across the various athletic trainers' roles. The higher level of importance indicated that athletic trainers valued EBP, but this value was not reflected in the knowledge of EBP concepts. Individuals with a terminal degree possessed higher knowledge scores than those with other educational preparations; however, EBP knowledge needs to increase across all demographics of the profession.Key Words: athletic training setting, educational preparation, clinical practice Key PointsAthletic trainers valued the concept of evidence-based practice and recognized its importance to the profession. However, their level of knowledge about evidence-based practice and their level of confidence in that knowledge were both low. Evidence-based practice should be taught not only in the educational curricula for athletic training students but also to practicing clinicians.

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. 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 5 191, 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 5 2.866, P 5 .037) than in other settings. Orthopaedic clinical examination and diagnosis (4.37 6 0.826) and therapeutic modalities (4.36 6 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 6 1.033) and injury/condition occurrence not coinciding with the clinical proficiency assessment timetable (4.06 6 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.Key Words: standardized patients, clinical competence, clinical instruction, evaluation barriers Key Points N Of 3 commonly used evaluation methods for student performance of clinical proficiencies (real time, simulations, standardized patients), simulations were used most frequently.N Opportunities for real-time evaluation were greater in high school and collegiate athletic training rooms than in other settings. Orthopaedic clinical examination and diagnosis, therapeutic modalities, conditioning and rehabilitative exercise, and risk management were the content areas most often evaluated in real time.N Athletic training education programs should either incorporate the use of standardized patients or take a disciplined approach to using simulation in clinical proficiency instruction and evaluatio...