As new athletic trainers (ATs) transition into their roles, some employers provide extensive orientation and onboarding to assist with the transition to practice (TTP); however, onboarding practices are inconsistent. Understanding how onboarding affects TTP can help employers implement impactful onboarding tactics. Examine how the onboarding experience impacted the TTP and the effects of the process on individuals. Grounded theory. Secondary school, hospital/clinic, college/university. Seventeen newly credentialed, employed ATs who had graduated from professional masters’ programs (11 female, 6 male; age = 25.6 ± 2.2 years) participated in this grounded theory study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Phone interviews occurred using a semistructured interview guide approximately 3, 6, 9, and 13 to 15 months after participants began employment. The number of participants was guided by data saturation. Data were analyzed through grounded theory, with data coded for common themes and subthemes. Trustworthiness was established via multianalyst triangulation, peer review, and member checks. facilitating TTP and impact. Onboarding facilitated TTP by helping participants feel supported, understand expectations, and integrate into their roles. Impact refers to how onboarding affected participants’ confidence, belonging and teamwork, focus, and stress. Onboarding is vital to the TTP for new ATs and impacts their confidence, role integration, and stress levels. Employers should provide site-specific orientation and ongoing mentoring in order for new ATs to quickly adapt to their roles and collaborate with other health care providers during their first year of employment. Effective onboarding decreases stress and allows new ATs to focus on patient care.

With the shift to a graduate-level professional degree in athletic training, it was hypothesized that immersive clinical experiences (ICEs) would be more effectively integrated into curricula than non-ICEs (N-ICEs) and better prepare students for practice. To longitudinally compare clinical engagement opportunities in ICEs versus N-ICEs and assess if these opportunities are associated with changes in student confidence in performing related tasks. Prospective, longitudinal, time-diary study using a Web-based survey. Fifty-three first-year, master’s-level athletic training students from 21 programs. Participants reported their type of clinical experience (ICE, N-ICE, or none), the setting, and hours spent at clinical each day. They quantified the percentage of time spent on 8 categories of athletic training and patient care tasks and rated their confidence in performing these tasks. Independent samples t tests (P < .05) were used to compare confidence ratings and time spent on activities across all students, and the analysis was repeated within students who participated in both ICEs and N-ICEs. Most clinical experiences occurred in traditional athletic training settings. Immersive clinical experiences led to more time spent on administrative tasks, waiting, and therapeutic interventions, while N-ICEs involved more time in practice coverage, skills practice, diagnostic labs or tests, and applying protective devices. Within students, N-ICEs showed more time on skills practice, but other outcomes were not significant. Immersive clinical experiences resulted in higher confidence in integrating business practices and communicating with health providers and administrators. Immersive clinical experiences may offer more engagement opportunities and increase confidence in specific tasks, while engagement opportunities are influenced more by the student than the type of clinical experience. Both ICEs and N-ICEs have valuable roles in clinical education; each providing different types of engagement opportunities.

Context: As an essential core competency for high-quality healthcare, health information technology (HIT) leverages the use of technology, such as electronic record systems, to collect and use patient care information to make informed clinical decisions. There is a dearth of information regarding professional athletic training students' (ATSs') use of HIT professional behaviors during clinical experiences. Objective: To assess HIT professional behaviors ATSs engage with during clinical experience patient encounters (PEs). Design: Multisite panel design. Setting: 12 professional athletic training programs. Participants: 363 ATSs enrolled across the participating professional athletic training programs entered patient encounter information within E*Value during their scheduled clinical experiences. Data collection and analysis: Characteristics of PEs (length of encounter, student role, clinical site type) were tracked in E*Value by students over three semesters. We used generalized estimating equation models to analyze the likelihood that students included HIT professional behaviors during 30,518 PEs. Results: Clinical site type (p=0.04), length of encounter (p<0.001), and student role (p<0.001) had the greatest influence on students' documentation of PEs in electronic records systems; PEs occurring at the college/university setting, longer PEs, and full student autonomy increased the likely of this professional behavior. Length of encounter (p<0.001) and clinical site type (p<0.001) influenced students' use of information documented in electronic records systems to assist with clinical decision-making; PEs longer than 60 minutes and PEs in the clinic setting increased this professional behavior likelihood. Conclusions: Since HIT is integral to providing high-quality patient care, and its use is developed and improved upon across the continuum of the professional career, program administrators and preceptors must seek out opportunities for students to engage in HIT behaviors during clinical experiences. Secondary school clinical sites, sites that typically have shorter patient encounters, and preceptors that offer less autonomy are most in need of intentional efforts toward HIT inclusion.

CONTEXT:As an essential core competency for high-quality healthcare, health information technology (HIT) leverages the use of technology, such as electronic record systems, to collect and use patient care information to make informed clinical decisions. There is a dearth of information regarding professional athletic training students' (ATSs') use of HIT professional behaviors during clinical experiences. OBJECTIVE:To assess HIT professional behaviors ATSs engage with during clinical experience patient encounters (PEs). DESIGN:Multisite panel design. SETTING:12 professional athletic training programs. PARTICIPANTS:363 ATSs enrolled across the participating professional athletic training programs entered patient encounter information within E*Value during their scheduled clinical experiences. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:Characteristics of PEs (length of encounter, student role, clinical site type) were tracked in E*Value by students over three semesters. We used generalized estimating equation models to analyze the likelihood that students included HIT professional behaviors during 30,518 PEs. RESULTS:Clinical site type (p=0.04), length of encounter (p<0.001), and student role (p<0.001) had the greatest influence on students' documentation of PEs in electronic records systems; PEs occurring at the college/university setting, longer PEs, and full student autonomy increased the likely of this professional behavior. Length of encounter (p<0.001) and clinical site type (p<0.001) influenced students' use of information documented in electronic records systems to assist with clinical decision-making; PEs longer than 60 minutes and PEs in the clinic setting increased this professional behavior likelihood. CONCLUSIONS:Since HIT is integral to providing high-quality patient care, and its use is developed and improved upon across the continuum of the professional career, program administrators and preceptors must seek out opportunities for students to engage in HIT behaviors during clinical experiences. Secondary school clinical sites, sites that typically have shorter patient encounters, and preceptors that offer less autonomy are most in need of intentional efforts toward HIT inclusion.

CONTEXT:As new athletic trainers (ATs) transition into their roles, some employers provide orientation and onboarding to assist with the transition to practice. Research in which authors outline the ideal onboarding process for new ATs transitioning to practice is lacking. OBJECTIVE:To examine the onboarding process for new ATs. DESIGN:Grounded theory. SETTING:College or university, secondary school, and hospital or clinic. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS:Seventeen newly credentialed, employed ATs who recently graduated from professional masters' programs (11 female, 6 male; 25.6 ± 2.2 years) and 12 employers (6 female, 6 male; years in role supervising new ATs: 8.5 ± 4.9) participated in this study. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:Participants were recruited via purposive sampling. Each participant was interviewed via phone using a semistructured interview guide. Employees were interviewed approximately 3, 6, 9, and 13-15 months after beginning employment. Employers were interviewed 1 time. Data saturation guided the number of participants. Data were analyzed through grounded theory, with data coded for common themes and subthemes. Trustworthiness was established via peer review, member checks, and multianalyst triangulation. RESULTS: CONCLUSIONS:Onboarding is vital in transitioning to practice for newly credentialed ATs, as it provides support and helps new employees understand and adapt to their roles. Onboarding should go beyond initial orientation and include regular meetings with supervisors, other ATs, and site visits to provide feedback and ensure new ATs adapt to their roles. New ATs should seek support from supervisors and local ATs to help better understand their role.

Context Simulations and standardized patient encounters (SPEs) have been increasingly used in professional athletic training programs. Recently they also have been identified as a mechanism to assess curricular content standards. Objective To investigate how professional athletic training programs use simulations and SPEs for teaching and assessment, and barriers preventing use of these techniques. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Electronic survey. Patients or Other Participants Forty-three professional program directors completed the survey, representing programs for doctoral, master’s, and baccalaureate institutions. Data Collection and Analysis The survey consisted of 8 demographic questions, 3 items regarding the frequency of using simulations and SPEs, 2 items regarding barriers to use, 1 item examining faculty collaborators and administrative release time, and 4 open-ended questions regarding additional uses and barriers. Cronbach α determined internal consistency, α = 0.891 to 0.911. Descriptive statistics were computed for all items. Results Most respondents used simulations and SPEs for teaching and assessment. Simulation use occurred most in the curricular content areas of nonorthopaedic evaluation (n = 40, 97.6%), emergency care and life-threatening injuries (n = 38, 95.0%), and orthopaedic evaluation (n = 36, 87.8%). Regarding SPEs, use occurred most in the curricular content areas of orthopaedic evaluation (n = 32, 76.2%), nonorthopaedic evaluation (n = 32, 76.2%), and emergency care and life-threatening injuries (n = 28, 66.7%). Overall, a lack of faculty knowledge (4.40 ± 0.989), faculty time (4.36 ± 0.727), and financial resources for implementation (4.24 ± 1.100) were identified as barriers to use. Conclusions Though simulations and standardized patients provide opportunities for engagement in real-time patient encounters in a safe learning environment, many educators still perceive a lack of evidence to support their use for teaching and assessment. Athletic training educators should seek mechanisms to increase the use of these techniques, as their use is important for preparing students for professional practice.

With the incorporation of evidence-based practice (EBP) during patient care as a curricular content standard, professional programs must prepare athletic training students (ATSs) for the application of EBP during the delivery of patient care. We aimed to examine ATSs ' implementation of professional behaviors associated with EBP during patient encounters (PEs). Through a multisite panel design, we tracked numerous factors associated with PEs experienced by 363 ATSs of 12 professional athletic training programs. Generalized estimating equation models were used to analyze the likelihood that students included EBP behaviors during 30,522 PEs. Clinical site type ( p < .001), student role ( p < .001), and encounter length ( p < .001) were associated with all three EBP professional behaviors while clinical site type ( p < .001) was also associated with whether the ATS asked a question of a clinician, including their preceptor. Program administrators seeking to promote the greatest opportunities for ATSs to implement EBP during patient care should seek clinic-based or other nonacademic site types that promote longer PEs in which students can perform or assist their preceptor.

Context Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is a required component of athletic training education, yet more needs to be learned about how professional and residency programs integrate IPCP into their curricula. Objective Identify current strategies used in the integration, assessment, and quality of IPCP clinical experiences in athletic training programs. Design Cross-sectional survey. Patients or Other Participants Forty-two of the 288 (14.6% response rate) invited individuals participated. All reported being faculty members affiliated with a professional or residency athletic training program. Data Collection and Analysis The IPCP implementation and assessment was e-mailed to all accredited professional and residency program directors to evaluate: (1) institutional or organizational support for and integration of IPCP; (2) faculty, learner, or preceptor preparation for IPCP engagement; and (3) tools for assessment and quality of IPCP experiences. Survey instrumentation was validated through peer and expert review. Descriptive statistics were calculated for quantitative data, and open coding was used to analyze open-ended questions. Results Respondents reported favorable support from their institution or organization (administrative, financial, and organizational structure) to integrate IPCP experiences. The most common methods for IPCP implementation included clinical simulations (n = 22, 22.9%), grand rounds (n = 13, 13.5%), morbidity and mortality conferences (n = 3, 3.1%), journal clubs (n = 6, 6.3%), direct patient care (n = 14, 14.9%), and intentional clinical education experiences (n = 28, 29.2%). Respondents reported formal IPCP training for faculty (n = 7, 16.7%) and learners (n = 23, 54.8%) but not for preceptors (n = 25, 73.5%). While programs assess their learners’ IPCP experiences (n = 25, 59.5%), the quality of those experiences is not formally captured (n = 19, 45.2%). Conclusion(s) Interprofessional collaborative practice experiences within athletic training education continue to evolve. As such, in this study, we highlight the need for formalized training in IPCP for faculty, learners, and preceptors. Additionally, program faculty should consider implementing quality assessments of IPCP experiences to assess the quality and degree to which learners experience interprofessional collaboration.

Contemporary health care emphasizes interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP), described as when providers from two or more professions work together to achieve the highest-quality patient care. Historically, athletic trainers have naturally collaborated with physicians, in part due to our defined scope of practice, but more importantly as a benefit to achieving positive patient outcomes. Athletic trainers also collaborate with nurses, physical therapists, physician assistants, and other health care professionals when providing care to physically active patients and populations. Due to the oftentimes continuous contact with patients while engaging these other health care professionals, athletic trainers are well suited to expand their interprofessional collaborations to other disciplines and serve as key stakeholders in the IPCP team. To assist in this expansion of IPCP, there are several professional organizations and a substantial body of literature focusing on effective engagement in IPCP that can serve as resources for athletic training. This commentary will address the background of IPCP and the relevance of the athletic trainer within the interprofessional team, as well as identify resources for additional information.

CONTEXTHealth professions education programs incorporate clinical education to prepare students for autonomous clinical practice. Although preceptor-student gender dyads impact student evaluations, specific influences of gender dyad pairings on student autonomy and behavior implementation have not been identified.OBJECTIVETo examine the influence of preceptor-student gender dyads on athletic training student opportunities to engage in clinical practice during clinical experiences and to determine whether constitution of preceptor-student gender dyads influenced student ability to enact professional behaviors during patient encounters (PEs).METHODSMultisite panel design involving 12 professional athletic training programs (ATPs, 5 undergraduate, 7 graduate). Participants included 338 athletic training students enrolled in ATPs that used E*Value to document PEs during clinical experiences. Student gender, student role in the PE (observe, assist, or perform), preceptor gender, and student implementation of behaviors associated with core competencies during the PE were measured outcomes.RESULTSThe 30,446 PEs were categorized into 4 preceptor-student dyad categories. Female students with male preceptors were less likely to perform PEs than they were to observe them (OR 0.76; 95%CI 0.69, 0.83; p<0.001). Female students with female preceptors reported fewer opportunities for behaviors associated with interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) (X2(3)=16.6, p=0.001).CONCLUSIONSFemale athletic training students under male preceptorship had fewer opportunities to perform during PEs, and female students under female preceptorship had limited opportunities to participate in IPECP. Health professions education program administrators should encourage students to advocate for opportunities in autonomous practice and implementation of professional behaviors.

Context The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) implemented new accreditation standards for professional education in 2020, requiring educators and preceptors affiliated with CAATE-accredited professional programs to identify an area of contemporary expertise. Although this requirement is imperative to ensure that educators and preceptors are exposing students to the breadth and depth of content areas in athletic training practice, little is known about how an area of contemporary expertise is developed and maintained. Objective To explore educators’ and preceptors’ experiences with developing and maintaining an area of contemporary expertise. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Web-based survey. Participants Of 449 athletic trainers (ATs), 347 (183 educators and 164 preceptors) indicated an identified area of contemporary expertise, completed the survey, and were included in the data analysis. Data Collection and Analysis A 16-item survey (10 demographic items, 1 Likert-scale item, and 5 open-ended questions) was used. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize participant demographics and familiarity with contemporary expertise. Data analysis of open-ended responses was guided by a 4-phase, consensual qualitative research process using a 3-person team. An external auditor confirmed data representation and accuracy. Results Familiarity with contemporary expertise and its impact on practice was shared, and participants identified various activities and resources accessible for ATs. However, challenges associated with developing and maintaining expertise and conflicts with current certification expectations were also identified. Conclusions Program administrators and employers should consider how they can best support the endeavors of educators and preceptors for developing and maintaining areas of contemporary expertise. Program administrators should evaluate programmatic approaches to assist preceptors with maintaining contemporary expertise. Additionally, as educators and preceptors become more familiar with contemporary expertise, the Board of Certification and the CAATE should provide guidance regarding the intent of continuing education, how it relates to contemporary expertise, and how stakeholders can achieve the objectives set forth by regulatory groups.

Collegiate student-athletes experience an increasing number of mental health concerns. To help address these concerns and provide high-quality health care for student-athletes, institutions of higher education are being encouraged to create interprofessional health care teams that are specifically dedicated to managing mental health. We interviewed 3 interprofessional health care teams who collaborate to manage routine and emergency mental health conditions in collegiate student-athletes. Teams represented all 3 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) divisions and included athletic trainers, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians and nutritionists, social workers, nurses, and physician assistants (associates). The interprofessional teams indicated that the existing NCAA recommendations helped to solidify members and roles of the mental health care team; however, they all believed their teams would benefit from more counselors and psychiatrists. Teams had different mechanisms for referral and accessing mental health resources on their campuses, which may make on-the-job training for new members of the team an organizational necessity.

CONTEXT:Currently, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recommends written policies and procedures that outline steps to support student athletes facing a mental health challenge and the referral processes for emergency and non-emergency mental health situations. OBJECTIVE:To assess the mental health policies and procedures implemented and athletic trainers' perceived confidence in preventing, recognizing and managing routine and crisis mental health cases across all three divisions of NCAA athletics. DESIGN:Cross-sectional survey design and chart review. SETTING:Online survey Participants: Athletic trainers with clinical responsibility at NCAA member institutions (n=1091, 21.5% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):Confidence in screening, preventative patient education, recognizing and referring routine and emergency mental health conditions (5-point Likert scale: 1= not at all confident, 2= hardly confident, 3= somewhat confident, 4= fairly confident, 5=very confident) using a content-validated survey (Cronbach's α=0.904) and mental health policy and procedure chart review. RESULTS:Respondents indicated they felt "fairly confident" with screening (40.21%, n=76/189) for risk of any mental health condition and "fairly confident" in implementing preventative patient education (42.11%, n=80/190). Respondents were "fairly confident" they could recognize (48.95%, n=93/190) and refer (45.79%, n=87/190) routine mental health conditions. Respondents were "fairly confident" they could recognize (46.84%, n=89/190), but "very confident" (46.32%, n=88/190) they could refer mental health emergencies. Policies lacked separate procedures for specific emergency mental health situations such as suicidal/homicidal ideation (36.1%), sexual assault (33.3%), substance abuse (19.4%), and confusional state (13.9%). Policies lacked prevention measures such as student athlete involvement (16.7%) in annual mental health education (16.7%). CONCLUSIONS:While athletic trainers were generally confident in their ability to address emergency and routine mental health conditions, opportunities exist to improve policies for prevention, screening, and referral. Best practice guidelines should be used as a guide to develop policies that foster an environment of mental health wellness.

Context The Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education requires athletic training programs to emphasize the use of professional behaviors that are associated with 6 core competencies, 5 of which were measured in this study: patient-centered care, interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP), evidence-based practice (EBP), health information technology (HIT), and quality improvement (QI). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between clinical experience type and student implementation of behaviors associated with the core competencies. Design Multisite, panel design. Setting Twelve professional athletic training programs (7 graduate, 5 undergraduate). Patients or Other Participants A total of 338 athletic training students logged patient encounters for 1 academic year in the E*Value system. Main Outcome Measure(s) Students reported clinical experience type (immersive versus nonimmersive) and implementation of behaviors associated with core competencies. Counts of professional behaviors were calculated, and differences in behavior implementation between immersive (ICEs) and non-immersive (N-ICEs) clinical experiences were assessed using a generalized estimating-equations approach for patient-centered care, IPECP, EBP, HIT, and QI behaviors (P < .05). Results Students implemented more behaviors associated with IPECP (P = .002), EBP (P = .002), and HIT (P = .042) during ICEs than N-ICEs. Students implemented the QI behavior more often during N-ICEs than during ICEs (P = .001). Patient-centered care behavior did not differ between clinical experience types. Conclusions Immersive clinical experiences facilitate increased implementation of behaviors associated with EBP, IPECP, and HIT, while N-ICEs offered increased opportunities for QI behaviors. Program administrators should consider placement of ICEs and N-ICEs in the curriculum that align with students’ capability to perform core competency behaviors. Preceptors of both ICEs and N-ICEs should be encouraged to provide students with opportunities to implement all core competencies during their clinical experience.

Patient-centered care (PCC) is a core competency that should be required by all healthcare education programs, but little is known about its implementation in athletic training clinical experiences. Therefore, we examined characteristics of patient encounters documented by athletic training students implementing PCC behaviors. A multisite panel design was used to recruit 363 students from twelve professional athletic training programs (five undergraduate, seven graduate). Over 1.5 years, clinical experience patient encounter data were logged in E*Value Case Logs, including student role during the encounter, length of encounter, and clinical site. Generalized estimating equations models characterized the likelihood students included PCC behaviors in 30,522 encounters. Discussing patient goals was associated with student role (χ2(2) = 40.6, p < 0.001) and length of encounter (χ2(4) = 67.6, p < 0.001). Using patient-reported outcome measures was associated with student role (χ2(2) = 21.6, p < 0.001), length of encounter (χ2(4) = 34.5, p < 0.001), and clinical site (χ2(3) = 17.3, p = 0.001). Implementing clinician-rated outcome measures was affected by length of encounter (χ2(4) = 27.9, p < 0.001) and clinical site (χ2(3) = 8.6, p = 0.04). PCC behaviors were largely associated with student role and length of encounters; clinical site had less impact. Athletic training educators should emphasize progressive autonomous supervision with preceptors and encourage students to facilitate slightly longer patient visits, when possible, to incorporate more PCC behaviors.

Context: To enhance the quality of patient care, athletic training students (ATSs) should experience a wide variety of clinical practice settings, interact with diverse patient popula-tions, and engage with patients who have a wide variety of conditions. It is unclear in what ways, if any, ATSs have diverse opportunities during clinical experiences.Objective: To describe the characteristics of patient en-counters (PEs) ATSs engaged in during clinical experiences.Design: Multisite panel design.Setting: Twelve professional athletic training programs (5 bachelor's, 7 master's).Patients or Other Participants: A total of 363 ATSs from the athletic training programs that used E*Value software to document PEs during clinical experiences.Main Outcome Measure(s): During each PE, ATSs were asked to log the clinical site at which the PE occurred (college or university, secondary school, clinic, or other), the procedures performed during the PE (eg, knee evaluation, lower leg flexibility or range of motion, cryotherapy), and the patient's diagnosis, with the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code (eg, S83.512A knee sprain, anterior cruciate ligament).Results: A total of 30630 PEs were entered by 338 ATSs across 278 unique clinical settings. More than 80% of PEs occurred in college or university and secondary school settings. More than half of the diagnoses were categorized as affecting the lower body region. Examination and evaluation procedures and application of therapeutic modality procedures each contributed approximately 27% of procedures.Conclusions: It was surprising that ATSs were not gaining experience in all clinical practice settings in which athletic trainers commonly practice. Our data suggest that students may be consigned to working with patients who have more frequently occurring injuries, which may not prepare them for the realities of autonomous clinical practice. These findings indicate that directed efforts are needed to ensure that ATSs are provided opportunities to engage with diverse patient populations who have a variety of conditions in an array of clinical site types during their clinical experiences.

Context As health professions education continues to transition toward competency-based education, it is essential that educators have an in-depth understanding of student competence and how it is achieved. However, little is known concerning the perceptions of educators regarding student competence in athletic training. Objective To explore athletic training educators' perceptions of student competence. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Online survey with open-ended questions. Patients or Other Participants In total, 368 of 1577 athletic training educators accessed the survey (23.3% access rate); 327 were included in data analysis because they indicated they served as an athletic training educator at the time of data collection and completed at least 1 open-ended question. Respondents represented athletic training programs in 47 states, and their average age was 41.5 ± 9.4 years. Main Outcome Measure(s) We used a 10-item survey, including 5 demographic items and 5 open-ended questions to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the demographic variables, while responses to the open-ended questions were coded by a 3-person team following the consensual qualitative research approach. To enhance trustworthiness, an external auditor confirmed the accuracy of the findings following the structured, 4-phase data analysis progression. Results Our findings revealed that educators described the meaning of student competence in a variety of ways that ranged between lower-level cognitive learning, midlevel cognitive learning, and high-level cognitive learning. Educators further characterized student competence as being time based or student or skill based or both. Finally, educators perceived that student competence is achieved when a student is ready to practice autonomously yet shared conflicting views on the similarities or differences between student competence and student readiness. Conclusions The views and perceptions of student competence varied among athletic training educators. To progress toward competency-based education, our findings highlight the need to establish consensus regarding student competence among educators in athletic training education.

Context Understanding potential barriers that prevent program administrators from providing high-quality preceptor development opportunities will help inform strategies of preceptor development. Objective To explore the challenges program administrators encounter when developing preceptors for graduate, professional athletic training programs. Design Consensual qualitative research. Setting Individual semistructured phone interviews. Patients or Other Participants Eighteen program administrators (17 coordinators of clinical education, 1 program director; 5.92 ± 4.19 years of experience) participated in this study. Data saturation guided the number of participants. Data Collection and Analysis Semistructured interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. A 4-person research team used a consensus process to analyze data and identify emergent themes. A consensual codebook was created after researchers independently coded the data and discussed emergent themes. Credibility of the findings was established through multiple researchers, an external auditor, and member checks. Results Two themes emerged, delivery and content. How to deliver development posed a challenge, with work schedules and geographical spread inhibiting the ability to schedule one in-person group meeting. Lastly, participants struggled to balance their own workloads to overcome the challenges of curating and delivering multiple preceptor development opportunities in addition to their existing academic obligations. Identifying which content to include that was relevant and useful to a variety of preceptors regardless of setting or experience was also a challenge for our participants. Participants felt that some preceptors were reticent to learn about program policies, accreditation requirements, or newly included clinical skills, making large-group development opportunities more challenging. Conclusions Administrators may need multiple preceptor development options to accommodate the varying levels of experience, desired content, and geographical locations of preceptors; however, this subsequently increases workload challenges. Educating institutional administrators about the demands of developing preceptors may open dialogue regarding workload and provision of necessary resources associated with preceptor development.

Context To enhance the quality of patient care, it is important that athletic trainers integrate the components of the core competencies (CCs; evidence-based practice [EBP], patient-centered care [PCC], health information technology [HIT], interprofessional education and collaborative practice [IPECP], quality improvement [QI], professionalism) as a part of routine clinical practice. In what ways, if any, athletic training students (ATSs) are currently integrating CCs into patient encounters (PEs) during clinical experiences is unclear. Objective To describe which professional behaviors associated with the CCs were implemented by ATSs during PEs that occurred during clinical experiences. Design Multisite panel design. Setting A total of 12 professional athletic training programs (5 bachelor's, 7 master's level). Patients or Other Participants A total of 363 ATSs from the athletic training programs that used E*Value software to document PEs during clinical experiences participated. Main Outcome Measure(s) During each PE, ATSs were asked to report whether professional behaviors reflecting 5 of the CCs occurred (the professionalism CC was excluded). Summary statistics, including means ± SDs, counts, and percentages were tabulated for the professional behaviors of each CC. Results Data from 30 630 PEs were collected during the study period. Professional behaviors related to EBP were the most frequently incorporated during PEs (74.3%, n = 22 773), followed by QI (72.3%, n = 22 147), PCC (56.6%, n = 17 326), HIT (35.4%, n = 10 857), and IPECP (18.4%, n = 5627). Conclusions It is unsurprising that EBP and PCC behaviors were 2 of the most frequently incorporated CCs during PEs due to the emphasis on these competencies during the past several years. However, it is surprising that ATSs did not incorporate behaviors related to either HIT (in 65% of PEs) or IPECP (in 82% of PEs). These findings suggest that directed efforts are needed to ensure that ATSs are provided opportunities to incorporate professional behaviors related to the CCs during clinical experiences.