Supervisor Perceptions of Newly Credentialed Athletic Trainers' Transition to Practice

Abstract

Context Transition to practice for newly credentialed athletic trainers (ATs) has been described through the perspective of educators, supervisors of graduate assistant ATs, students, and recent graduates; however, the opinion of supervisors of full-time ATs has not been thoroughly investigated. Objective (1) Describe supervisor perceptions of the transition to full-time practice for newly credentialed ATs and (2) describe current onboarding processes used by employers. Design Phenomenological qualitative study. Setting Semistructured interviews. Patients or Other Participants Purposive sample of 10 (4 men, 6 women) supervisors of newly credentialed ATs. Supervisors reported an average of 13.5 years of supervisory experience (range, 5–26 years). Data Collection and Analysis Questions addressed supervisor expectations, strengths and weaknesses of newly credentialed ATs, and the organization's onboarding process. The primary researcher transcribed audio recordings and each participant reviewed transcripts. Two researchers coded themes using an inductive process; a peer auditor completed an independent review. Disagreements were negotiated until consensus was reached. Results Two categories emerged: (1) characteristics of newly credentialed ATs and (2) onboarding strategies. The first category was organized into 2 subcategories: (1) knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) and (2) unrealistic job expectations. The majority of supervisors felt that newly credentialed ATs were knowledgeable; however, the translation of knowledge into practice was viewed as an area requiring mentorship. Participants also reported that newly credentialed ATs often were poorly informed of the work schedule and time demands. In regard to onboarding processes, the researchers identified 7 different strategies reported by supervisors. Conclusions Newly credentialed ATs were perceived as knowledgeable but struggling to transition knowledge to clinical practice and often did not understand the work demands. Seven onboarding strategies were reported by participants; each of these can be used to develop KSAs of newly credentialed ATs. The KSAs should be addressed through a yearlong process consisting of orientations, shadowing, mentorship, seminars, and skill assessments.