Challenges Associated With Transition to Practice of Newly Credentialed Athletic Trainers

An abstract of the study by Thrasher exploring challenges faced by newly credentialed athletic trainers (ATs) during their transition from student to autonomous practitioner. Results show that five themes emerged that described the challenges as participants transitioned. 1) Initially participants felt unsure of their patient care decisions, such as treatment protocols and return to play decisions, as they had never been responsible for making decisions independently. 2) As they made decisions and received positive feedback, this in turn helped participants develop confidence. 3) Communication with coaches and parents was challenging initially, especially for those in the secondary school setting. Participants felt ill prepared as they had limited or no communication opportunities with coaches and parents during professional preparation. 4) Participants also struggled with role ambiguity, as they were confused and unsure of basic organizational and administrative expectations, including development of protocols (e.g., concussion, emergency action plans), patient referrals to physicians, how to structure hours, and other aspects of their specific employment setting. 5) Mentor inaccessibility was another challenge faced by participants. Some participants had mentors, but they were often inaccessible, while other participants, particularly in the secondary school setting and with part-time employment, felt they did not have a supervisor or mentor to which they could reach out for support and guidance.