Athletic Trainers – The Sport Journal

Self-efficacy in college athletics: An exploratory study

Authors: Martha G. Dettl-Rivera¹, Diane L. Gill², Erin Reifsteck²

¹Physical Education, Sport and Human Performance Department, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, USA
²Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

Corresponding Author:
Martha G. Dettl-Rivera, EdD, SCAT, ATC
116A West Center
Rock Hill, SC 29732
dettlriveram@winthrop.edu
215-264-6090

Martha G. Dettl-Rivera is an assistant professor of Athletic Training at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. Her research interest includes mental health in college athletics.

Diane L. Gill is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, NC. Her research interests include social psychology and physical activity.

Erin Reifsteck is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, NC. Her current research focuses on promoting lifelong physical activity and health among athletes.

Self-efficacy in college athletics: An exploratory study

ABSTRACT

This research examined the self-efficacy scores of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college athletic trainers from Division I and Division III Southeastern universities. Implementing mental health best practices for college athletic trainers to recognize and to refer student-athletes with mental health issues and disorders have been top priorities of the NCAA and National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). Purpose: This research explored the influence of the USA Mental Health First Aid (MHFA-USA) course of NCAA college athletic trainers’ self-efficacy levels of college student-athletes’ mental health referrals. Methods: A survey approach was adopted to measure participant (n=8) confidence levels of referring student-athletes to qualified mental health care practitioners utilizing a valid self-efficacy scale. Results: Overall, there was improvement in self-efficacy scores immediately following the course as well as consistent improvement at the one-month follow-up survey. Conclusions: There has been no current research on mental health formal trainings of practicing athletic trainers at the NCAA level. Findings from this study were promising as NCAA college athletic trainers’ self-efficacy improved following completion of the MHFA-USA course. Application in Sports: This study offers exploratory insight of the potential training of NCAA college athletic trainers to appropriately and to confidently refer student-athletes to appropriate care. Findings suggest mental health training programs focused on improvement of confidence levels of NCAA college athletic trainers should be considered.

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U.S. Sports Academy2021-04-29T11:15:55-05:00April 30th, 2021|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off

Athletic Training in Popular Sports Films: More than khakis, a polo, and a roll of tape?

Authors: Dr. Lindsey H. Schroeder, Dr. Alana N. Seaman

Corresponding Author:
Lindsey H. Schroeder Ed.D., LAT, ATC, CES
601 S. College Rd.
Wilmington NC, 28403-5956
schroederl@uncw.edu
910-962-7188

Dr. Lindsey Schroeder is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Athletic Training Program. She is a licensed and certified athletic trainer and is also an alumnus of the United States Sports Academy. Dr. Alana Seaman, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Recreation, Sport Leadership & Tourism Management Program.

Athletic Training in Popular Sports Films: More than khakis, a polo, and a roll of tape?

ABSTRACT
Athletic trainers are vital to sport in the United States. These licensed, highly qualified, multi-skilled healthcare professionals provide essential medical care, emergency response, and advocacy for athletes in a myriad of sport settings. Their services are crucial to athlete health. However, all bachelor level athletic training programs in the United States will be replaced with a master’s curriculum by 2022, and in turn, the field will be forced to compete for students with other health care professions requiring the same prerequisites and level of training. Evidence suggests that a majority of athletic training students are drawn to the field because of its links to sports, yet public misconceptions about and a lack of respect for the field have been identified as factors keeping potential students from pursuing the profession. Given that film and television are widely recognized as powerful influencers of popular conceptions about professions, and as a result, career choice, particularly within other healthcare fields, a thorough understanding of how athletic trainers and the field of athletic training are depicted across these popular mediums is essential in working towards correcting misconceptions about the field and revealing how future professionals may be recruited into newly developed master’s degree programs. In order to provide a clear picture of how the profession is portrayed in on screen, a content analysis approach was employed in the examination of 20 of the most popular sport-themed films of the last 60 years. While a number of themes emerged, overall findings suggest that athletic trainers and the profession of athletic training were narrowly depicted on screen in turn perpetuating misconceptions, and inaccurate and outdated stereotypes about the profession, and minimizing the importance of athletic trainers in a sport setting.
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U.S. Sports Academy2018-08-27T11:18:58-05:00September 6th, 2018|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off

Athletic trainers in employment leadership positions at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions

Authors: Dr. Lindsey H. Schroeder

Corresponding Author:
Lindsey H. Schroeder Ed.D., LAT, ATC, CES
601 S. College Rd.
Wilmington NC, 28403-5956
schroederl@uncw.edu
910-962-7188

Dr. Schroeder is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Athletic Training Program. She is a licensed and certified athletic trainer and is also an alumnus of the United States Sports Academy.

Athletic trainers in employment leadership positions at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the percentage, by sex, of athletic trainers (AT) in employment leadership positions at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) institutions. This percentage was analyzed specifically in the power five conferences. Participants were 351 institutions in 32 conferences. A list of institutions by conference was obtained from the NCAA website. Each institution’s athletic webpage was used to locate the name, picture, and employment bio of the athletic trainer with the upmost authority. Manifest coding was used to note the sex of each athletic trainer holding a leadership position. One institution did not list who was responsible for its athletic training program resulting in a final sample of 350 institutions. Results found 286 institutions had male ATs (81.71%), 60 had a female AT (17.14%), and four had dual representatives (1.14%) in positions such as Assistant/Associate AD for Sports Medicine, Director of Sports Medicine, or Head Athletic Trainer. When separated by the power five conferences, 60 male ATs (92.3%) held leadership positions. For the remaining five institutions, Female ATs held four positions (6.15%) with one institution having dual representatives (1.54%). Currently, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association membership consists of a greater number of females ATs (55.16%) than male ATs (44.67%). Even with more female ATs in the profession, the representation of female ATs in the position of upmost authority in NCAA DI member institutions has not increased in the last 20 years.
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U.S. Sports Academy2018-03-23T11:19:59-05:00April 5th, 2018|Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off