The Doctor of Philosophy Experience of Athletic Trainers: Facilitators and Barriers to Anticipatory Faculty Socialization

CONTEXT

  It is important to understand the process whereby athletic trainers learn about their future roles, particularly when the roles can be complex and demanding. Little is known about the experiences of athletic training doctoral students, including facilitators and barriers to socialization as aspiring faculty members.

OBJECTIVE

  To investigate factors influencing the anticipatory socialization of athletic training doctoral students into future faculty roles.

DESIGN

  Qualitative study.

SETTING

  Universities with athletic training doctoral students.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

  We recruited 28 students (19 women, 9 men, age = 28 ± 3 years) with a minimum of 1 year of doctoral coursework completed and participating in an assistantship at the time of the study to reach data saturation. Participants were certified for 6 ± 3 years and represented 5 National Athletic Trainers' Association districts and 9 institutions.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

  We completed semistructured, 1-on-1 telephone interviews with participants. We transcribed each interview verbatim and analyzed the data using an inductive approach. Peer review, multiple-analyst triangulation, and member checks ensured trustworthiness.

RESULTS

  We uncovered 4 themes from our analysis related to facilitators and barriers to professional socialization. Participants described comprehensive autonomous experiences in research that allowed them to feel confident they could sustain a scholarly agenda. Independent experiences and lack of pedagogy training yielded mixed preparedness relative to teaching responsibilities. Limited formal experience led to incomplete role understanding related to the service component of the professoriate. Finally, with regard to the administrative duties associated with athletic training faculty positions, participants noted a lack of direct exposure to common responsibilities.

CONCLUSIONS

  Role occupation in various aspects of the professoriate helped doctoral students prepare as future faculty members, although full role understanding was limited. Intentional exposure to research, teaching, service, and administrative expectations during doctoral experiences may facilitate the socialization of future athletic training faculty into academic roles.

Strength-training protocols to improve deficits in participants with chronic ankle instability: a randomized controlled trial

CONTEXT

Although lateral ankle sprains are common in athletes and can lead to chronic ankle instability (CAI), strength-training rehabilitation protocols may improve the deficits often associated with CAI.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether strength-training protocols affect strength, dynamic balance, functional performance, and perceived instability in individuals with CAI.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Athletic training research laboratory.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS

A total of 39 individuals with CAI (17 men [44%], 22 women [56%]) participated in this study. Chronic ankle instability was determined by the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability Questionnaire, and participants were randomly assigned to a resistance-band-protocol group (n = 13 [33%] age = 19.7 ± 2.2 years, height = 172.9 ± 12.8 cm, weight = 69.1 ± 13.5 kg), a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation strength-protocol group (n = 13 [33%], age = 18.9 ± 1.3 years, height = 172.5 ± 5.9 cm, weight = 72.7 ± 14.6 kg), or a control group (n = 13 [33%], age = 20.5 ± 2.1 years, height = 175.2 ± 8.1 cm, weight = 70.2 ± 11.1 kg).

INTERVENTION(S)

Both rehabilitation groups completed their protocols 3 times/wk for 6 weeks. The control group did not attend rehabilitation sessions.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Before the interventions, participants were pretested by completing the figure-8 hop test for time, the triple-crossover hop test for distance, isometric strength tests (dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion, and eversion), the Y-Balance test, and the visual analog scale for perceived ankle instability. Participants were again tested 6 weeks later. We conducted 2 separate, multivariate, repeated-measures analyses of variance, followed by univariate analyses on any significant findings.

RESULTS

The resistance-band protocol group improved in strength (dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion) and on the visual analog scale (P < .05); the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation group improved in strength (inversion and eversion) and on the visual analog scale (P < .05) as well. No improvements were seen in the triple-crossover hop or the Y-Balance tests for either intervention group or in the control group for any dependent variable (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the resistance-band protocol is common in rehabilitation, the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation strength protocol is also an effective treatment to improve strength in individuals with CAI. Both protocols showed clinical benefits in strength and perceived instability. To improve functional outcomes, clinicians should consider using additional multiplanar and multijoint exercises.