My research thesis is in regards to transition to practice in athletic training. My passion lies in understanding how well our athletic training students are prepared for the workplace, especially within one-year post graduation and passing the Board of Certification exam. As the profession continues to expand with emerging practice settings, athletic trainers are required to know more and do more. Transitioning to practice includes both the anticipatory socialization and the organizational socialization. Job orientation in healthcare, which is typically organizational socialization, should be constructed so that employees are trained for the culture, standards and goals of a company. Evidence in literature show that our educational outcomes may come from clinical preceptor evaluations, patient outcomes and cumulative grade point average (GPA) but these are collected when students are still in school. The only seemingly important outcome measure of readiness is emphasized in passing of the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. However, literature in athletic training is lacking cumulative data from students after graduation, especially from the employers’ perspective. Employers play a key role because they usually observe first-hand the challenges of their new employees. Therefore, in my study, I am measuring readiness of newly certified athletic trainers through their supervisors.
The data collection is currently ongoing. One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to measure intangible qualities into a survey. I found a validated workplace readiness questionnaire that has been used in the nursing profession. The primary objective of this research is to look at soft skills, to help us better identify the broader educational needs in the profession, which may lead to better patient care. We may gain an understanding of what is expected from employers, how to provide necessary initial on-the-job training, and what is expected from the athletic training education program. Current report shows some interesting data and we will be analyzing the data soon. My hope is that this pilot study can lead to further awareness and studies in transition to practice in athletic training, and how important it is for us to continue to gather outcome measures of our athletic trainers post graduation for the betterment of our profession.
Denny Wongosari LAT, ATC
The data collection is currently ongoing. One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to measure intangible qualities into a survey. I found a validated workplace readiness questionnaire that has been used in the nursing profession. The primary objective of this research is to look at soft skills, to help us better identify the broader educational needs in the profession, which may lead to better patient care. We may gain an understanding of what is expected from employers, how to provide necessary initial on-the-job training, and what is expected from the athletic training education program. Current report shows some interesting data and we will be analyzing the data soon. My hope is that this pilot study can lead to further awareness and studies in transition to practice in athletic training, and how important it is for us to continue to gather outcome measures of our athletic trainers post graduation for the betterment of our profession.
Denny Wongosari LAT, ATC
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