Abstract:
This study has presented an examination of the incorporation of formal debriefing methods into athletic training clinical education. While there has been a great deal of research establishing the importance of clinical education in athletic training programs, it remains unclear how this will be accomplished following the transition to the professional master’s degree. This represents the gap in the literature this study aimed to fill. Because degree programs will no longer be able to rely on the learning over time model and must start implementing new strategies to help ensure student learning is accomplished at a level that students can continue to apply knowledge appropriately in varying clinical scenarios, new understandings are needed. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of preceptors and students about the incorporation of debriefing into the clinical education of students in a CAATE accredited athletic training program. The seven resultant themes: (1) lack of familiarity, (2) structured reflection on thought process, (3) cumulative learning, (4) commitment, (5) patient care, (6) challenge, and (7) obstacles provide insight into the way that formal debriefing could be incorporated into athletic training clinical education to improve students’ learning by highlighting the underlying thought process they used in their actions.
