Clinical-Education–Setting Standards Are Helpful in the Professional Preparation of Employed, Entry-Level Certified Athletic Trainers

Abstract

Objective: To determine the helpfulness of clinical-education–setting standards in the professional preparation of entry-level certified athletic trainers. Design and Setting: We developed a 22-item questionnaire based on the 12 standards presented by Weidner and Laurent. Subjects used a Likert scale (0 = no help, 5 = very helpful) to indicate their perceptions of the helpfulness of each standard in preparing them for their roles and responsibilities as certified athletic trainers. Subjects: We surveyed employed, entry-level certified athletic trainers who recently completed Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs-accredited athletic training education programs. Measurements: Percentage means were computed for the helpfulness ratings of each standard. A percentage mean was computed for the overall contribution of clinical education to professional development. Chi-square analyses were used to assess the differences in helpfulness ratings among respondents. Results: The overall mean score across all standards was 4.17. No significant differences in the helpfulness ratings of any of the respondents were noted regardless of sex, ethnicity, number of clinical-education hours, total semesters of clinical education, settings in which students gained clinical experience, or current employment (P ≤ .05). Conclusions: The standards for athletic training clinical-education settings are helpful and should be applied to all settings. Varying standards do not need to be imposed on our different athletic training clinical-education settings.