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ERIC Number: EJ1055446
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1947-380X
EISSN: N/A
Master's Level Professional Athletic Training Programs: Program Characteristics, Graduation Requirements, and Outcome Measures
Ostrowski, Jennifer Lynn; Marshall, Brent
Athletic Training Education Journal, v10 n1 p25-31 Jan-Mar 2015
Context: While currently there are 2 curriculum route options leading to athletic training certification, the future of athletic training education is being heavily debated. While master's-level professional (MLP) athletic training programs account for less than 8% of all accredited programs, these programs have seen tremendous growth in the past decade. Little is known about the characteristics of these MLP programs or the graduates they produce. Objective: To perform exploratory analysis of MLP program history, cohort characteristics, program and graduation requirements, and outcome measures. Design: Cross-sectional design involving online survey research. Patients or Other Participants: Eleven MLP program directors. Main Outcome Measure(s): Survey data were collected via FormStack.com. Open-ended questions were categorized based on common themes and were coded. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated. Results: Accreditation of MLP programs was pursued for a variety of reasons. Programs admit an average of 13.5 students per year, and, on average, MLPs have 22 students. Ninety-one percent of students are retained into the second year, and 91% of students graduate. Ninety-one percent of MLP programs require either a thesis or structured research project; 45% require a comprehensive examination. The average 3-year aggregate first-time Board of Certification (BOC) examination pass rate was 91.7%. Pass rate was significantly correlated with thesis/structured research requirements. Ninety-three percent of graduates pursue employment using their Athletic Trainer Certified (ATC) credential. Ninety-one percent of program directors believe that MLP programs better prepare students to pass the BOC exam and better prepare them to practice as athletic trainers and believe the undergraduate route to certification should be eliminated. Conclusions: High retention, graduation, first-time BOC pass rates, and employment using the ATC credential of MLP students make a strong case for MLP programs as the future of athletic training education.
National Athletic Trainers' Association. 2952 Stemmons Freeway Suite 200, Dallas, TX 75247. Tel: 214-637-6282; Fax: 214-637-2206; e-mail: ATEdJournal@gmail.com; Web site: http://nataej.org/journal-information.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A