This applied dissertation was designed to provide up-to-date information for the athletic trainers and administrative staff in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II athletic programs. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) has created recommendations and guidelines for appropriate medical coverage of intercollegiate athletics. The challenge for these athletic programs is to create a sports medicine model that will meet these recommendations and guidelines. The researcher developed an interdisciplinary sports medicine team model that would provide the appropriate medical coverage and health care for student athletes at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II athletic program. Use of an interdisciplinary sports medicine team model provides athletic training departments with information in eight areas: (a) athletes’ readiness to participate; (b) risk management and prevention; (c) recognition, evaluation, and immediate treatment of athletic injuries and illnesses; (d) rehabilitation and reconditioning of athletic injuries; (e) psychosocial intervention and referral; (f) nutritional aspects of injuries and illnesses; (g) health care administration; and (h) professional development to maintain knowledge and skills. The researcher sent out an online survey to each of the head athletic trainers of the Division II Sunshine State Conference. The survey was based on the recommendations and guidelines identified in the NATA Appropriate Medical Coverage Official Statement. The online survey was followed by a one-on-one interview of each head athletic trainer. This information was used to determine what health care models are presently in place at the Sunshine State Conference athletic departments. As a result of this research, a model for the planning and development of an interdisciplinary sports medicine team within a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II college or university campus, based on identified best practices was completed.

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was threefold. First, this study compared the effects of two different simulation-based instructional strategies on athletic trainers’ clinical competence in performing cardiovascular screening with cardiac auscultations. Second, this study identified the athletic trainers’ perceptions of learning through simulation-based instructional strategies. Third, this study attempted to identify and offer instructional recommendations based on the outcomes. The quantitative phase analyzed cognitive and diagnostic reasoning knowledge and history-taking and clinical skills specific to cardiovascular screenings with cardiac auscultations as it was taught to athletic trainers (ATs) at a continuing professional education (CPE) course. The quantitative results found that high-fidelity and low-fidelity simulation-based instructional strategies significantly increased cognitive and diagnostic reasoning knowledge and history-taking and clinical skill from pre-test to post-test assessment on all dependent variables. When comparing the two fidelity types to each other, the analysis found that the participants in the high-fidelity simulation group gained significantly more skill when compared to the low-fidelity group. In the qualitative analysis of this study, three themes emerged specific to the perceptions of the athletic trainers’ experiences as they learn through simulation-based instructional strategies. The first theme that emerged was a clear indication that participants’ exhibited positive perceptions of learning through simulation-based instructional strategies. The second theme that emerged was that the high-fidelity simulation experience during the pre-assessment and post-assessment raised an awareness of the deficit of knowledge and skills in performing a comprehensive cardiovascular screening with cardiac auscultations. Lastly, the third theme that emerged was specific to the perceived limitations in the effectiveness of low-fidelity simulation and the perceived strengths in the effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation. A few instructional recommendations emerged from this dissertation study. Simulation-based instructional strategies are an ideal teaching method to utilize during continuing professional education courses with athletic trainers. Specifically, this study identified that both, high-fidelity and low-fidelity simulation, are effective in teaching cardiovascular screening with cardiac auscultations. Additionally, the participants perceived influences of a pre-test on the identification of their knowledge and skills deficit suggests that there are benefits of utilizing an authentic simulation pre-test as part of CPE courses. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

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This study is a combination of three research studies that evaluated multiple aspects of the expectations, efficacy, and level of preparation of new Athletic Trainers (AT) in disordered eating and eating disorders prevention, recognition, and intervention. The first study analyzed the expectations and efficacy of new ATs in the management of disordered eating and eating disorders. This was evaluated from the perspective of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Athletics Administrators, Athletic Training Education Program (ATEP) Directors, and new ATs. The results indicate high expectations for ATs but low levels of efficacy in these specific areas. The second study investigated the relationship between a variety of teaching methods and the efficacy of new ATs in the management of disordered eating and eating disorders. The findings demonstrated an increase in levels of preparation and efficacy when alternative teaching methods were used. These methods included teaching in a clinical setting, using role-play scenarios, and implementing real-life scenarios. A combination of these methods and lecture also increased the levels of preparation and efficacy. These results were in-line with Vygotsky's sociocultural learning theory and confirmed the benefits of learning in a social context. The third study examined the need to determine what types of support existed in NCAA athletics departments to assist ATs in fulfilling these responsibilities. Article three evaluated the existence of eating disorder policies, specific guidelines for prevention, recognition, and intervention, and the presence of disordered eating management in the AT job description. The NCAA athletics departments with the above three items were better prepared to handle disordered eating and eating disorder situations and offered more continuing education opportunities to ATs. However, these departments demonstrated increased levels of perceived prevalence of disordered eating among their student-athletes. Overall, these three articles provide a greater understanding of the expectations and efficacy of new ATs. The articles demonstrated low levels of efficacy in the management of disordered eating and eating disorders, discontinuing with the appropriate teaching methods, and an overall lack of support for ATs in disordered eating and eating disorder management.

The purpose of this study was to examine if Division I Collegiate Athletic Trainers' (ATs') perceived.quality of their relationship, with a head coach, is associated with total job satisfaction. The study was driven by three questions: 1) Does a correlation exist between ATs' perceptions of the quality of the coach-AT relationship and total job satisfaction? 2) Will either the direct or the meta-perspective held by the AT be significant predictors of overall job satisfaction? and 3) Will ATs' assumed similarity be a significant predictor of overall job satisfaction? In order to examine this issue, ATs assigned to NCAA division I institution's baseball or softball team were given a compendium survey. The survey was composed of the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1994), a modified Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) (Jowett & Ntoumanis, 2004), and a modified meta Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (meta CART-Q). The surveys measured ATs' total job satisfaction.and satisfaction with various job sub factors, and their direct and meta-perspectives of their relationship with their coach, respectively. Correlational and regression analyses were used to determine the influence and predictability of aspects of a quality relationship to total job satisfaction. The findings demonstrate that ATs' perception of the quality of certain aspects of their relationship with a head coach is related to overall job satisfaction. This indicates that greater efforts need to be taken to improve overall coach-AT relationship dynamics. Improving the dynamics is needed to improve conditions that can cause unacceptably low levels of job satisfaction, which lead to burnout and attrition. The quality of the coach-AT relationship and its impact on Job satisfaction needs to be recognized as a contributing factor to AT job satisfaction. Understanding the coach-AT relationship can help direct measures to address decreased job satisfaction levels and stave off attrition in athletic training.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare knowledge and attitudes of directors of athletics and head trainers in the Southwest (Division 1A) and the Southland (Division 1AA) Conferences concerning HIV/AIDS issues related to transmission, prevention, and protection within college athletics programs. The results of this qualitative study provided descriptive data from university administrators within the athletics setting who are responsible for providing adequate student athlete health care services from developed and implemented administrative policies that directly or indirectly affect a student athlete's physiological and psychological well-being.