title: National collegiate athletic association division and primary job title of athletic trainers and their job satisfaction or intention to leave athletic training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Membership in the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has declined in recent years, generating much debate about professional commitment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the contributing factors of job satisfaction and intention to leave athletic training of certified athletic trainers (ATs) employed in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A link to a Web-based questionnaire containing the Spector Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and an original Intention to Leave Survey (ITLS) was distributed by e-mail to 1003 certified members of the National Athletic Trainers' Association.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 191 certified members of the NATA employed in a college or university setting in a primarily clinical capacity; representing all NCAA divisions; and having the job title of head athletic trainer, associate/assistant athletic trainer, or graduate assistant/intern athletic trainer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used separate 3 x 3 factorial analyses of variance to compare the mean scores of each JSS subscale and of the ITLS with NCAA division and job title. A stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the strength of the relationships between the JSS subscales and the ITLS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found differences for job title in the subscales of Fringe Benefits (F(2182) = 7.82, P = .001 ) and Operating Conditions (F(2,182) = 12.01, P < .001). The JSS subscale Nature of Work was the'greatest indicator of intention to leave (β = -0.45).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a strong negative correlation between various facets of job satisfaction and intention to leave athletic training. The NCAA division seemed to have no effect on an individual's job satisfaction or intention to leave the profession. In addition, only Fringe Benefits and Operating Conditions seemed to be affected by job title. The ATs had similar levels of job satisfaction regardless of NCAA division, and their job titles were not a major factor in job satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise and Sport Science, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA. abterran@uncg.edu
authors.forename: Aaron B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Terranova
authors.forename: Jolene M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Henning
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D012952:Societies / Q000639:trends*; D013177:Sports; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities