title: Achieving work-life balance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting, part I: the role of the head athletic trainer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Supervisor support has been identified as key to the fulfillment of work-life balance for the athletic trainer (AT), yet limited literature exists on the perspectives of supervisors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how the head AT facilitates work-life balance among staff members within the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Web-based management system.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 18 head ATs (13 men, 5 women; age = 44 ± 8 years, athletic training experience = 22 ± 7 years) volunteered for an asynchronous, Web-based interview.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants responded to a series of questions by journaling their thoughts and experiences. We included multiple-analyst triangulation, stakeholder checks, and peer review to establish data credibility. We analyzed the data via a general inductive approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four prevailing themes emerged from the data: modeling work-life balance, encouraging disengagement from the AT role, cooperation and community workplace, and administrative support and understanding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Head ATs at the Division I level recognized the need to promote work-life balance among their staffs. They not only were supportive of policies that promote work-life balance, including spending time away from the role of the AT and teamwork among staff members, but also modeled and practiced the strategies that they promoted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs;
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mazerolle
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Pitney
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D024382:Professional Role / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035502:Trust; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology
keywords: organizational support; quality of life; work schedules