title: Career commitment of postprofessional athletic training program graduates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Choosing to pursue an advanced degree in athletic training appears to indicate professional commitment and passion for the profession. Currently, there is a paucity of information regarding why some athletic trainers pursue enrollment in a postprofessional athletic training program (PPATP), indicating commitment to the profession, but later depart for another primary role outside of athletic training.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To understand why athletic trainers invested in advanced training via a PPATP but then decided to leave the profession.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Online data collection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve graduates (8 women [67%], 4 men [33%], age = 31.58 ± 3.06 years) from PPATPs who no longer had primary employment as an athletic trainer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recruits responded to an e-mail invitation to participate by completing a confidential online questionnaire. We analyzed data using a general inductive approach and secured trustworthiness using multiple-analyst triangulation, peer review, and member checks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two higher-order themes emerged regarding the career commitment of former athletic trainers who were PPATP graduates: (1) departure from an athletic training career and (2) partial continuance in athletic training. Two second-order themes emerged from the reasons for departure: (1) decreased recognition of value and (2) work-life imbalance. Finally, we identified 2 third-order themes from the participants' reasons for departure because of a perceived lack of value: (1) low salary and (2) long, inconsistent hours worked.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of our participants intended to stay in the profession when they chose to attend a PPATP. However, during role inductance in either the clinical experience of the PPATP they attended or early in their careers, they began to have thoughts of leaving mainly because of inadequate financial compensation, challenging work schedules, or both.
authors.affiliation: Department of Athletic Training, Lynchburg College, VA.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mazerolle
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goodman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003625:Data Collection; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D013177:Sports / Q000193:education*; D013178:Sports Medicine / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: attrition; career inductance; retention