title: Athletic trainers' facilitators of professional commitment in the collegiate setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Professional responsibility, rewards and respect, and time for rejuvenation are factors supporting professional commitment for athletic trainers (ATs) in the high school setting. The inherent complexities of an occupational setting can mitigate perceptions of professional commitment. Thus far, evidence is lacking regarding professional commitment for ATs in other occupational settings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To extend the literature on professional commitment of the AT to the collegiate setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Collegiate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three Board of Certification-certified ATs employed in the collegiate setting (National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I = 11, Division II = 9, Division III = 13) with an average of 10 ± 8 years of clinical experience volunteered. Data saturation guided the total number of participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Online journaling via QuestionPro was used to collect data from all participants. Two strategies, multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review, were completed to satisfy data credibility. Data were evaluated using a general inductive approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Likert-scale data revealed no differences regarding levels of professional commitment across divisions. Two themes emerged from the inductive-content analysis: (1) professional responsibility and (2) coworker support. The emergent theme of professional responsibility contained 4 subthemes: (1) dedication to advancing the athletic training profession, (2) ardor for job responsibilities, (3) dedication to the student-athlete, and (4) commitment to education. Our participants were able to better maintain their own professional commitment when they felt their coworkers were also committed to the profession.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The collegiate ATs investigated in this study, regardless of division, demonstrated professional commitment propelled by their aspiration to advance the profession, as well as their dedication to student-athletes and athletic training students. Maintaining commitment was influenced by a strong sense of coworker support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Athletic Training Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs;
authors.forename: Christianne M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Eason
authors.forename: Stephanie M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mazerolle
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Pitney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002568:Certification; D003625:Data Collection; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000592:standards; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D024382:Professional Role; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012574:Schools; D012941:Social Responsibility; D013177:Sports / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D014937:Work / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards
keywords: learning; professional responsibility; support