Recently Certified Athletic Trainers' Undergraduate Educational Preparation in Psychosocial Intervention and Referral

Abstract Context: “Psychosocial Intervention and Referral” is one of the 12 content areas established by the National Athletic Trainers' Association Education Council and is required to be taught in athletic training education programs (ATEPs). The perceived preparation of athletic trainers (ATs) in this content area has not been evaluated. Objective: To explore the preparation level of recently certified ATs within the content area of “Psychosocial Intervention and Referral.” Design: Qualitative design involving semistructured, in-depth, focus group interviews. Setting: Interviews were conducted at 2 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions in 2 regions of the United States. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 11 recently certified ATs who met predetermined criteria were recruited. The ATs represented a range of undergraduate ATEPs and current employment settings. Data Collection and Analysis: Focus group interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed deductively. Peer debriefing and member checks were used to ensure trustworthiness. Results: The ATEPs are doing an adequate job of preparing ATs for many common communication and interpersonal issues, but ATs report being underprepared to deal with athlete-related issues in the areas of motivation and adherence, counseling and social support, mental skills training, and psychosocial referral. Conclusions: Limitations of undergraduate ATEPs regarding preparation of athletic training students within the “Psychosocial Intervention and Referral” content area were identified, with the goal of improving athletic training education. The more we know about the issues that entry-level ATs face, the more effectively we can structure athletic training education.