1. Athletic Training Students Perceptions of Preceptors and Clinical Rotations Courtney McCormick, ATC

2. Key Terms Preceptor: certified athletic trainer and clinical instructor Clinical Rotation: learning environment to which a student is assigned for a semester Athletic Training Student (ATS): any student enrolled in an athletic training program 3. Problem Motivation of Athletic Training Students Retention/Attrition Lack of quality clinical experiences Preceptor role confusion 4. Purpose Examine if preceptors at University X are meeting the needs of athletic training students 5. Lets Find Out Are there differences between male and female perceptions of preceptors? Hypothesis: preceptor attitudes and actions positively predict teaching ability and attitudes. Is there an association between o professional attitudes and actions and teaching? o professional attitudes and actions and communication skills? o professional attitudes and actions and clinical site experience? o communication skills and teaching ability and attitudes? o communication skills and clinical site experience? o teaching ability and attitudes and clinical site experience? 6. Methods 51 Athletic Training Students previously or currently enrolled in the Athletic Training Program at the University X Program Level 1, 2, and 3 University X Athletic Training Education Program Evaluation of Preceptors/Clinical Site Midterm and Final Evaluations from the 2012 calendar year (Winter 2012, Fall 2012) 7. Results: Perceptions of Males vs. Females 8. Ability 9. Results: The associations 10. So now what? More research is needed in the area of preceptor communication skills, teaching abilities, and leadership styles Need to have students define what is a meaningful/worthwhile/successful clinical experience? Compare preceptors to classroom educators 11. References Curtis, N., Helion, J., Domsohn, M. (1998). Student Athletic Trainer Perceptions of Clinical Supervisor Behaviors: A Critical Incident Study. Journal of Athletic Training, 33(3), 249-253. Meyer, L. (2002). Athletic Training Clinical Instructors as Situational Leaders. Journal of Athletic Trainng, 37(4 Supplement), 261-265. Pitney, W., Ehlers, G. (2004). A Grounded Theory Study of the Mentoring Process Involved With Undergraduate Athletic Training Students. Journal of Athletic Training, 39(4), 344-351.