Work-Family Guilt: The Perspective of Secondary School Athletic Trainers With Children.

CONTEXT: The literature in athletic training has consistently demonstrated evidence of work-family-life conflict and the potential consequences of that conflict among athletic trainers (ATs) employed in the clinical setting. Parental responsibilities have been suggested to increase the conflict among work, family, and life. The emotions that occur because of this conflict have received little attention and warrant further study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate perceptions and antecedents of work-family guilt (WFG) among secondary school ATs with children. DESIGN: Phenomenological qualitative study. SETTING: Secondary schools. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Twenty (13 women, 7 men) ATs with children (range = 1-3) employed in the secondary school setting. All but 3 were married (n = 17) at the time of the study. Their average age was 37 ± 11 years, and they were certified as ATs for 14 ± 11 years. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants completed one-on-one semistructured phone interviews. Multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review were used to establish data credibility. RESULTS: General inductive analysis revealed that men and women participants experienced feelings of WFG despite having supportive work environments. The guilt for both sexes stemmed from work interfering with family and an altruistic mindset. Women indicated they felt pressure from their husbands that contributed to feelings of guilt. CONCLUSIONS: Secondary school ATs experienced WFG. Trying to balance parental and athletic training duties can cause an emotional response, and ATs' giving and caring nature may be a precursor to guilt.

The Role Mentoring Plays in the Transition to Practice of Newly Credentialed Athletic Trainers.

CONTEXT: Mentoring has been identified as an important method to support newly credentialed athletic trainers during their transition to practice. Gaining a better understanding of this relationship could provide valuable insights that may assist employers and professional programs to develop a plan, which could better facilitate the transition. OBJECTIVE: To examine what aspects of the mentoring relationship provided the most benefit during transition to practice. DESIGN: Grounded theory. SETTING: Individual phone interviews. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: 13 athletic trainers who graduated from a professional master's program, were certified between February and July of 2016, and obtained employment between July to August 11 of 2016 participated in this study (6 female, 7 male, 26±3 years; work settings included professional sports, college, secondary and middle school, and clinic). Data saturation guided the number of participants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Phone interviews using a semi-structured interview guide were conducted at 3, 8 and twelve months of work experience. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Credibility was established through investigator triangulation, peer debriefing, and member checks. RESULTS: Participants recognized the mentoring relationship as a foundational aspect of the transition to practice. Mentors should be available by phone, email, and/or text and to answer questions, provide feedback and/or discuss ideas. Participants want honest feedback, even when that feedback is constructively critical. Feedback was sought regarding topics such as patient care, communication, and networking. Participants needed reassurance and support from their mentor which helped to validate and improve confidence. CONCLUSIONS: Newly credentialed athletic trainers should seek a mentor who will be available to communicate in various ways and provide regular and constructive feedback. Future research should investigate how mentoring relationships influence other aspects of the transition such as patient care, overall job performance, turnover, and satisfaction.

Formal and Informal Work-Life Balance Practices of Athletic Trainers in Collegiate and University Settings.

CONTEXT: Organizational policies for work-life balance exist, but little is known about athletic trainers' (ATs') awareness of and willingness to use them. OBJECTIVE: To explore ATs' formal and informal work-life balance policies in the collegiate and university athletic training setting. DESIGN: Sequential mixed-methods study. SETTING: Web-based survey. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: We sent 4673 e-mails to National Athletic Trainers' Association ATs (full-time employment for at least 1 year, nonacademic appointment); 1221 participants began our survey (access rate = 26.1%), and 783 completed the survey (64.1% completion rate). Demographics were as follows: men = 375 (48.0%) and women = 404 (51.7%); age = 36 ± 10 years; experience = 13 ± 9 years; years at current place of employment = 8 ± 8 years; and participants with children or minor dependents = 262 (33.5%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): We created a 17-item instrument from an earlier qualitative study. A panel of experts (n = 3; employer, employee, and researcher) completed a content analysis. Variables of interest were confidence (scale = 1-4) and satisfaction (scale = 1-5) with policies. We used Pearson χ2 analyses to compare the effect of undergoing an orientation and the presence or absence of children on the main outcome measures. RESULTS: A majority of participants had experienced formal orientation through the human resources department (n = 522, 66.8%), the direct supervisor (n = 240, 30.7%), or a colleague (n = 114, 14.6%). However, many had received no orientation (n = 184, 23.6%). Those who had undergone orientation indicated greater confidence in knowing about (P < .001) and greater satisfaction with (P < .001) formal workplace policies and benefits. Those with children stated that they had greater confidence in knowing about (P < .001) and greater satisfaction with (P = .013) formal workplace policies and benefits. Those who had been oriented felt greater confidence in knowing about (P = .009) but no difference in satisfaction with (P = .060) informal workplace policies and benefits. We did not identify differences between those with and those without children regarding their confidence in knowing about (P = .653) or satisfaction with (P = .150) informal workplace policies and benefits. CONCLUSIONS: Athletic trainers in the collegiate and university setting were not confident in their knowledge of formal or informal work-life balance policies.