Perceptions of Support Networks During the Graduate-Assistant Athletic Trainer Experience.

CONTEXT The graduate-assistant position can be a highly influential experience because it is often the first time novice athletic trainers (ATs) are practicing autonomously. OBJECTIVE To gain an understanding of how graduate-assistant ATs (GAATs) perceive professional socialization and mentorship during their assistantships. DESIGN Semistructured phone interviews. SETTING Graduate-assistant ATs in various clinical settings. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Twenty-five GAATs (20 women, 5 men) studying in 1 of 3 academic tracks (postprofessional athletic training = 8, athletic training-based curriculum = 11, non-athletic training-based curriculum = 6). Median age was 24 years. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Phone interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis used principles of the general inductive approach. Credibility was maintained using peer review, field notes, and intercoder reliability. RESULTS Participants identified peer support throughout their experiences, in both academic and clinical settings. The GAATs frequently relied on other GAATs for support due to shared experiences and understanding of workloads. Participants described difficulty receiving supervisor support from full-time staff ATs due to the supervisors' workload and time constraints, limiting their availability for mentoring. Guidance from academic support personnel occurred only in athletic training-centered academic programs. Communication emerged as helpful for incoming GAATs; the previous GAATs provided formal mentorship via job descriptions highlighting role responsibilities and expectations. Differences between assistantship types were noted only in terms of receiving balanced mentorship between the academic and clinical staffs, such that students studying in postprofessional athletic training programs perceived more balanced support. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm the literature regarding the GAAT's pursuit of continued formal mentoring. The GAATs perceived less support from full-time AT staff members due to limited availability. Therefore, GAATs leaned on their peers for support during the graduate experience.