Influences on Female Athletic Training Graduates During Their Transition to Professional Practice

Context: Career socialization includes the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and shared attitudes of a profession. The career socialization process of graduates from athletic training (AT) bachelor’s programs have been studied; however, these results are not necessarily applicable to graduates of an entry-level master’s (ELM) program. This change may result in different experiences and socialization processes of the students. Objective: Describe the experiences ELM students have as they transition from the professional to organizational socialization phases. To understand how their experiences, socialization agents, and the global pandemic have impacted their first professional employment opportunities. Design: Qualitative Study (In-depth Interviews). Setting: Various AT settings. Participants: Six females (24.83 ± .96 years old); all graduated from the same ELM program and are currently working in various AT settings. Data Collection and Analysis: Participants completed semi-structured interviews over Zoom within the first few months of working in their first job. Follow-up questions were completed via email. All transcribed interviews were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Member checks, multiple analyst triangulation, and peer review were used to ensure trustworthiness. Results: Participants shared that they had various, meaningful clinical experiences that allowed them to affirm their career goals. The influence of their preceptors aided their professional development. As they sought out their first jobs, they became adaptable to the effects of the global pandemic, which caused a stressful environment and increased the desire for mentorship. Now in their current roles, the participants weigh their options and level of job satisfaction in planning their futures