Newly credentialed athletic trainers' onboarding process during the transition to practice

Context: As new athletic trainers (ATs) transition into their roles, some employers provide orientation and onboarding to assist with the transition to practice. There is a lack of research outlining the ideal onboarding process for new ATs transitioning to practice.

Objective: Examine the onboarding process for new ATs.

Design: Grounded theory.

Setting: College/university, secondary school, hospital/clinic.

Patients or other participants: Seventeen newly credentialed, employed ATs who recently graduated from professional masters' programs (11 female, 6 male; 25.6±2.2 years) and twelve employers (6 female, 6 male, years in role supervising new ATs: 8.5±4.9) participated in this study.

Data collection and analysis: Participants were recruited via purposive sampling. Each participant was interviewed via phone using a semi-structured interview guide. Employees were interviewed approximately 3, 6, 9, and 13-15 months after beginning employment. Employers were interviewed one time. Data saturation guided the number of participants. Data were analyzed through grounded theory, with data coded for common themes and subthemes. Trustworthiness was established via peer review, member checks, and multi-analyst triangulation.

Results: Two themes emerged: initial orientation and continued onboarding. Participants reported receiving organizational, departmental, and site-specific orientations for initial orientation. For continued onboarding, participants reported mentoring, site visits, feedback and evaluation, regular meetings, and continuing education and professional development.

Conclusions: Onboarding is vital in transitioning to practice for newly credentialed ATs, as it provides support and helps new employees understand and adapt to their roles. Onboarding should go beyond initial orientation and include regular meetings with supervisors, other ATs, and site visits to provide feedback and ensure new ATs adapt to their roles. New ATs should seek support from supervisors and local ATs to help better understand their role.