Factors that may affect job satisfaction and commitment to the career within the profession of Athletic Training.
Abstract
The primary goal of this study is to analyze factors that may affect the longevity and commitment of a career within the profession of athletic training. Aspects of which will be assessed is salary, perceived value, scheduling, hours worked, work demands, available leisure time, parenting, and family responsibilities. There was a lot of research explored prior that focused a lot on work life balance in the athletic training profession and what challenges certified ATs face within their workplace that may cause conflict in establishing and maintaining such. Research is flooded with aspects related to work life balance, which has a great influence on whether or not an athletic trainer would stay committed to the profession. There is also lots of research on athletic trainers experiencing burnout. This ranges between all settings such as secondary schools, collegiate, clinical, and even amongst graduate students gaining a clinical experience. All of which contribute to the job satisfaction and commitment to the profession when difficulties are faced beyond the control of the athletic trainer solely. I used an online generated survey to collect data. I dissected the data to evaluate any trends that may have correlated across the data between different aspects of the questionnaire composed of questions related to factors effecting job satisfaction and commitment. There were multiple significant findings found within the study. There were significant findings when discussing the motivation levels throughout the career of an athletic trainer comparing beginning the profession to current time. Significance was revealed in the aspects such as perceived value in the workplace, relationship with partnered healthcare professionals, scheduling, and personal leisure.