Abstract

Concern has been expressed in recent years about the high rate of attrition of sportsmedicine personnel. The purpose of this study was to determine why certified athletic trainers were no longer employed in the profession. The sample consisted of 82 certified athletic trainers from the Western United States. Results from this study indicated that the change to work with people, the type of work, and feeling a sense of achievement in the job led to job satisfaction and were the main reasons cited for initially becoming an athletic trainer. Extrinsic factors such as time commitments, salary, limited opportunities for career advancement, poor work conditions, and conflicts with other people working with the athletes were related to job dissatisfaction and were major reasons cited for no longer working as an athletic trainer. Further research is needed to determine causes of attrition, e.g., whether it is due to burnout. The results point to immediate practical implications, such as how athletic trainers can cope with negative factors and make the most of positive factors of the job, and what administrators can do to alleviate factors in the work place that lead to job dissatisfaction and attrition. Verf.-Referat