A Theoretical Model of Transition to Practice for Athletic Trainers.

CONTEXT: The transition to practice of newly credentialed athletic trainers (ATs) has become an area of focus in the athletic training literature. However, no theoretical model has been developed to describe the phenomenon and drive investigation. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the lived experience of the transition to practice and develop a theoretical model of transition to practice for ATs. DESIGN: Qualitative study. SETTING: Telephone interviews. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen professional master's athletic training students (7 men, 7 women, age = 25.6 ± 3.7 years, from 9 higher education institutions) in the first year of clinical practice as newly credentialed ATs. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Participants completed semistructured phone interviews at 3 timepoints over 12 to 15 months. The first interview was conducted just before graduation, the second 4 to 6 months later, and the third at 10 to 12 months. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: We developed a theoretical model to explain the causal conditions that triggered transition, how the causal conditions were experienced, the coping strategies used to persist through the first year of practice, and the consequences of those strategies. CONCLUSIONS: The model provides a framework for new athletic training clinicians, educators, and employers to better understand the transition process in order to help new clinicians respond by accepting or adapting to their environment or their behaviors.

Electromyographic response of the abdominal musculature to varying abdominal exercises.

This study examined the electromyographic (EMG) response of the upper rectus abdominis (URA), lower rectus abdominis (LRA), internal obliques (IOs), external obliques (EOs), and the rectus femoris (RF) during various abdominal exercises (crunch, supine V-up, prone V-up on ball, prone V-up on slide board, prone V-up on TRX, and prone V-up on Power Wheel). The subjects (n = 21) performed an isometric contraction of the abdominal musculature while performing these exercises. Testing revealed no statistically significant differences between any of the exercises with respect to the EOs, the URA, or the LRA. However, when examining the IO muscle, the supine V-up exercise displayed significantly greater muscle activity than did the slide exercise. In addition, EMG activity of the RF during the crunch was significantly less than in any of the other 5 exercises. These results indicate that when performing isometric abdominal exercises, non-equipment-based exercises stressed the abdominal muscles similarly to equipment-based exercises. Based on the findings of the current study, the benefit of training the abdominal musculature in an isometric fashion using commercial equipment could be called into question.