RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: We examined employer importance ratings of 35 employee characteristics in the collegiate, sports medicine clinic, and high school settings and made comparisons among these settings. DESIGN AND SETTING: All prospective employers were sent a survey. Of the 472 surveys mailed, 282 (60%) were returned, with a sample error rate of 1.9%. SUBJECTS: All prospective employers listed on the NATA position vacancy notices from January 1, 1994 to October 1, 1994. MEASUREMENTS: Employers were asked to rate 35 employee characteristics as "not important" " minimally important," " important." or "very important." Additionally, employers chose 1 of 15 job descriptors that best identified their position vacancy. These 15 descriptors were then categorized into collegiate, sports medicine clinic, and high school settings. Discriminant analysis and analysis of variance procedures were used to determine if the 35 employee characteristics differed across the 3 settings. RESULTS: The discriminant analysis produced 2 significant discriminant functions (P < .05) with 23 of the original 35 characteristics remaining in the analysis. The first function discriminated between the collegiate setting and the other settings, with the collegiate setting scoring the highest. The second function discriminated among all 3 groups, with the sports medicine clinic and high school settings scoring the highest and lowest, respectively. Additionally, the analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that 21 of the characteristics remaining in the discriminant analysis differed across the 3 settings. CONCLUSIONS: Employers from all 3 settings rated educational program reputation, written recommendations, job interview performance, and NATA-BOC certification eligibility as important to very important. For the collegiate setting, 7 characteristics were rated above important and included such characteristics as possession of a master's degree and collegiate experience. For the sports medicine clinic, 8 characteristics were rated above important and included sports medicine clinic experience, high school experience, and sport-specific experience. Finally, for the high school setting, 5 characteristics were rated above important. These included NATA-BOC certification, a bachelor's degree, and high school experience.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hyperpronation and the occurrence of noncontact injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). DESIGN AND SETTING: Subjects were categorized as either ACL injured (ACLI) or ACL uninjured (ACLU). All ACLI subjects received their injuries from a noncontact mechanism. To justify using the ACLI subjects' uninjured legs as representative of their preinjury state, a t test was used to compare the differences between the left and right foot for the ACLU group on both measurements. Based on the results of the t test, a regression analysis was performed to determine whether group membership could be predicted from navicular drop. All measures were performed in a university athletic training room. SUBJECTS: Fourteen ACLI subjects (age = 21.07 +/- 0.83 yr, ht = 174.81+/-8.29 cm, wt = 72.32+/-13.47 kg) and 14 ACLU subjects (age = 21.14+/-2.03 yr, ht = 177.35+/-11.31 cm, wt = 72.99+/-14.81 kg) participated. MEASUREMENTS: Hyperpronation was assessed via the navicular drop test and the calcaneal stance test. RESULTS: No significant difference (p > .05) between feet for the navicular drop test was found. However, there was a significant difference (p < .05) between feet for the calcaneal stance test, and, thus, this measure was not used in the regression analysis. Using the navicular drop score, the regression analysis was unable to predict group membership. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperpronation as measured by the navicular drop test was not a predictor of ACL injury, and, thus, may not be a predisposing factor to noncontact ACL injuries.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE: 1) demographics and professional credentials of recently hired athletic trainers, 2) the association between these characteristics and the high school, clinical, and collegiate setting, and 3) which of these factors best predicted salary. DESIGN AND SETTING: A survey was sent to all prospective employers. Of the 472 surveys sent, 282 (60%) were returned. SUBJECTS: Prospective employers who were listed on the NATA job vacancy notices from January 1, 1994 to October 1, 1994. MEASUREMENTS: Employers selected a job description for their position opening and indicated the characteristics of the people they hired. The job descriptions were placed into three categories. A chi-square analysis was used to determine the degree of association between applicant characteristics and job descriptions. Employee characteristics were coded and a stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to determined which of the characteristics best predicted salary. Analyses of variance were performed to determine differences among the three practice settings and as follow-up analyses to the multiple regression. An analysis of variance was also performed to compare salaries based on job description and teaching responsibilities. RESULTS: No association was found between the employment setting and gender, ethnicity, marital status, educational route, physical therapy, credential, or EMT certification. There was an association between the CPR instructor's credential and employment setting and between highest degree attained and employment setting. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that these factors were most closely associated with employment in the collegiate setting. With regard to salary, it was determined that a doctoral degree, a master's degree, and marital status were the best predictors of salary.
