Increasing the Number and Quality of Students in AT Programs: Recruitment Strategies That Work
Includes a Live Web Event on 10/18/2024 at 1:30 PM (CDT)
Abstract:
There are currently 250 CAATE-accredited, graduate-level professional athletic training programs. The average enrollment for these programs is 16 students, with an average of 8.5 newly admitted students each year. These numbers can look scary to AT program directors, administrators and even prospective students as many AT programs are currently fighting to justify the financial viability of their program. Recruitment of quality AT students is vital to the overall success of not just AT programs, but to the entire athletic training profession. There is a huge difference between recruiting undergraduate and graduate students into health care programs. Potential graduate students look very closely at debt-to-income ratio, clinical experiences, salaries, work-life balance and a variety of other factors before deciding on an athletic training program and, in many cases, before deciding on athletic training as a career choice. We are no longer just recruiting students to attend AT programs, but also convincing them that athletic training is a good career option. Program directors need to look at different ways to individually connect with current college students, which is a complete paradigm shift from previous recruitment methods. Despite the current decline in professional AT programs and low enrollment numbers, several AT programs are flourishing with high application numbers, large waitlists, high first-time pass rates for the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer exam, job placements and retention rates. The purpose of this facilitated discussion is to identify specific recruitment strategies currently working and teach others how to implement them into their own AT program.
Learning Objectives:
- Design and implement a comprehensive recruitment plan for athletic training programs.
- Identify specific recruitment strategies for graduate students that align with individual AT programs, departments, colleges and universities using available resources.
- Explain the importance of recruitment efforts for AT education and the specific roles that each team member needs to fulfill.
Track: Program Administration
Format: Facilitated Discussion
This Session is Not Eligible for CEUs.
James Mensch, PhD, ATC
Dr. Jim Mensch is the athletic training program director at the University of South Carolina, where he has served for the past 23 years. Dr. Mensch has published over 75 peer reviewed research papers, authored a textbook on Psychosocial Issues in athletic training, received over 3 million dollars in research grants, including a Department of Defense grant that resulted in athletic trainers being hired across US Army training bases.
Dr. Mensch has spoken internationally and nationally on integrating medical care into non-traditional settings such as the military, youth sports, and international settings. In 2009 he was awarded Young Alumni Achievement Award from Temple University and in 2013 was named the Outstanding Researcher by the College of Education. In the summer of 2017, he was recognized by the National Athletic Trainers Association and received the NATA Service Award. Last year he was awarded the 2023 World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy Education Impact Award for his international work in sports medicine and mentorship of students.