Leveraging Professional Values and Goals to Propel Career Advancement in Athletic Training

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Abstract:
The athletic training (AT) profession is dominated by early career and career-advancing professionals, with nearly 52% of Certified Athletic Trainers possessing 0 to 9 years of certification. The exact number of athletic trainers (ATs) leaving the profession is unknown. However, any attrition of ATs in the career-advancing demographic is concerning as it minimizes the number of mature, seasoned professionals available to model professional longevity. With over half of ATs with 12 years or less of certification indicating their optimism for staying in the AT profession has decreased since March 2020, it is now more important than ever to identify factors contributing to consideration of attrition and develop strategies to improve professional commitment, persistence, and retention. Research and resources on goal setting and goal attainment in AT are scarce, suggesting that ATs may not be fully equipped with the necessary professional identity development and self-advocacy skills to articulate their goals and value to employers. In turn, this inability to articulate their professional goals and value to the organization may lead to a lack of job satisfaction and career advancement.  The purpose of this session is to equip ATs with the skills to set actionable career advancement goals and articulate those goals to current or future employers. By defining and understanding one's own professional goals and assets, ATs of all experience levels can develop a stronger sense of identity within the AT profession. This professional identity can boost the AT's self-confidence and empower them to take on advanced roles within their organizations. Also, when ATs understand and align their professional values with their work, they are better equipped to contribute to the goals of their organizations which could lead to enhanced job performance, satisfaction, and retention, ultimately benefiting the employee, the employer, and the individuals they serve.

Learning Objectives:

  • Define one's personal and professional values and explain the importance of those values in career advancement.
  • Develop specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) professional goals that align with personal and professional values for career advancement. 
  • Analyze SMART goals to create a strategic plan outlining actionable steps for professional growth and career advancement. 
  • Demonstrate effective communication of professional goals to interested parties and collaborate with those individuals to explore new or existing opportunities to achieve identified goals.

Level:
Advanced

Domain(s):
Domain 5: Health Care Administration and Professional Responsibility

CEUs:
1.0 Category A

Keywords: Goal setting, career advancement, professional values, job satisfaction

Enhanced Access On-Demand Course Expiration:
This course will expire on December 31 at 11:59 p.m. CST and will be removed from your account if not completed.
For full details, refer to the expiration policy on our FAQ page.

Nikki Harris, EdS, DAT, LAT, ATC, CSCS

Nicolette “Nikki” Harris serves as an Associate Professor and the Director of Student Recruitment for the Department of Athletic Training at A.T. Still University (ATSU). An alumnus of the ATSU Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT) program, Dr. Harris brings a wealth of clinical experience to her department. Prior to arriving to ATSU in 2021, she spent 6 years as the Coordinator for Athletic Training Services for Florida International University (FIU) where she worked to mature the healthcare services provided to both FIU students and campus recreation participants. In addition, she served 3 years as the Head Athletic Trainer at Miami Booker T. Washington Senior High School providing care to secondary school athletes during their pursuit of 4 State Championship Titles. In addition to her clinical practice, she has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Clinical Preceptor to athletic training students. 

Nikki actively engages in professional service at all levels, currently sitting as the National Athletic Trainers' Association Career Advancement Committee (CAC) Chair, Co-Chair for the Educators Subgroup of the NATA Athletic Training Compensation Taskforce, the Board of Certification (BOC) Liaison to the Athletic Training Research Agenda Committee (ATRAC), the Chair for the ATSU Arizona School for Health Sciences Diversity Enrichment in Education Committee (DEEC) as well as a member of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) Education Committee. Dr. Harris values the effects of research on practice and education and has demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of the athletic training profession through her scholarly work.

Kassandra Mosley, MS, LAT, ATC

Kassandra "Kassy" Mosley is currently an Assistant Athletic Trainer at East Carolina University, working with women’s tennis and women’s swimming and diving teams. Kassy’s over ten years of clinical experience includes a variety of sports at various levels of collegian athletics. Kassy is currently EdD student in Kinesiology at University of North Carolina at Greensboro and holds an MS in Movement Sciences from Barry University and a BS in Athletic Training from East Carolina University. 

Kassy currently serves as the District 3 representative for the NATA Career Advancement Committee, the chair for the Mid Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association Young Professional Committee and the Mid Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association social media manager. Outside of her professional volunteer efforts, she also volunteers as a chapter advisor for the Gamma Sigma chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority where she serves as a mentor to collegian chapter members.

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