Context: Athletic training education programs (ATEPs) promote the development of foundational behaviors of professional practice. Situated in the context of professional values, ATEPs are challenged to identify outcome measures for these behaviors. These values are tacitly reflected as part of the hidden curriculum. Objective: To ascertain the importance of professional values as perceived by program directors and head athletic trainers at professional ATEPs located in the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers' Association (GLATA) district. Design: Cross-sectional survey design. Setting: 77 ATEPs in GLATA and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). Participants: We surveyed a convenience sample of program directors and head athletic trainers from CAATE-accredited ATEPs in GLATA. We partitioned the 146 participants by their professional role: program director (PDs), head athletic trainer (HATs), and program director/head athletic trainer (PD/HATs). Main Outcome Measure(s): We measured differences among PDs, HATs, PD/HATs relative to their unfamiliar values, important values, top three ranked values, and perceived importance with articulating professional values. Results: Altruism and aesthetics were identified as the 2 most frequently unfamiliar values among PDs and HATs, whereas PD/HATs identified 1 value, altruism. Truth/honesty and integrity were the most frequently selected values by PDs and HATs. Truth/honesty and respect were the most frequently selected values by PD/HATs. Truth/honesty was ranked the most important value by HATs and PD/HATs. Truth/honesty and integrity were tied as the number one ranked value by PDs. There was a significant difference in ranking between PD and PD/HAT in regard to the professional values of truth/honesty and integrity. Conclusion: Truth/honesty, integrity, respect, accountability, and caring are important professional values of ATEP PDs, HATs, PD/HATs in GLATA. It is important for the NATA to explicitly articulate professional core values.

No abstract

No abstract

The profession of athletic training has not identified and explicitly articulated shared professional values (PV). Shared PV are the seeds of professionalism, and deeply rooted motivators of professional action which support the social contract through self-regulation. The purpose of this exploratory study was to: (1) discover shared PV in athletic training, (2) examine how important PV are to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) membership, and (3) how important is it for our association to explicitly articulate professional values. This study found that truth/honesty, integrity, and respect are significant athletic training PV. PV are important (96.8%), and it is important for the association to explicitly articulate PV (96.5%). The declaration of shared PV will promote values-based behaviors and internally motivate a duty to uphold the legal, ethical, and regulatory standards of the profession. Dedication to our professional responsibilities will sustain the social contract and encourage public trust.