Leadership and Management Perspectives from Athletic Health Care Executives

Abstract

Context In today's health care environment, the need to engage personnel in quality improvement to demonstrate value to patient care is vital. Health care executives are responsible for leading within their organizations, and athletic trainers (ATs), similar to other health care executives, have typically risen to positions of authority without leadership training. Objective To explore the lived experiences of ATs as health care executives, specific to their path to leadership and their role in leading continuous quality improvement. Design Consensual qualitative research. Setting Web-based phone interviews. Patients or Other Participants A total of 20 participants (age = 41 ± 10 years; experience = 18 ± 10 years) indicated they held a position of authority, had personnel management responsibilities, and had influence over organizational change within their health care systems; however, after completing the interviews, we determined that only 17 participants met the inclusion criteria. Data Collection and Analysis The primary investigator completed interviews. We analyzed the data with a 3-person data-analysis team and an internal auditor. Trustworthiness was established through member-checking and multiple-researcher triangulation. Results Participants described various forms of preparation including mentors and both self-directed and required resources that assisted in preparing for their management and leadership roles. Participants described how they influenced personnel, including identifying individualized motivators, establishing goals, and building relationships. Participants explained the culture they hoped to establish, characterized by a growth mindset, transparency, and both self-reflective and systems-level improvement practices. Many of the participants depicted characteristics of strong leaders through an individual growth mindset, embodiment of the behaviors they wanted to see in their personnel, and transformational leadership strategies. Conclusions Athletic health care executive have the responsibility to lead and transform their organizations. However, few in these positions have had formal training to prepare them for the role. ATs seeking health care executive positions should seek formal training to acquire the skills necessary to create organizational change and serve as transformational leaders.