Context: National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA) employment setting statistics indicate growing numbers of athletic trainers (ATs) are seeking employment in practice settings of performing arts, military, and physician extender (emergent setting); and while ATs employed in the industrial setting have been studied, little data is available regarding socialization processes experienced by ATs entering aforementioned settings. Objective: Understanding the experiences of ATs regarding socialization experiences upon entering emergent practice setting. Design: Inductive qualitative research study using a grounded theory approach. Setting: Emergent practice settings. Participants: Six male and eleven female athletic trainers in emergent practice settings averaging 38 plus or minus 11 years of age. Average years of AT experience was 15 plus or minus 10 across all settings. Data Collection and Analysis: Telephone interviews following semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis processes rooted in grounded theory were used to analyze data. Trustworthiness was established using researcher triangulation, member checks and peer debriefing. Results: Analyses revealed three major themes: 1) anticipatory socialization, 2) organizational socialization and 3) challenges to socialization. Anticipatory socialization revealed how educational experiences generated a foundation to gage organizational socialization experiences. Organizational socialization included naturally occurring informal experiences. Formal experiences were related to human resources interactions. Challenges to socialization, lack of understanding of AT role and ATs contributions to standing organizational structure, both impacted induction into employment role. Conclusions: Athletic trainers in emergent practice settings experience benefits of anticipatory socialization when preparing to enter a non-traditional setting. Challenges to socialization are present but, naturally occurring informal processes provided ATs the organizational socialization required to understand their employment role in their chosen setting.
