Perceived Challenges of Clinical Immersion in Professional Master's Programs: A Report from the Athletic Training Clinical Education Network

Context A clinical immersive experience is a new requirement within the clinical education standards as outlined by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education. Objective Determine athletic training program administrators' perceptions of challenges facing athletic training programs as they implement immersive clinical experiences during clinical education. Design Sequential mixed methods. Setting Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education athletic training programs. Patients or Other Participants Twenty-four administrators (7 male, 17 female) from 24 institutions with undergraduate and professional master's programs (1 undergraduate, 12 professional master's, and 4 offering both undergraduate and master's programs) responded to the survey, which was Phase 1 of the study. Seventeen of those who previously completed the Phase 1 survey volunteered to participate in Phase 2 of one-on-one, semistructured phone interviews (4 clinical education coordinators, 12 program directors, 1 department chair). Data Collection Phase 1: 24 participants completed an online survey. Phase 2: 17 of the 24 respondents participated in a one-on-one, semistructured phone interview. Quantitative data collected in Phase 1 were analyzed by calculating means and frequencies, and in Phase 2, a general inductive approach was used to evaluate qualitative raw data from the interviews. Researcher triangulation and peer review were completed for credibility. Results The 3 subthemes that emerged specific to administrators' perceived challenges regarding immersive clinical experiences for students were (1) isolation, (2) financial burden, and (3) time engaged in learning. The 3 main subthemes that emerged specific to the administrators' perceived challenges regarding immersive clinical experience for programs were (1) lack of a definition of the experience, (2) scheduling, and (3) preceptor involvement. Conclusions Program administrators continue to seek clarity on when and how immersive clinical experiences should be implemented. These challenges, if not addressed, could influence buy-in from the faculty and preceptors, and affect the success of the student.