Leadership is Positively Related to Athletic Training Students' Clinical Behaviors

Abstract

Context: Leadership development by health professionals positively affects patient outcomes. Objective: To 1) determine if there is any relationship between demonstrated leadership behaviorsandclinical behaviors among entry-level AT students (ATS); 2) to explore if the level of leadership behavior changes between ATS level; and 3) to determine if preceptors and students rate leadership and clinical behaviors differently. Design: Non-parametric quantitative, non-experimental exploratory. Setting: Assessments of ATS in an entry level undergraduate AT education program. Participants: Preceptors and Athletic Training Students. Main Outcome Measures: Archived AT Student Leadership and Clinical Skills Evaluations (ATSLCSE) were analyzed from 2008 to 2010. After the ATSLCSE was assessed for internal consistency and validity, Spearman rho correlations were use to measure the relationship between leadership and clinical behaviors, Mann-Whitney U tests to measure differences between gender and preceptor and ATS ratings, and Kruskal-Wallistests to assess the differences between ATS levels. Results: ATSLCSE had satisfactory internal consistency (α = .91), with criterion-related predictive validity established with correlations ranging from r=.61 to .83(p