Team physician preferences at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I universities

Abstract

Virtually all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities have physicians who evaluate and treat athletic injuries and other medical conditions. The relationship of these physicians to these institutions ranges from a very loose arrangement to full-time employment. The specialties of the physicians working with the athletes of NCAA Division I universities vary as well. This study attempts to determine the specialty of current team physicians at NCAA Division I universities and their qualifications as well as the preferences of athletic directors when they are seeking to employ a team physician for their university. By comparing IA and non-IA Division I institutions, an attempt is made to determine the possible reasons for differences. This information will then be useful both for physicians-in-training who aspire to be team physicians at the university level and for administrators at these institutions who will be recruiting physicians with the most desirable credentials in the future.