An Assessment of Burnout in Undergraduate Athletic Training Education Program Directors (Original Research) (Report‪)‬

Burnout is defined as a negative response to stress and is a syndrome displaying 3 major characteristics: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of personal accomplishment. (1) This condition affects many professionals within various fields. Athletic training education program directors (ATEPDs) are in unique positions requiring them to manage their time among students, program administration, scholarship, and service, and, for many ATEPDs, components related to patient care. (2) The ATEPDs are responsible for the day-to-day operation, coordination, supervision, and evaluation of all aspects of their athletic training education programs. Additionally, many are serving on committees at the institution, state, district, or national level. They also spend time advising and mentoring students and preparing for and teaching classes. The advent of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in 1994 increased administrative responsibilities for ATEPDs (eg, self-study, increased paperwork). (3) In addition to the program administrative tasks and teaching responsibilities, ATEPDs often are required to engage in scholarly research, especially if they are in a tenure-track or tenured position. (4) These increased academic responsibilities combined with either a clinical workload or scholarly activities can lead to increased stress. When the negative aspects of the position become stressful to the point of overshadowing the positive experiences, the ATEPD may become frustrated and experience burnout. (5)