Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions

• Published in: Journal of athletic training 2015-12, Vol.50 (12), p.1277-1285
• Main Authors: Ms, Suzie Aparicio, Welch Bacon, Cailee E, Parsons, John T, Bay, R Curtis, Cohen, Randy P, DeZeeuw, Terry, McLeod, Tamara C Valovich
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Athletes; Athletic Coaches; Burnout; Career Change; College Athletics; Computation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographics; Doctoral Dissertations; Employment; Employment Patterns; Female; Football; Full Time Equivalency; Health care; Health Services; Humans; Institutional Characteristics; Intercollegiate Cooperation; Male; Medical Services; Middle Aged; Original Research; Outcome Measures; Patient Care Team; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; Physical Education and Training; Physicians; Rehabilitation Programs; Researchers; Resistance (Psychology); Sports medicine; Sports Medicine - manpower; Sports training; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Team Sports; Training; Universities - manpower; Workforce planning; Workload
• ISSN: 1062-6050; 1938-162X
• DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-50.12.04

The "Appropriate Medical Coverage for Intercollegiate Athletics" (AMCIA) document was created to support assessment and calculation of athletic training personnel requirements. However, little is known regarding disparities between current and recommended staffing practices. To identify the staffing and employment characteristics of athletic health care services at Football Bowl Subdivision-level institutions. Cross-sectional study. Web-based survey. Head athletic trainers and athletic training staff members who were knowledgeable about budget and staff. The survey, Assessment of Staffing Levels at National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision-Level Institutions, was used to evaluate personal, university, and staff demographics; staffing and employment topics; and AMCIA variables and use. The survey was accessed and partially completed by 104 individuals (response rate = 84.6%). A total of 79 athletic trainers (response rate = 76%) completed the entire survey. One-third of the respondents (34.2%, n = 26) met the recommended number of full-time equivalents (FTEs) for football, two-thirds of the respondents (65.7%, n = 50) failed to meet the recommendation, and 26.2% (n = 27) were missing data needed for FTE calculation. Among those who did not meet the recommended FTEs (n = 50), 38.0% (n = 19) were within 1 FTE of being compliant, 26.0% (n = 13) were within 2 FTEs, and 24.0% (n = 12) were within 3 FTEs. About one-third of respondents (35.9%, n = 37) reported not using the AMCIA, citing lack of funding (29.7%, n = 11), lack of administrative support (21.6%, n = 8), and other reasons (37.8%, n = 14). The majority of institutions that used the AMCIA were able to provide justification for staffing. For most of the institutions that failed to meet their recommendation, adding 1-3 FTE athletic trainers for football would change their compliance status. A uniform definition of the term FTE within collegiate athletics is needed to allow for structured assessment and allocation of staffing and workloads.