By: James Farnsworth, PhD, LAT, ATC
Hello everyone! Happy National Athletic Training Month! My name is James Farnsworth, but most of the people I know call me Jim. I am an associate professor in the Professional Athletic Training program at Middle Tennessee State University and have been working in higher education for roughly a decade. When I’m not busy updating my lecture materials for class, grading student assignments, creating clinical scenarios and activities for my students or working on writing research papers, I love spending time with my wife and two-year old son. We enjoy a variety of different hobbies including hiking, playing video games, putting together puzzles, cooking and talking about the latest books we’ve been reading. While I love my hobbies, one of the challenges I face is trying to find time to get it all done – which can be overwhelming at times.
Unfortunately, this problem is not unique to me, or even unique to athletic training and can lead to feelings of burnout and job dissatisfaction. I say this not because I want to vent about how hard it can be – but because I want you to know that if you’re feeling burnt out know that you’re not alone. A recent systematic review (Ogelsby et al., 2020) identified over 40 different studies investigating burnout in athletic training. The authors reported that burnout exists in nearly every subgroup of athletic training ranging from students and clinical staff to faculty. Work-life balance and lack of perceived value (by administration and athletic staff) are two of the most reported factors leading to burnout among athletic trainers. To this end, the National Athletic Trainer’s Association has developed a position statement which provides suggestions and recommendations for facilitating healthy work-life balance in athletic training practice settings.
A copy of the position statement can be found by clicking the Position Statements link under the News & Publications tab on the NATA website (https://www.nata.org/news-publications/pressroom/statements/position). The article is a great resource as it provides multiple tips and strategies for improving work-life balance at both the organizational and individual levels. Some of the recommended strategies for individuals include setting boundaries in the workplace, prioritizing daily responsibilities and tasks that include both personal needs and professional obligations, effective communication between staff and administrators, setting both personal and professional goals, and regular self-reflection on your role and time demands with negotiation of your role and opportunities in the workplace as they arise.
I think it’s important to contemplate and reflect on why we got into athletic training in the first place. When I was younger – athletic training was not something I had ever considered as a profession. I wasn’t even aware of the profession’s existence until meeting the athletic trainer (Jim Bazluki) at my high school. Jim Bazluki helped me deal with my injury and left a lasting impression on me that has influenced my career choice to this day. Dr. John Kelly, IV, Professor of Clinical Orthopedic Surgery at Penn Medicine wrote in his blog about dealing with burnout in allied health professions. His advice was to reflect on “why you are doing this?” because “when we focus and find real meaning in our vocation, our energy will be replenished, and each day will be more fulfilling.”
Want to learn more? Join me and my colleague Katie Perkins at the TATS 2024 Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium, May 31 - Jun 2, 2024, in Murfreesboro, where we will present “Burnout: From Student to Professional. How to Keep the Fire Burning!