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Adolescent pregnancy rates are higher in the United States than in other developed countries. Clear policies and procedures are necessary for managing pregnancy in the secondary school setting. This study aimed to determine if athletic trainers had a policy for, and their confidence in, managing pregnant athletes in the secondary school setting. Sixteen percent of the participants have previously managed adolescent pregnancy, yet only 4% had a policy. Athletic trainers with pregnancy policies and procedures or previous experience managing pregnancy reported greater confidence in managing pregnancy in adolescent athletes. Participants were only "slightly confident" in managing pregnant adolescent athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The professional sport setting requires athletic trainers to work long hours, spend days on the road, and adhere to schedules made by others. These job expectations can lead to a reduction in work-life balance, and recent evidence suggests that role strain and reduced professional commitment are present. At this time, work-life balance of the professional sport athletic trainer has not been examined. Twenty-seven male athletic trainers who represented four major professional sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) participated in the study. We collected data online by asking our participants to respond to a series of demographic, Likert-scaled, and open-ended questions.Means and standard deviations were calculated for Likert scale data and scores were compiled for each question. All qualitative data from the online interviews were coded following a general inductive approach. Data source triangulation was the primary credibility strategy, followed by peer review and multiple analyst triangulation. Mean scores were 40.5 ± 6.6 for work-family/personal life conflict. Two major themes emerged fromour data: barriers and facilitators. Barriers speak to those aspects of the role of the athletic trainer in the professional setting that limit work-life balance. Facilitators speak to those strategies and practices that stimulated work-life balance for our participants. The professional sports setting can be demanding and stimulate conflict, but, with support garnered from the organization and supportive spouses, balance can be gained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]