Ohio University and OhioHealth launch nation’s first accredited athletic training residency in pediatrics

Why mentorship opportunities help early-career athletic trainers succeed  

Isolation is a common concern for new athletic trainers, particularly in secondary education settings. OHIO’s residents complete a minimum of 500 hours of mentored clinical practice, guided by experienced athletic trainers working directly with pediatric and adolescent patients. This supports the transition from recent graduate to practicing clinician, helping residents develop both technical skills and professional confidence.  

“Education leads to learned ignorance, meaning that the more the student learns, the more they understand what they do not know. This often leads to the person second-guessing their decision or unclear of the best approach to resolving the athlete’s problem,” said Starkey.   

“In the classroom, Dr. Harris and her colleagues help reinforce their baseline knowledge while the OhioHealth affiliate faculty help the residents apply that knowledge. The secondary-school setting is also unique as the patients are often under the age of 18, adding another layer – the parent(s) – to the equation. The expertise and experience of the affiliate faculty helps the resident navigate through this.”  

The residency faculty includes three core teaching faculty members whose work has earned more than 10 state, district, and national awards for teaching, mentorship, and professional service. They are joined by more than 15 residency-affiliate faculty members who work clinically with residents and bring over 100 years of combined athletic training experience.  

Residents are also required to design and present a project at the Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium, contributing to the profession’s ongoing development and sharing innovations in pediatric care.   

Addressing career burnout through Ohio University’s athletic training residency in pediatrics  

Lack of mentorship and support is a major contributor to burnout, particularly in high school settings. Harris describes the feelings of new athletic trainers:  

“Burnout’s going to come on pretty quickly when you start to go home every day and feel like ‘I don’t know if I’m making a difference’ or ‘I don’t know if I’m good at this. I seem to be struggling.’”  

Residency programs provide structured mentorship and advanced coursework, offering a direct path to professional confidence and skill. Alumni “feel like they’re two or three years ahead of their peers that are the same age because of that advanced coursework that they’re taking, as well as the mentorship along the way,” Harris said.  

This post-professional training is essential for longevity and success, particularly in demanding and isolated high school settings.