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Abstract

Introduction: Student investment and retention are not new concerns among athletic training program directors. Graduate programs are expected to meet minimum enrollment standards to demonstrate the need for the program. Programs that are unable to maintain student enrollment will be eliminated by institutions experiencing financial stress. Retention strategies and benefits have previously been investigated among undergraduate students and across disciplines. One common theme in the research is that student retention increases when students feel a sense of belonging from the faculty, staff, and peers in their program. There is less research on the retention of graduate students, but the themes tend to be similar to undergraduate students: students want a sense of belonging and support from faculty. As long-term program success becomes reliant upon enrollment and retention, program directors seek to create strategies to increase student investment in their program. The use of alums as active participants in the program has the potential to improve student pride in the program. Students may seek advice from alums on successfully navigating the academic process from someone who has had the same experience. Professional relationships may be built that can expand as students seek immersive experiences or full-time jobs. As students graduate, they can be helpful in referring new students to the program. Methods: An athletic training program has developed several strategies to increase student investment in the program: use of alums to facilitate telehealth evaluations, use of alums to facilitate administrative and psychosocial case studies, creating an advisory board for program growth that includes alums as stakeholders, and student recruitment. Alumni have been used as patients for telehealth experiences for both orthopedic and general medical conditions. Alums also facilitate discussions that students have with parents, coaches, or other administrators for issues such as return to play, budget, pregnancy, or psychosocial situations such as mental health or disordered eating management. Additionally, the institution created an advisory board that uses alums as a sounding board for any changes that may occur within the program. Expected Outcomes: In this program, alums become active stakeholders and interact directly with current students. Professional relationships develop that benefit alums as mentors and students as they graduate and seek professional opportunities. Students engage with alums in application-based scenarios that improve self-efficacy and efficiency in evaluations and problem-solving strategies. Translation to Practice: A graduate-level curriculum is a relatively new practice that alums of an undergraduate program may not fully understand. Alums in this program have achieved a better understanding of graduate-level curriculum and standards by participating in telehealth, guest lectures, or preceptor opportunities. A reciprocal relationship emerges in which students gain an understanding of the history of the program and engage in one-on-one mentorship with alums that provide career opportunities such as immersive sites, internships, or full-time jobs.

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