The purpose of this study was to add to the body of literature about perceptions of care quality in athletic training through the lens of race and gender, given that both are prominent issues in general health care. We hoped to see how gender and race match/non-match relationships between collegiate athletes and Athletic Trainers affect their perceptions related to quality of care. Methods: We sent out a survey designed to assess athletes' perception of care quality with athletic trainers and demographic information to varsity coaches at NCAA DIII schools. With the 210 survey responses we received, we performed an independent t-test comparing the averages of questions relating to care quality with whether the respondent was a race or gender match/non-match with their athletic trainer. Results: We found that there was no statistically significant difference in reported quality of care between athletes who reported race (t=209; p=0.929) or gender (t=56.35;p=0.333) match/non-match. Discussion: Based on our results, we concluded that gender and race match/non-match has little to no effect on perceptions of care quality. Race and gender appears to have little effect on perceptions of care quality from Athletic Trainers, however our study was limited due to its lack of diversity. Our respondents reported 163 White-White race matches. It would be beneficial to apply this same study design to a more diverse population.
