SLU AT Student Finds a Rewarding Experience at Francis Howell High School

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Francis Howell High School

By: Krystin Haas (MAT Class of 2016)

This semester I have been at Francis Howell High School. I was a little apprehensive going into it at first because I didn’t know what to expect and wasn’t sure that I would like the high school atmosphere. For being my first clinical experience, it has been a great one. Ruth Young ATC is my preceptor and she has been wonderful. We have had an eventful first semester so far. I have learned what it would be like to work in a high school setting and I have to say, I am a fan.  

Ruth Young ATC and Krystin Haas

We have had many injuries that I have got to see in my short time there. I think the injury that stuck out to me most, was the terrible triad and then some. One of the athletes dislocated his patella, tore his ACL, tore his medial meniscus, tore his MCL, and had a medial ankle sprain. This was one of the craziest things that I had seen. Even my preceptor was a little flabbergasted. Just shows that no matter how long you are doing something, you can always see new things. Seeing how this injury was managed was interesting because I wouldn’t have even known which one to start with. I wish that I was going to be there to see the rehab process of it all, but I have to move on to new things. 

I have learned that working in a high school is a very high demand atmosphere and definitely rewarding. Being able to cover every sport gives you a wide array of injuries and lets me use many of things that we are covering in class first hand. This new experience has helped me decide somewhat where I want to go with my athletic training career in the long run. Getting to interact with the athletes and see their appreciation when you help them is always a good feeling. I can’t wait for my next clinical experience. 

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Athletic Training students featuring their clinical site and their preceptors. The number, quality and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU AT Program.