December 24, 2014

Registration Opens for 2015 WFATT World Congress


Attend Both the WFATT and NATA Meetings at a Special Rate! 


Registration for the 2015 World Congress of the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy (WFATT) opens January 1, 2015. The Doisy College of Health Sciences Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training at Saint Louis University is proud to serve as host for the WFATT World Congress, which will be held on the Saint Louis University campus from June 20 - 22, 2015.


SLU Allied Health Building
Allowing for flexibility, there will be four different levels of registration available:

Full Registration: allows for participation in all conference activities, including Opening Ceremonies, Gala Dinner, Scientific Programs (Plenary, Concurrent/Breakout Sessions, Workshops, and Poster Sessions).
Full registrants, both National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) members and non-members, that are also attending the 2015 NATA Clinical Symposia and AT Expo can do so at a reduced rate.

More information on the NATA meeting is available at:
http://convention.nata.org/

Partial/Limited Registration: allows for participation in only the Scientific Abstract Poster/Concurrent/Breakout Presentations and Workshops of the Conference--not the Plenary Sessions, Opening Ceremonies or Gala Dinner


Student Registration: allows for participation in only the Opening Ceremonies and Scientific Programs (Plenary, Concurrent/Breakout Sessions, Workshops, and Poster Sessions)--not the Gala Dinner. Students must be enrolled full-time in a health professions program.


Distance/Remote Registration: available to view plenary sessions only through FUZE meeting. The sessions will be available live and will also be archived.


SLU Edwin Everest Education Union
2015 WFATT World Congress registration page:
http://www.slu.edu/physical-therapy-and-athletic-training/athletic-training/wfatt/registration

2015 WFATT World Congress home page:
http://www.slu.edu/wfatt2015

E-mail for more information:
wfatt2015@slu.edu

December 18, 2014

Happy Holidays from the SLU AT Program!

December 07, 2014

SLU AT Student Connects the Classroom and the Clinical Setting at Mehlville High School


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Mehlville High School
By: Brady Moore (MAT Class of 2016)

For the last two months my preceptor has been Dan Rackovan, ATC at Mehlville High School in my first clinical experience of the professional phase of SLU’s MAT program. I have greatly enjoyed my time at Mehlville High School and I have learned a lot about the daily tasks and duties I will be responsible for in the future. Dan has helped with my ability to gather history, assess injuries, and determine diagnoses of injuries. He has also helped me practice taking SOAP notes and become more comfortable with communicating with athletes to give them the best care possible. I have been exposed to many athletes and sports at Mehlville High School, which have helped me refine the skills I have learned during class this semester. I was surprised how well the curriculum integrated into the situations that I have been involved in at Mehlville. It seems that every week at least one topic that was discussed in class comes up when assessing an injured athlete.

Brady Moore and Dan Rackovan ATC
I have been involved in situations this semester from a basic grade I inversion ankle sprain to an unconscious athlete with a concussion who had to be immobilized on a spine board. The experience I have gained from these situations has given me the ability to reflect on the actions I took and determine what I do well and what I need to work on. Since I am just skimming the surface of knowledge that I will eventually be exposed to, I have to rely heavily on the knowledge and experience of others such as my preceptor and professors. With every injury that I assess and help to treat, I gain important knowledge that will help me with my future practice as a professional. Each athlete I treat gives me another opportunity to practice my skills and become a well-rounded athletic trainer.

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.

December 05, 2014

Late Season Playoff Run Caps Off a Special Clinical Rotation for SLU AT Students at John Burroughs



SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - John Burroughs School
By: Dustin Jamboretz (MAT Class of 2016)

This fall I have had the incredible opportunity to work at John Burroughs School. John Burroughs School consists of grades 7th-12th and is only made up of 600 students. Since this was my first clinical rotation, initially my skills were limited to very basic tasks. But as the weeks progressed, my preceptor Dean Tiffany ATC quickly started giving me opportunities to prove that I could handle more advanced responsibilities. Each day Dean and/or Shannon (PY2) would teach me new skills, ensuring that would have a successful semester. These lessons included how to make my taping skills more proficient, how to complete a through injury evaluation, the therapeutic effects of each modality, and how to perform to mobilizations for different joints throughout the body. Amusingly, it seemed that whenever we would cover a topic in class, Dean or Shannon would have already touched on that material.

Dustin Jamboretz, Dean Tiffany ATC and Shannon Kane
It has also been an absolute pleasure working with our patient population. Every student I have encountered at John Burroughs has been extremely well mannered, respectful, and has an admirable work ethic. We are currently providing medical services to all of the fall sports that Burroughs’s has to offer. These sports include: football, men’s soccer, women’s field hockey, women’s volleyball, women’s tennis, cross country and swimming. With the variety of sports and the large difference in age, it is always eye opening to go from providing treatment to a senior football player to explaining the stages of cold (CBAN: coldness, burning, aching, numbness) to a 7th grade student who was injured in his physical education class.  

Throughout this semester, we have been able to care for a variety of different injuries. A large portion of our time in the athletic training room consisted of treating and providing rehabilitation for athletes who suffered ankle sprains, acromioclavicular sprain, subacromial impingement, and glenohumeral instability. There were also a couple of instances when we got the chance to provide emergency care and actually had to initiate our emergency action plan. The enactment our emergency action plan was a result of a patient succumbing to heat stroke and another instance where a patient fractured their femur.

Dustin Jamboretz and Shannon Kane at the Edward Jones Dome
I also had the opportunity of working on the sidelines of the Edward Jones Dome when our football team made it to the class 3 state championship game. It was a very unique experience to see the under workings of a professional football stadium. Unfortunately, they were not able to take home the state championship. But the experience of being on the sideline of an NFL stadium for this high-octane, championship football game was incredible regardless.

As a result of working at John Burroughs School, my knowledge and skills related to athletic training have increased tremendously. I am extremely grateful to my preceptor Dean Tiffany ATC, and (the PY2 student) Shannon Kane, for going out of their way to teach me new lessons daily. I am also beyond thankful that I was able to treat and get to know the phenomenal students that make up John Burroughs School. 

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.

December 04, 2014

Busy Schedule at Kirkwood High School Creates a Great Learning Environment for SLU AT Students



SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Kirkwood High School
By: Michael Aaron (MAT Class of 2015) and Alissa Beeman (MAT Class of 2016)

This fall we are doing our athletic training clinical rotation at Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, MO. The high school setting is a pretty crazy environment to be in as an Athletic Trainer, especially when you’re the only one. But Denise Grider ATC, Head Athletic Trainer at Kirkwood, does a phenomenal job at handling the pressures of taking care of the athletes that are under her care. It is amazing to see the amount of work than one ATC can get done with so many athletes.

Our day starts around 2:45 PM when the students are dismissed from school and the race is on. A mad rush enters the door and everyone wants to be first in line to get taped or evaluated and get to their practices or games on time. Unfortunately, with one ATC and two athletic training students, not everybody gets taken care of at a fast pace. We do our best to manage the rush and provide quality care to all of the athletes that walk through our doors.

Alissa Beeman, Denise Grider ATC and Michael Aaron
It is a challenge being an athletic trainer at the high school level, especially when it’s a school the size of Kirkwood. There are so many athletes and so many events going on at one time, We're not sure how Denise does it all. She is lucky to have a supportive coaches and administrative staff that is willing to haul ice and water around for her, as well as notify her when there are injuries at events that we are not covering at the time. 

Our experience thus far has been a great learning experience and a blessing to have a preceptor like Denise that allows us to get plenty of hands on experience with any of the athletes and injuries. We are excited to continue to grow as athletic training students and learn how we want our approaches to injuries and daily work to be done when we get to do it all on our own.

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.

December 03, 2014

SLU AT Students Get a Wide Variety of Experiences with the Billikens


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University
By: Connor Doherty, Mike Griffith and Tori Lycett (MAT Class of 2015)

Saint Louis University has offered the three of us: Connor Doherty, Mike Griffith, and Tori Lycett, as PY2 students, a multitude of opportunities and diverse experiences. Currently for the fall season Connor is working under Angie Wills ATC with the men's soccer team; Mike is helping with Volleyball under Tammy Pastor ATC; Tori is assisting with women's soccer under Lizzy Kienstra ATC. We also interact with two other AT's at SLU:  Jonathan Burch ATC and SLU AT Program alum Kelley DeGreeff ATC. Each of our placements have offered us first hand experience work in the D1 setting.

Connor: "This year for my clinicals I am at Saint Louis University and have been gaining experience with Angie Wills, ATC.  We have been working with the Men’s Soccer team as well as the Men’s Baseball team.  The Men’s soccer team has enjoyed a great start to their season while the Baseball team has been preparing for the start of their season.  During practices and games I have gained experience with assessment and treatment of various injuries.  So far this semester I have been able to work on rehabilitation with a number of athletes using the great facilities that SLU Sports Medicine possesses as well as communicating and working with SLU Physical Therapists.  I am looking forward to a great rest of this season with Angie and the rest of the SLU Sports Medicine Staff."

Connor Doherty and Kelley DeGreeff ATC
Mike: “My rotation at Saint Louis University has been a great experience for me in my education and development as an Athletic Training student. This past month I have had the priveledge of working and learning under Tammy Pastor ATC as we manage the Women’s Volleyball team. Working in the Division 1 setting has been a great change of pace for me as I have found that the Athletic Training staff plays a much greater role in the overall success of a competitive sports program such as the Billikens. At Chaifetz, I have had the chance to improve upon my rehabilitation knowledge thanks in part to the level of attention that is able to be afforded to each team, allowing a more comprehensive study of an athlete’s injury and how to bring them back to play. I am extremely happy with my setting this year, and look forward to what the rest of the year has to offer.”

Lizzy Kienstra ATC and Tori Lycett outside Chaifetz Arena
Tori: "Transitioning from my internship at Georgetown University to Saint Louis University, I have been privileged to be able to compare my experience at the two collegiate settings. This year I am working under Lizzy Kienstra ATC, a former SLU MAT graduate. Currently we are aiding the Women's Soccer team through their season. I have been able to help treat, evaluate and rehab many of the girls. I have even had the opportunity to become more familiar with the SwimX and utilize it in facilitating rehabs. Even though it is soccer season, Lizzy also manages Swimming and Diving, and Softball so I have been able work with a diverse group of student athletes.

In addition to working with the athletes, I have also been able to observe the interprofessional practice. At each of the games there is always a SLU physician. In addition to the physician there are also doctors such as Orthodontists, Dermatologists, and many other specialists that work directly with the SLU athletic trainers. Rehab is also a way I have observed the interprofessional interactions. There are several PTs that are part of the Sports Medicine staff; Several of the women's soccer players utilize their services that they provide. The PTs keep good communication with the Athletic Training staff throughout the athletes rehabilitation and progressions. Having an interprofessional approach to a Sports Medicine staff helps to ensure primacy of the patient, and SLU is a good example of how it positively impacts the athletes."

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.