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.