SLU AT Students Get a Great Clinical Experience in a Busy Place at John Burroughs

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - John Burroughs High School

By: Angelina Vitale (SLU MAT Class of 2016) and Brianna LaBarbera (SLU MAT Class of 2017)

This semester, we have the fortunate opportunity to be placed at John Burroughs High School with Dean Tiffany ATC as our preceptor.  Home to the JBS Bombers, this site has a wide variety of fall sports including football, soccer, field hockey, swimming/diving, volleyball, cross country, golf, cheerleading and tennis.  

John Burroughs is very unique in that the school mandates that all students participate in multiple sports all four years.  This encourages student involvement in extracurricular activities, increases the overall health of the student population, allows for students to experience different sports, and helps students develop proper time management skills.  After being in different clinical settings, it is clear that these students are positively influenced by this design.  Students are generally more enthused and have more positive relationships with their teammates and coaches/teachers through this added structure.  

While we cover all of the sports at John Burroughs, we spend a large amount of time with football, traveling with both Varsity and JV teams to games.  This experience has given us an opportunity to see many different injuries and how to properly treat them.  

We have also been able to take part in rehabilitation practices for all of the teams at a higher level. Having worked in many rehab settings before, Dean is extremely knowledgeable in many areas of rehab, which has been helpful exposure for us.   Under his supervision, we are able to take a very hands-on approach in treating these athletes on and off the field.  This has given us a chance to put what we learn into practice. 

As the fall sports are winding down, we are looking forward to the continuation of Varsity football as they enter playoffs and are excited for the start of winter season. 

Go Bombers!!

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.