SLU AT Students Benefit from the Team Approach to Health Care at John Burroughs School

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - John Burroughs School

By: Caitlin Gibson (SLU MAT Class of 2018) and Adam Long (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Our clinical site at John Burroughs has provided us with an enriching environment where we have been able to further develop and refine our skills as athletic training students. Under the supervision and direction of Dean Tiffany ATC, the Head Athletic Trainer and Assistant Athletic Director at JBS, new elements of learning take place every day. John Burroughs is a high school setting (grades 7-12), which requires its students to partake in a sport during their curriculum. With this setup, there are numerous opportunities to observe, assess and provide treatment/rehabilitation programs to a range of adolescent athletes playing a variety of sports. 

Starting in the latter part of July, we began with football mini-camp and in the following weeks, added to our list of fall sports including: cross country, field hockey, soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, and golf. While each sport has its specific demands, it is the constant influx of varying athletes which provides its challenges to provide appropriate treatment. Having a team consisting of an athletic trainer, athletic training students, on-site nurse, and physician on-call, provides us the opportunity to learn from these disciplines and give each student well rounded care. 

We have a consistent schedule Monday through Saturday, with responsibilities consisting of prepping waters/Gatorade, injury ice, field setup, treatments, administrative duties, and practice/game medical coverage. This requires team efficiency to ensure that our athletes are being seen and treated adequately and on schedule. We have a good relationship with Dean, our preceptor, while each day can be demanding physically and mentally, we try to keep a fun, lively environment within the athletic training room. 

Overall, from taping techniques, physical evaluation, rehab programming, communication with coaching staff, and learning the nuances of each athlete, JBS provides a challenging environment in which we have been able to elevate our level of competency, in preparation of being certified athletic trainers. 

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.