November 21, 2017

SLU AT Student Feels Fortunate to Refine Clinical Skills with Preceptor at Harris-Stowe State University


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Harris-Stowe State University
By: Killian Hollo (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

I am finally in the PY2 year of the SLU Athletic Training program. As the graduation with the Master of Athletic Training degree approaches in May, I find myself eager to refine and hone in on the skills I will need to be independently competent in following my entry to professional practice. Harris-Stowe State University is the clinical stage which I have and will continue to practice these skills until my graduation. Mentored by preceptor Timothy Herlihy ATC, I practice in an intriguing setting.

This is the first time I have worked with a single Athletic Trainer providing care to all the sports teams of a university. Having juggled that responsibility for the last seven years, Tim has experience and wisdom which not all Athletic Trainers have. I feel lucky to learn from him.

As we provide medical care to seven different sports teams, my clinical education sometimes focuses as much on logistical medical management and time efficiency as much as actual clinical skills. I have often found myself multitasking with multiple patient care responsibilities. In these situations it has been beneficial to display task priority, time efficiency, and effective communication with the patients. Furthermore, we often teach the student athletes “self- help” to promote quality care and injury progression even if they are not with us at that moment. What can the patient be doing to better themselves without one on one time with the Athletic Trainer?  For accessibility and prudent sake, we mostly stay around the Athletic Training room when there is not a game commencing. That way, any one of the sports teams knows where to find us at all times. There we keep busy with assessments, treatments, and rehabilitation. As of last week, all sports of this semester are in season so we have been experiencing some interesting days with all types of people coming to visit us.
Harris Stowe athletics has formed a good partnership with Logan University of Chiropractic Medicine. The doctoral students from Logan are eager to work with athletes so they come once a week. Every Wednesday I have the opportunity to learn from them and better understand a different culture of medicine. 

The Harris Stowe community seems much like a family and I am grateful to be learning there. I am excited to get to know the community better and better as I become more and more fluent in the practice of Athletic Training and strategies at Harris Stowe.  I know it will be a great year.
 
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.

November 16, 2017

SLU AT Students Inducted into Alpha Eta Allied Health Honor Society


The Saint Louis University chapter of Alpha Eta, the National Scholastic Honor Society for Allied Health Professions, held its annual induction ceremony in the Multipurpose Room of the Allied Health Building at Saint Louis University on November 16, 2017.


The Society is named for the Greek letters equivalent to the first letters of Allied Health (AH), which are Alpha Eta.  The purpose of the Society is the promotion and recognition of significant scholarship, leadership, and contributions to the allied health professions.

The following SLU AT students were honored in this year's ceremony:
  • Alexander Hubbs - Liberty, Missouri (MAT Class of 2018)
  • Erin Fabbri - Des Plaines, Illinois (MAT Class of 2019)
  • Ryan Frantz - Troy, Missouri (MAT Class of 2019)
  • Chris Mecherle - Bloomington, Illinois (MAT Class of 2019)
  • Margaret (Maggie) Rowell - Lakewood, Ohio (MAT Class of 2019)

Congratulations to this year's Alpha Eta honorees!

November 10, 2017

SLU AT Students Use Real-World Examples to Teach First-Year Health Professions Students About Athletic Training

Health Sciences Learning Community "Crash Reel" Night
By: Caitlin Gibson. with Alex Hubbs and Pat O'Neill (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

On November 9th, along with Dr. Kitty Newsham, we gave a presentation on Achilles tendinopathy and ruptures. Our audience was the freshman Health Sciences Learning Community. This Learning Community consists of many different majors: nursing, physical therapy, athletic training, etc. Different presentations are given throughout the year to these students to give them a snapshot of the different health science professions. 

This presentation allowed us to give a more rounded idea of what an athletic trainer does. While majority of the time athletic trainers are viewed for emergency response care, we wanted to highlight the importance that our profession has on the rehabilitation aspect in our scope of practice. 

Our presentation consisted of a real-world videos of Achilles ruptures (single impact or due to over-use), epidemiology, anatomy, pathophysiology, pathokinematics, surgical techniques, nonsurgical rehabilitation exercises and post-op rehab exercises. We had the learning community practice preventative exercises and exercise to do after a surgical repair.  We also went over taping for Achilles tendinopathy and a few students got to feel what it is liked to be taped.  

This opportunity allowed us to provide information to students on the different settings an AT can be in and provide information on Achilles tendinopathy in a real-world context. 

November 06, 2017

SLU AT Students Advocate for Athletic Training in the St. Louis Community at HealthyU

SCI-FEST/HealthyU at the St. Louis Science Center
By: Hannah Daily (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

This past weekend, on Saturday November 4th, students in the St. Louis University Athletic Training Society (SLATS) volunteered their time to show the St. Louis community what AT is all about during the annual Healthy U event at the St. Louis Science Center. SLATS plus hundreds of other professionals got the chance to engage with local families to teach them a more about the many health care fields. 
Healthy U is a part of the SCI-FEST series of educational programs and events. At HealthyU, we set up a return to play obstacle course including mini-hurdles, an agility ladder, cones and a balance component to finish it off. For parents, there was a raffle for four free SLU Billkens Men's Basketball tickets.

This experience was a fun and interactive way to show what the field of athletic training is all about. Our students also got to meet other athletic trainers around the area which was a great source of networking! Even though the kids didn’t quite follow the rules of our obstacle course, it was a great time teaching them about the Athletic Training profession.

Overall, this experience at Healthy U was a positive one and I am excited to see SLATS participate again next year.