SLU AT Student Appreciates the Importance of Communication at Chaminade College Prep

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Chaminade College Prep

By: Jesse Schmitt (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

At Chaminade College Prep, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from head athletic trainer Scott Kugler, ATC. Scott is a great mentor, who gives me a lot of freedom when it comes to evaluating and rehabilitating student athletes. During my time at Chaminade I have learned that patience and communication are vital. When I first started all I wanted to do was evaluate and diagnose athletes, because becoming a better evaluator was one of my goals for the semester. I quickly learned from observing Scott, and doing a few evaluations of my own, that it’s not about only one thing. In order to become a better evaluator I needed to slow down and make sure that I had gained all the information necessary to move on to the next step of the evaluation process. It was an important building block for me because learning this new skill allowed for me to not only provide an accurate diagnosis, but it also allowed for me to rule out other differential diagnoses. I’m still learning new tricks of the trade, but I feel that personally I get better with every evaluation because I’ve learned to challenge myself.

I have also learned how important it is to be a good communicator. By observing Scott, I have been able to pick up on some key conversations he has with his athletes, coaches, administrators, and other athletic trainers. I’ve learned that it is important to be able to explain what it is we are doing, seeing, or feeling to athletes that have questions because it allows for them to buy-in to what we are doing. I’ve also learned that keeping a dialog with the coaches about players’ health, how a rehab is going, or certain preventative measures athletes should be taking both in season and out of season. I have also picked up on conversations Scott has had with administration or other athletic trainers about different ways to update the Chaminade athletic training room, and why these upgrades might be necessary.

Overall, my time at Chaminade has been quite a learning experience. I try to challenge myself each day by asking Scott different questions and trying to pick his brain about what it takes to be a certified athletic trainer. Chaminade is a great environment for students like myself to gain knowledge and expand upon their skills.

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.