SLU AT Student Benefits from Hands-on Approach Facilitated by Preceptor at Lindbergh HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Lindbergh High School
By: Ryan Frantz (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Last semester, I was in a collegiate setting with a plethora of modalities available. Now, I am in a high school setting with minimal modalities so adjustments were necessary for me to transition in to the new setting. The lack of modalities requires a more hands-on approach which, in my opinion, requires more one-on-one interactions with the athletes, and because of that, getting to know the athletes has been much easier. It has also allowed me an opportunity to work on my skills with evaluation, taping, and rehabilitation. Sometimes, however, these can get quite overwhelming being that there is one athletic trainer and hundreds of athletes who may need our care.

My preceptor, Danielle Zee-Cheng, ATC, has challenged me to understand the dynamics of athletic training. She allows me to evaluate every athlete that comes in, and afterwards, asks a multitude of questions pertaining to what I did/didn’t do and why I did/didn’t do it. She told me she wants me to understand my thoughts and solutions, which I believe is going to benefit me greatly long-term because she requires me to verbally interpret my thoughts and articulate them in a way that makes sense to us and the athlete. All of this is going to be great practice for my evaluation and my communication skills with, not just the athletes, but with health care providers, as well. She has also allowed me to practice my documentation skills of each evaluation I do, which is another skill I lack that she is helping me improve on.

Having hundreds of athletes, one athletic trainer, and a small space/limited tools to work with, things can get overwhelming, but the interactions I have had thus far with Danielle, the athletes, and members of the Lindbergh school district have made it an enjoyable experience. Lindbergh has a rich, winning tradition that I’m glad to be a part of, and I’m hoping the spring sports season is something to look forward to.

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.