SLU Pre-professional AT Student Reflects on Spring Experiences as She Looks Forward to the Future

New AT Student Blog Post - Claire Ditman (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

As I am wrapping up my third year in the SLU Athletic Training program and looking ahead to what will come next, I am reflecting on the experiences I have had so far within the program.

This year I was able to participate in Directed Observation hours in order to get a better understanding of what my future would look like as an athletic trainer. I also was a great opportunity to get to know older students in the program and get their advice on how to best succeed in the program. While at the sites, I was able to meet many of the preceptors that I could potentially be working under next year. This was awesome to get to know them before hand and get a grasp on what my clinical experiences will be like next year. 

A few of the sites I was able to attend were Fontbonne University with PY1 Chase Long, WashU with PY2 Jenna Ginsberg, the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, and SLU Club Hockey games. Fontbonne and WashU were great experiences to see how a college athletic training room functions as at this point in my education, I am interested in college athletic training. They also were great about explain what they were doing and telling me in which class I would get to learn more about it. The MVC tournament was a fun experience in which I got to see how a large-scale event works in terms of taking care of the athletes, as well as, it was cool to be on the sidelines of a Bradley University game as I grew up watching their games. Finally, SLU hockey was an eye open experience to see the difference that occur when treating athletes in a ice rink. 

This semester has made me excited to enter the professional phase of the program and begin getting hands on experience. It has prepared me a great deal for the fall and I know this summer will prepare me even more. Although I am slightly nervous for Gross Anatomy this summer, I am more excited for the experience and feel it will benefit me greatly. Plus I will get to spend the summer getting to know my classmates that I will be spending a lot of time with the next two years!

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.