SLU AT Students Enjoy Learning and Mentoring from Older Students in the Program

New PY1 AT Student Blog Post - Mark Romero and Michael Patino (MAT Class of 2024)

Mark Romero

This semester I had the opportunity to observe Katie Wissing and Olivia Mani under their preceptor Dean Tiffany ATC at John Burroughs School. I went to JBS and observed them after school one day where I observed them during two lacrosse games, soccer practice, and a baseball game. I was able to observe the relationships that they have developed with the athletes and staff at the school throughout the year. I was impressed with the trust that the athletes had in Katie and Olivia to provide them care and treatment. Before going out to the fields, I was able to observe Katie use electrical stim while Olivia was working on some strengthening exercises with another athlete. I went back for a track meet early in the morning during the weekend . At the meet I was able to see common injuries that track athletes experience like scrapes, muscle cramps, and shin splints. I also saw the different ways Katie and Olivia approached these injuries and how they worked with athletes and sometimes parents regarding the issues. I was overall very impressed with John Burroughs school and the work Dean, Katie, and Olivia have done.

Michael Patino

As we prepare to enter the professional phase of the Athletic Training program, we have covered various types of modalities and scenarios in class an Athletic Trainer might encounter on the field.  Each day we would go to class and learn new techniques ATs use to treat injuries in theory but never in action.  However, being able to visit clinical sites and observing ATs in action really helped to see the whole picture.  This semester I had the opportunity to gain experience at the college level, visiting other SLU Athletic Training students already in the professional phase as well as their preceptors.  While visiting different clinical sites I was able to see my preceptors use different types of modalities (such as therapy, cupping, heat/ice, electrical stim, taping) firsthand which helped to reinforce what we’re learning in class.  Most of my experiences at clinical sites were spent in the AT room however there were some gamedays and special events where I was able to help with pre and post set up.  While I was not allowed to participate in any of the modalities, I gained a considerable amount of knowledge and experience from observing and asking questions.  The most important thing I took away from my experiences was how vital communication is amongst health professionals and the patient.  I’m grateful to all my preceptors as they were very patient with all the questions I had and can’t wait to start the professional phase soon!

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.