SLU AT Students Thrive in an Exciting Learning Environment at John Burroughs School

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - John Burroughs School

By: Giovanna Charles (MAT Class of 2023) and Grace Golembiewski, Brandon Pavon and Karsen Kohl (MAT Class of 2024)

John Burroughs School, JBS, has been an exciting experience for all of us. We enjoy

learning from our preceptor, Dean Tiffany, ATC, as well as other Certified Athletic Trainers that

come every once in a while to help when we get busy. With the different levels of knowledge and

years in Athletic Training, we all bring something very different yet special to the table. This

prestigious high school brings a lot of unique experiences while also more common experiences.

Those experiences include a dislocated elbow, an UCL injury, ACL and MCL instability injuries,

concussions as well as the more common ankle sprains, Osgood Schlatter and a couple of bloody

wounds from the turf.

Upon our arrival at JBS, we got right in the midst of things covering football's preseason

practices. We quickly went over helmet and shoulder pad removal as well as stabilizing the C

spine, how to evaluate the ankle and knee in addition to being taught the “correct” way to tape an

ankle by our preceptor. We have also been covering the other fall sports such as Cheerleading,

Cross Country, Field Hockey, Boy’s Soccer, Volleyball, Swim, Golf, and Tennis.

We get the opportunity to evaluate athletes as well as tape those that need it. Not only did we

learn a new way to tape ankles, we were also taught by our preceptor how to tape the achilles,

shin splints, turf toe, arch taping for plantar fasciitis, along with learning how to make an ankle

cast with elastikon. JBS is also fortunate enough to have a handful of modalities we get to use

everyday. Once the after school rush ends, we help in the rehab aspect for the athletes and

provide on-field and/or court assistance to the team’s games.

The experience has been exciting since our arrival, and it's only going to get even better

throughout the rest of the semester from here. Everyday is new and has brought new experiences

to all of us to remember that we will be able to carry along with us for the future. As our time at

JBS continues to grow, we have gotten more comfortable and involved which has allowed more

athletes, their coaches and Dean to understand our role. We enjoy the countless opportunities and

hours spent at JBS and cannot wait to see how much we continue to grow throughout the

process.

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.