November 30, 2022

SLU AT Student Appreciates the Opportunity to Build Rehabilitation Skills with Billiken Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Athletics 
By: Mary Margaret Cannatella (MAT Class of 2023)

This year I am at SLU with my preceptor and SLU alum Gwyn Brown MAT, ATC, the athletic trainer for Volleyball, Softball, and Track. With the start of volleyball season, I have gotten a lot of hands-on experience and although I have only been there for a short time Gwyn has already taught me so much and I have really enjoyed my time. With volleyball I have gotten great exposure with both upper and lower extremity. I have gotten the chance to work on my rehab skills and come up with different appropriate exercises for athletes and their injuries.
It has given me great experience with practicing sports specific rehabs in the later phases of recovery. I also have gotten to learn and use injury and load management and look forward to using this as the season progresses. I have gotten the chance to apply the skills I’ve learned in class and use them hands on. I look forward to the rest of the volleyball season and all I have to learn this semester with Gwyn.

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.

November 28, 2022

SLU AT Student Appreciates Preceptor's Impact on Clinical Learning at Edwardsville HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Edwardsville High School
By: Carlton McDonald-Jordan (MAT Class of 2024)
 
My time at Edwardsville High School thus far has been a spectacular experience. From learning and acquiring knowledge useful for propelling me as an athletic trainer to establishing new relations with different types of people involved in the AT environment, I would not change anything about my experience thus far. From the first day I arrived on EHS campus, my preceptor Katie Hamilton ATC made it her mission to ensure I felt welcomed and comfortable learning beside her. Those involved with EHS Football (players, coaches, etc.) also did a wonderful job of making me feel a part of their big family. I can honestly say that my perception of what it is like to work in the high school environment has done a complete 180 which is more-so because of my experience at EHS.
Initially, I was doing more observing at my site than hands-on. I watched the way Katie liked to do things and accompanied that with the way in which I was taught to do things to sort of get the best of both worlds. Katie told me there was no rush and that I could jump into the swing of things whenever I felt comfortable. I started out with a bunch of ankle and wrist taping, filling ice bags, and other such things that I learned over the summer. I seemingly progressed to walking athletes through exercises that worked on ROM, palpating and assessing injuries, and even evaluating. I would say that in these short five weeks, I have seen major improvement and have even received similar praise from the athletes and Katie. I have rounded out my expertise, being able to touch on multiple aspects of different areas. One area that I am still weak on and hoping to improve is assessing and evaluating upper extremity injuries/complications. This is something that hopefully Katie and I will continue to work on as the semester goes on.

Katie also taught me the importance of professionalism in the workplace. I was able to observe her interactions with student-athletes, coaches, and parents and saw how an athletic trainer is to appropriately conduct themselves in each situation. Communication and honesty are the staples of any relationship, but is readily apparent among AT’s, athletes, coaches, parents, and every member involved in this health care team. I think working in a high school setting presents unique communication challenges. In some cases, I’ve observed situations in which the parent(s) impede the ability for their kids to receive proper care. This obviously brings a huge obstacle into the process of providing the best care possible. I’ve learned that understanding each athlete and situation are unique and treating it that way, as well as establishing relationships with parents, goes a long way.

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.

November 27, 2022

SLU AT Student's Knowledge and Skills Evolve with Clinical Experience at Lutheran North HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Lutheran North High School
By: Lauren Smith (MAT Class of 2024)

My clinical experience so far at Lutheran North High School has been a whirlwind. There have been great days but also many hectic days, as to be expected. Within my first month at North, there were a couple of emergency situations. We are trained for these kinds of things, but it is different when you are finally thrown into that situation. Although these emergency events are unfortunate, they have allowed me to use the knowledge and skills that I have learned for them. They are also beneficial to look back on and assess what was done well and what could be done better for next time. 
In addition, I have learned how to evolve my skills according to what works best for me and my athletes/patients. I have also realized how important it is to build trust with the athletes, as well as the coaching staff. A part of building this trust can come with explaining why we take certain actions for certain injuries. 


Lastly, it has been nice to learn new skills from my preceptor SSM Health Sports Medicine and SLU alum Morgan Jasperson MAT, ATC. He is such a huge help and is always there to answer questions too. I am looking forward to many more learning experiences while at North. 

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.

November 21, 2022

SLU AT Students Experience a Welcoming and Supportive Learning Environment at Pattonville HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Pattonville High School
By: Emily Haley (MAT Class of 2023) Marissa Uecker (MAT Class of 2024)

Pattonville High School has been and continues to be an incredible hands-on learning experience. It is a very active and engaging clinical site and the student athletes love having SLU AT students around. Our preceptor, SLU alum Alex Hubbs MAT, ATC, provides guidance to expand basic skills of athletic training and develop new ones as well as allows us the autonomy to do anything we feel comfortable with from rehab and treatment programs to on-field evals. Alex’s teaching style always pushes us out of our comfort zones, and this allows for a ton of growth in our confidence and skills. 


Pattonville is a busy and engaging site that offers so many opportunities to see many different and unique injuries. It is always a welcoming and fun environment which makes it a great place to learn and prepare to become a certified athletic trainer. 

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.

November 03, 2022

SLU AT Students Inducted into National Allied Health Honor Society


The Saint Louis University chapter of Alpha Eta, the National Scholastic Honor Society for Allied Health Professions, held its annual induction ceremony in the Multipurpose Room of the Allied Health Building at Saint Louis University on November 1, 2022.


The Society is named for the Greek letters equivalent to the first letters of Allied Health (AH), which are Alpha Eta.  The purpose of the Society is the promotion and recognition of significant scholarship, leadership, and contributions to the allied health professions.

The following SLU AT students were honored in this year's ceremony:
  • Emily Haley - Mundelein, Illinois (MAT Class of 2023)
  • Grace Golembiewski - Columbus, Ohio (MAT Class of 2024)
  • Claire Love - Oak Park, Illinois (MAT Class of 2024)
  • Julia Martinez - Chicago, Illinois (MAT Class of 2024)
  • Marissa Uecker - Franklin, Indiana (MAT Class of 2024)