SLU AT Student Enjoying the High School Clinical Setting at WGHS

By: Claire Love (MAT Class of 2024)

For my final clinical rotation I am at Webster Groves High School with long time SLU AT preceptor, Sean Wright, ATC. Spending my last semester here at Webster has been exactly what I need as I prepare to transition from student to certified. From the very moment I walked in Sean has challenged me in every possible way. He gives me freedom to evaluate, create rehabs, and have conversations with coaches. But he is always there to encourage me, and help me if I have any questions or come across something I am not sure how to handle. He has been an incredible preceptor for me and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to learn from him everyday. 

One of my favorite memories this semester was recently the ATR was pretty busy and  I remember doing manual therapy on one person, correcting a rehab exercise on another, and then somehow also finishing an injury eval on someone else. I was in the zone and having so much fun and I looked up and Sean was like “ Do you even need me?” and I said “of course I do!” in which he responded with “well then tell me what to do then.” And I just stared at him with an absolute blank face. For one of the first times it hit me that I am only a few months away from being a certified athletic trainer (hopefully). In just a few months I am going to be doing this on my own. And to have a preceptor who has recognized that and has challenged me to lean into that has helped my confidence grow tremendously. He has absolute confidence in me, and it helps me to find that confidence within myself. 

As winter sports have finished and we head toward the spring I am excited to continue to build relationships with the athletes, coaches, and the entire Webster community. This place has been instrumental in my growth as a clinician and I am so grateful for the way that they have welcomed me into the community.

This is one of a series of posts authored by students enrolled in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program. The number of clinical sites, the quality and diversity of the clinical experience opportunities, and the contemporary expertise of our preceptors are strengths of the CAATE Accredited SLU AT Program.