November 30, 2012

Local High School Students Learn Hands-on About AT and PT From SLU Faculty and Students

The Saint Louis University Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training hosted students from Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School interested in Physical Therapy and Athletic Training 

 Dr. Anthony Breitbach, SLU AT Program Director, and AT student Heather Koch teach about electrical stimulation to students from Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School.
The students participated in a presentation on health careers, got a tour of the building and attended Therapeutic Modalities Lab with SLU AT & PT students. They participated in an activity where they used electrical stimulation to find muscle motor points.  They also got a chance to find out first hand about the fields of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training from students who are in the professional phase of those programs.

SLU PT students Taylor Streid and Elena Gray showing students how to find a muscle motor point.
  
SLU AT student Heather Koch assisting students with the activity.
Presenters included Sue Ratz (DCHS Recruitment Specialist), Mark Reinking PT, PhD, SCS, ATC (Associate Professor, Chair-Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training), Anthony Breitbach PhD, ATC (Assistant Professor, Director- Athletic Training Program), PT students Elena Gray & Taylor Streid (DPT Class of 2015) and AT students Andrea Auclair, Mary Rhatigan & Heather Koch (MAT Class of 2014). 

SLU AT student Andrea Auclair helping student perform activity on Maplewood-Richmond HeightsHigh School advisor John Capuano..

November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving from the SLU AT Program!

May you, and those who you love, have a happy, blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday!


November 19, 2012

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Athletics


Saint Louis University, Home of the Billikens!
By:  Janese Evans and Lizzy Kienstra (SLU MAT Class of 2013)    

Janese Evans and Lizzy Kienstra in the Chaifetz Arena hydrotherapy area.
There is never a dull moment working at Saint Louis University Athletics with such talented athletes. SLU Athletics has 16 sports and a sports medicine team that includes: 2 orthopedic team physicians, 2 primary care team physicians, 5 physical therapists, 4 certified athletic trainers, 2 PY2 students, and 2 strength and conditioning coaches. Working with such a diverse sports medicine staff, we are able to learn different perspectives on the most effective ways to treat our athletes.

Janese Evans performing a knee exam.
Working at a Division I University, we have gotten the opportunity to travel with different sports teams, observe surgeries, follow up with doctor appointments and physical therapy appointments, and have access to state of the art therapeutic modalities. SLU is definitely a clinical rotation that enhances your skill set for those interested in working in Division I setting. Working long hours, being flexible, extensive traveling, and building relationships is just a small aspect what our preceptors do on a daily basis!

Lizzy Kienstra guiding a Swim-Ex workout.
Each preceptor at SLU brings their own uniqueness to the sports medicine team culture. This allows PY1 and PY2 students to get varying perspectives on how to deal with musculoskeletal injuries. One of the advantages of a clinical rotation at SLU is that the sports medicine team already has previous knowledge about the reputation of our AT program and the type of work ethic and skill sets the program provides for its students. Therefore, we are able to come in and showcase our abilities and instill a level of trust with our preceptors and assist in the treatment of their athletes. We look forward to continue to grow as professionals as we transition to basketball, softball, and baseball. We are also excited to serve as mentors to the additional 4 PY1s that we also have rotations at SLU in the spring.  Go Bills!!!

Congrats to the Men’s Soccer team on becoming 2012 A-10 conference champions!
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.

SLU AT Students "Use Their Head" at Healthfest


On Saturday, November 17, 2012; the SLU AT Program participated in Healthfest at the St. Louis Louis Science Center.  Healthfest features dozens of interactive displays and presentations from community medical organizations for families on important health topics. 


This year’s topic for the SLU AT Program was concussion awareness where parents and children we informed of the importance of paying attention to the symptoms of traumatic head injury.  Information was also presented regarding the AT profession and the AT’s role in managing concussion and injury in sports.


This was a student-directed activity coordinated by SLATS, our student organization, and was designed to include a wide variety of students from our program.

 
The students participating were:
MAT Class of 2013: Lizzy Kienstra, Alex Sawyer, Adriana Black, Mary Finkenkeller
MAT Class of 2014: Emily Grace, Dre Auclair, Jay Maturan, Mary Rhatigan, Kelley DeGreeff
MAT Class of 2015: Andria Lampe, Kayla Kelley
MAT Class of 2016: Haylie Dehm, Nygel Williams, AJ Butler, Candie Hill
MAT Class of 2017: Collin Peterson, Kayla Glenn, Stephanie Ross