SLU AT Student Has a Rich and Varied Internship Experience with AthletiCo in Chicago

AthletiCo Summer Internship

By: Kelly Peck - MAT Class of 2014

This summer I spent 8 weeks as an athletic training intern for AthletiCo in Chicago, Illinois. AthletiCo provides physical therapy, athletic training, occupational therapy, and other fitness services to Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Under the guidance of Certified Athletic Trainer, Tony McCormick ATC, I spent my summer learning rehabilitation techniques and work conditioning rehab in the Oak Park and Berwyn clinics and gained athletic training field experience at Fenwick High School in Oak Park.

SLU AT Student Kelly Peck with preceptor Tony McCormick ATC

The summer started as the Fenwick Friars wrapped up their spring sports, and summer football camps began. My morning hours were spent in the clinic as I assisted with initial evaluations, injury screens, and patient rehabilitation. On Wednesdays I worked in the Berwyn clinic with workman’s compensation patients, with a primarily Hispanic population. This was a great experience of learning cultural diversity and working with non-athletic injury patients. Many afternoons Tony would have something new planned for me; doctor’s office visits, sports medicine conferences, football camps, and visits to various athletic training settings. I was fortunate to see performing arts injury clinics, the sports medicine headquarters of the US Soccer Federation, a combine for US Figure Skating, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association Convention in Las Vegas.

My preceptor, Tony McCormick is a fantastic athletic trainer with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources. I was constantly pushed to jump right into the task at hand and introduced to many new experiences and sports medicine professionals. Along with the staff at both the Oak Park and Berwyn clinics, I could not have wished for better individuals to work with. This summer provided me with a great educational and professional experience with the city of Chicago in the background. I cannot wait to continue to use these learned skills and techniques in my final year with Saint Louis University’s Athletic Training Program, and eventually in my career as a certified athletic trainer. 

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program have a required internship in the summer between their two professional years in the program.  This blog post details a student's reflection on their internship experience.