September 30, 2014

Experienced Preceptors at Washington University Create Excellent Learning Experiences for SLU AT Students



SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis
By:  Christian Ahlstrom and Andria Lampe (MAT Class of 2015), Audrey Block and David O'Loughlin (MAT Class of 2016)

At Washington University in St. Louis, we have the opportunity to experience the athletic training lifestyle of a Division III university. We are able to work with all of their sports programs this fall such as football, men's and women's soccer, cross country, tennis and swimming. Four of us SLU students are working with the football program and one SLU student is with the soccer teams. With football, we have the privilege to learn from four very knowledgeable certified athletic trainers, Rick Larsen, ATC, Jim Anderson, ATC, Jacob Blasingame, ATC and Mary Tarzon, ATC, who among one another have more than 70 years of experience in the field. We also have the opportunity to observe the team's orthopedic physicians and chiropractors while they work with our athletes in the athletic training room throughout the week. At Wash U, there is also a wide variety of therapeutic modalities that we are fortunate enough to utilize including Electric Stimulation, Ultrasound, a hydrocollator and GameReady units, just to name a few.

Andria Lampe and David O'Loughlin
Last week, Christian and Dave traveled to Memphis, Tennessee with the football team for a road game against Rhodes College. That is just one of five road trips we students will be going on. Traveling with the team was a great experience, because it pushed us out of our comfort zone. Without being in our usual athletic training room setting, we had to improvise and make use of what we had in an efficient manner. Also, we were recently asked to create a rehab program for one of the football players. This is just one example of the hands-­on opportunities that we get, and it shows that the athletic training staff has a lot of trust in us. The athletic training staff really allows us to enhance our skills by taking a step back and allowing us to be the first line of help.

Audrey Block and Christian Ahlstrom
Wash U is currently undergoing a massive two­ year renovation to their entire athletic facility which includes the athletic training room. This is great for us students because we get a first-­hand experience on how to design and organize an efficient athletic training room. With an amazing staff of athletic trainers and physicians to learn from, hands­-on experience with modalities, traveling opportunities with teams and a competitive collegiate setting to learn in, Wash U offers us a unique experience and a great learning environment that prepares us for our future careers.

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.

September 29, 2014

CBC Provides an Outstanding Clinical Site for SLU AT Students


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Christian Brothers College High School
By: Will Rath (MAT Class of 2015) and Lauren Scalise (MAT Class of 2016)

This semester we have had a great opportunity to serve as athletic training students at Christian Brothers College High School (CBC). CBC is a LaSallian Catholic college preparatory school about 20 minutes outside the city of St. Louis. The head athletic trainer, Kristen Jeans, ATC, makes every day an educational and fun environment that helps mold us into being better athletic training students.

A typical day at CBC consists of taping athletes, assisting with rehabilitation exercises, and providing treatment to get the athletes ready for practice or games.

Will Rath, Kristen Jeans ATC and Lauren Scalise
One might think that because CBC is an all-male high school, that we don’t have as many teams to cover as other schools – but this is not the case. During the fall semester, we have the luxury of being able to cover 3 levels of football, 5 levels of soccer, and Cross Country, with multiple basketball and wrestling teams soon to follow in the winter.

All of the athletes, coaches, and staff members at CBC have been so welcoming and we would like to thank them for giving us such a great clinical experience and we look forward to continuing this throughout the year.

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 Get an NCAA Division I Experience at SIU-Edwardsville


SLU AT Program Clinical Site Spotlight - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
By: Kayla Kelley and Chris Miller (MAT Class of 2015)

SLU AT student Kayla Kelley with Ben Heimos ATC (left) and Ryan Salerno ATC (right)
Located just twenty miles or so northeast of St. Louis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE) is a medium sized Division I University with eight sports for men and eight for women. We are currently placed with men’s and women’s soccer under the direct supervision of James Mays MS, ATC and Ben Heimos MAT, ATC, CSCS. The SIUE Department of Athletics has treated us like another member of their team, creating an environment conducive to learning.

SLU AT student Chris Miller with James Mays ATC
The Athletic Training facilities are topnotch with excellent resources at our disposal and the staff are willing to go out of their way to show us what they have learned throughout their years of experience. We cannot imagine a more fitting clinical placement as we finish our last year in SLU’s Athletic Training Program and we are very thankful for such an amazing opportunity. While we are still in the height of our seasons, we are looking forward to the many opportunities to come as we transition to our winter sports.

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.