May 23, 2017

SLU Pre-professional AT Students Experience Dynamic Athletic Health Care with the Billikens

New AT Student Blog Post - Brian Leach and Cody Hutson (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Perfect weather, a gorgeous city skyline in the background, and top of the line athletic training marked another successful day for me at Saint Louis University.  This eight hour day started off observing discus throw, and wondering to myself about all the unique injuries the Saint Louis University AT staff must encounter each day.  We observed treatments ranging from what we would expect, such as, taping ankles and hands, Graston, and electronic muscle stimulation, to things we wouldn’t readily expect, like ear draining.  This is just one great example of the unique injuries an AT in the field may face.  Besides the treatments, we helped with ice and set up.  Something the AT staff would have had to do by themselves had we not been there to help.  We also gained an understanding of resource management, an important part of working an event like a track meet if you don’t want run out of tape or ice in the middle of a tournament.  There is obviously more to being an AT than just treating injuries.  This is an extremely dynamic field that demands a lot of organization.
Being able to observe Athletic Trainers in the field is a unique opportunity that sets a standard for how we, as students, will proceed in our career and what challenges we will face.  We get to see what injuries are most common, talk to the current generation about what problems they experience and what uncommon injuries they have experienced, and even chat about the classes we are taking and how they (as older ATs) felt while studying when they were in our position. We get to see how they act while on their job site and how they interact with the athletes. We see and hear things that we would do different and how much the athletes look to us for help. It is almost like we get an opportunity to look into our future and see what we will be doing after graduation.

When we started down this path of becoming an Athletic Trainer we never considered all of the moving parts that make up this career field.  We are happy to say that we are excited to begin our careers as Athletic Trainers.  We look forward to the professional phase of this program, and the clinical experiences that await.  We know that we have made the right choice!

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 22, 2017

SLU AT PROGRAM DIRECTORY AND LINKS

Main Number: 314-977-8561
Fax: 314-977-6988
Program e-mail: sluptat@health.slu.edu
Mailing Address:
SLU Athletic Training Program
3437 Caroline Mall, Suite 3082
St. Louis, MO 63104
Twitter: @SLU_AT


ADMINISTRATION

Tricia Austin PT, PhD, ATC, Dean (interim)
Doisy College of Health Sciences
E-mail: Tricia.Austin@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-8505

Anthony Breitbach PhD, ATC, FASAHP, Program Director
E-mail: Anthony.Breitbach@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-8654
Cell: 314-413-2543

Timothy Howell EdD, ATC, CES, PES, Coordinator of Clinical Education

E-mail: Timothy.Howell@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-8637

Tyler Wadsworth MD, Medical Director
E-mail: ty.wadsworth@sbcglobal.net
Office: 314-721-7325

CORE FACULTY

Mike Markee 
PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, ATC
Office: 314-977-8109

Kitty Newsham PhD, ATC
E-Mail: Katherine.Newsham@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-8507

Katie Sniffen MS, ATC

E-mail: Katie.Sniffen@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-8561

ADJUNCT FACULTY

Whitney Linsenmeyer MS, RD, LD, Instructor - MAT 5160
E-mail: Whitney.Linsenmeyer@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-1154

Michael Ross PhD, Instructor - MAT 5620
E-mail: rossmj@slu.edu
Office: 314-977-2292

STAFF

Kristin Hrasky, Administrative Assistant
Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training
Office: 314-977-8552

Leslie Neistadt ELS, Managing Editor, NATA Journals
E-mail: Leslie.Neistadt@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-7811

Kevin Clear, Editor, NATA Journals
E-mail: Kevin.Clear@health.slu.edu
Office: 314-977-8591

May 20, 2017

SLU AT Students Receive Degrees at 2017 Graduation Ceremonies

The Saint Louis University Master of Athletic Training Class of 2017 graduates were recognized on Friday, May 19, 2017 in the Doisy College of Health Sciences Pre-Commencement Ceremony at Chaifetz Arena.


Congratulations to the 2017 Master of Athletic Training degree recipients:
Maxwell W.H. Alander
Brandi Michele Burgett
Bailey L. Draheim
Ali Nicole Graham
Sarah Marie Haenchen
Madeleine Irene Hauck
Morgan Jay Jasperson 
Brianna Christine LaBarbera
Katherine Elizabeth Love
Amelia Rae Meigs
Collin Edward Peterson
Olivia Rose Robinson
Stephanie Amber Ross
Daniel Richard Smith
Stephanie Anne Uhrich


Students from the SLU MAT Class of 2018 in the 3+2 MAT program also received Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science degrees.

Degrees were officially conferred at the SLU University Commencement on Saturday, May 20 2017 at Chaifetz Arena.

May 10, 2017

SLU Pre-professional AT Student Appreciates Preceptor's Relationship with Student-Athletes at SIU-Edwardsville

New AT Student Blog Post - Margaret Rowell (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Most college students spend their time studying for exams, writing papers, and preparing presentations. This semester, our athletic training class was given the chance to observe a variety of certified athletic trainers throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The settings included nearby universities, professional sports teams, and high schools. As I am approaching the graduate school portion of SLU’s Athletic Training program, I was excited to learn from other SLU graduate students at their clinical sites. After observing for over 75 hours at different clinical sites, I enjoyed observing the athletic trainers at the university level most. I noticed that athletic trainers at universities interacted with one specific team and got to know each individual athlete on a personal level. One of the universities I enjoyed observing was SIUE. 

I observed Stephanie Ross, SLU MAT Class of 2017, at her clinical setting with SIUE softball. Her preceptor, James Mays MS, ATC, is one of the current certified athletic trainers working with SIUE Athletics. I really enjoyed the atmosphere while observing Stephanie and James interact with the Women’s Softball team. The team respected both Stephanie and James and came into the athletic training room with good spirits.
James was very close with all of his athletes and got to know each and every player. I noticed that he didn’t have to ask what tape jobs some players needed or where they needed ice. He had gotten to know each and every player and knew where each player was experiencing her injury. On top of that, James also asked players about topics outside of sports, such as their social life and academics. For example, he specifically reached out to an athlete to ask how their statistics exam went. This shows that James gets to know each and every player on a personal level, rather than just treating each athlete as a patient. Stephanie also got to know each of the athletes on a personal level. I enjoyed observing how athletic trainers are able to interact with the athletes on a personal level, while still providing quality care. I learned that creating a relaxed and open environment is key to being an athletic trainer. This ensures the athletic trainer understands the athlete as a whole. This is just one of the qualities to being an Athletic Trainer I was able to learn from experience in the clinical field, rather than from a book or class lecture.

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 09, 2017

SLU Pre-professional AT Student Connects with the Profession at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships

New AT Student Blog Post - Emma Yonkers (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

The 2017 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, held at Chaifetz Arena on the Saint Louis University campus, was a really cool site because I got to observe how athletes from all over the country treat injuries and take care of themselves overall. I watched a lot of warm ups and stretching, as well as stim treatments and ultrasounds. A lot of the gymnasts also wrapped their own ankles and wrists or the athletic trainer from their school helped them. I got to see all the different ways different ATs tape which was really interesting because I didn’t know there were that many different ways and wonder about the different benefits of each way.
This site was a little different from the other sites I have been to because this one had athletic trainers from all over the country. During some of the down time I got to talk with a lot of the athletic trainers from around St. Louis and learn about what they do at different places they work at like hospitals, high schools, and universities of varying sizes.

A lot of them didn’t even know each other so it was cool to see them interact and talk about the different situations they encounter in different settings. For example, one of the visiting athletic trainers who works at a high school hadn’t worked with a stim machine since grad school because the high school she works at doesn’t have one. She does things differently from one of the athletic trainers from a visiting university, who uses a very sophisticated machine as well as a GPS system that tracks the activities of soccer players they work with. Neither of these settings seemed better than the other, they just did things in very different ways and were interested to see what their peers at different places do.

This semester as a DO student I have learned a lot more than I thought I would. I’ve discovered the answers to questions I didn’t even know I had and been able to continuously build on them as I go. I am really glad we get to explore different places and get a feel for what we like by seeing all the different ways situations are handled.

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 08, 2017

SLU Pre-professional AT Students Reflect on Learning Experience at SLU Track and Field Invitational

New AT Student Blog Post - Catherine Chua and Sarah Menzuber (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Along several other Athletic Training students, we had the opportunity to observe Petra Knight ATC at the SLU Track and Field meet.  We watched many different track events for the first time, such as javelin throw, shot put, and pole vault.  It was very interesting to follow Petra around and learn about the track athletes and many of the common injuries she sees as an Athletic Trainer.  Many of the athletes, especially the long-distance runners, needed to have their shins and ankles taped and roll out their leg muscles.  We learned several techniques to taping ankles, depending on if it was a medial or lateral sprain.  We saw shin splints taped, which was something unique and new that we had not seen before.

In addition to seeing many injuries taped, we were able to help out by making ice bags and handing out water to athletes after their events.  We learned how to vacuum seal the ice bag and then wrap it around wherever the athlete needed it to stay.  Fortunately, no major or life threatening injuries occurred while we were observing, except for two runners who were very winded after their events, but were doing better after sitting down to rest and drinking water.  
Overall, this was a great experience for us and we enjoyed being able to observe Petra as she has a great compassion for not only Athletic Training, but each individual athlete as well.  The SLU track and field meet was the first experience we were able to observe such a large-scale event with so many athletes and spectators. The widespread amount of “jobs” it takes to run a meet was astounding; filling water jugs, making sure water cups are on hand for the athletes, making ice bags, treating athletes and keeping an eye out for those athletes performing in their events.

We enjoyed watching the athletic trainers take care of the athletes as they came into the tent, most had just performed in their event and needed assistance with ice or stretching. Track and field athletes push their bodies so hard for a relatively short amount of time, so coming into the medical tent, it was interesting to see their reactions to needing treatment and what they wanted to be done. 

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 07, 2017

SLU Pre-professional AT Student Appreciates Positive Culture at John Burroughs School


New AT Student Blog Post - Danielle Jabczynski (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Being in the last semester of my pre-professional phase, I am very eager to be learning from each site that I have had the chance to observe at. I have been able to observe at a private and public high school, as well as a two division III universities. All four sites have different atmospheres, and getting to talk with the athletes, athletic trainers, and student athletic trainers have made me appreciate the profession that much more. I not only get to watch different ways of taping and rehabilitating injuries, I get to experience how the same injury is treated and evaluated with different modalities. 

Lately I have been observing at John Burroughs School and have had the chance to watch lacrosse, baseball and soccer. JBS is unique because most students are involved in athletics so the athletic training room is always busy. Dean Tiffany ATC, the preceptor. and Katie Love, the PY2 SLU AT student, at the site are great at not only making it a great environment to be in, but making connections with every student so that they are comfortable.

I am thankful that I have been able to observe at many great sites prior to starting my professional phase to understand what I get to do during my future clinical rotations. The students and preceptors that I have observed with have been great at reviewing topics with me and explaining their evaluations or rehabilitation plans as I observe.

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 05, 2017

SLU AT Program Honors Graduating Students with Awards at MAT Capstone Day


The Saint Louis University Master of Athletic Training Class of 2017 presented their Capstone Projects on May 5, 2017 in the Multipurpose Room of the Allied Health Building on the South (Medical Center) Campus.

In addition to the presentations, the SLU AT Program honored preceptors and handed out the following program awards:  Clinical Excellence, Professional Service and Community Service.  An additional award, Academic Excellence, will be awarded after spring grades are posted.


Stephanie Uhrich and Bailey Draheim were honored with 2017 Clinical Excellence Awards.


Sarah Haenchen and Collin Peterson were honored with 2017 Professional Service awards.


Amelia Meigs was honored with the 2017 Community Service Award.

Congratulations to these award winner and all of the oustanding students in the MAT Class of 2017!

May 03, 2017

SLU Pre-professional AT Student Sees his Future Transition from Student-Athlete to Athletic Trainer with the Billikens


New AT Student Blog Post - Juan Calero Alonso (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Working with the athletic trainers at SLU was a great experience. I got the chance to experience a SLU track and field meet. I enjoyed the fact that we could watch closely how Division I athletes were treated right on the field before and after running and in between their different races. It was interesting to see the athletic trainers and the PY1 working together to organize like a team and provide the best possible care. At the beginning of the day, the Head Athletic Trainer of SLU, Jonathan Burch ATC, organized and grouped me and my classmates in different positions to help the athletes.

We rotated from time to time between those different positions so that at the same time we could be able to watch what the athletic trainers were doing. SLU´s staff was very organized to give a good coverage for such a big event and all the athletic trainers that were present took into account the importance of working as a team. I got to observe Petra Knight ATC and Jonathan Burch for an entire day and I was able to learn what they decided to do on different situations to give our SLU athletes and other team´s athletes the best possible care. It was a good introduction to what the professional phase of the athletic training is going to look like for me during the next two years and I could not be more excited. 
Once again, it was very exciting to see things that we would not be able to see at other clinical sites. SLU being a division I program has the advantage that you get to see a lot of interesting techniques and materials. There is a wide variety of equipment available at the AT room that I got to see before going to the track and field meet. They were plenty of different machines used on the athletes such as Ultrasound, Electrical Stimulation or game ready as well as Alter G in the weight room.

As a current student-athlete for the university, I am looking forward to get into the professional phase of the Athletic Training Program in order to get to experience what the PY1´s and PY2´s are feeling right now with all the knowledge that they are acquiring thanks to the preceptors. 

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 02, 2017

SLU Pre-professional Student Excited for Next Step after Interacting with First Year AT Student and Preceptor

New AT Student Blog Post - Rory Cusack (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Majority of my direct observation (DO) hours were at Missouri Baptist University with the lacrosse team. It was such a great and interesting experience! My first time during DO hours I was very impressed with the PY1 student Ben Wildman by how much he knew and how he was helping the athletes. It made me extremely excited for the professional phase of the AT program.
The preceptor Jamie Herron, MS, ATC, also was so great with the athletes too and genuinely cared about the athletes and the team’s success. I attended one of their games and it was so exciting to see the team doing well and seeing how much their athletic trainer cared for them. One of the athletes had torn his ACL last year and was still doing rehab. From the beginning of the semester to the middle and end, he had so much more strength and it was really cool to see this transformation. Another athlete had gotten a knee to the calf and had a really cool and unique bruise all down his calf. DO hours has been such a great experience and I got to see such cool stuff. 

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.

May 01, 2017

Pre-professional AT Student Gains Experience from Faculty Member with SLU Billikens Athletics

New AT Student Blog Post - Grant Hollander (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

I observed many hours at the SLU Athletic Training Facility in Chaifetz Arena under preceptor Michael Markee PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, ATC. There I saw many student athletes come in for rehabilitation exercises whether it was post injury or prevention of future injuries. Student athletes had to complete a warm-up before jumping straight into their exercises. Athletes then used therapeutic bands or their own body weight to strengthen the muscles surrounding their injuries in order to prevent further injuries to that area. Other exercises helped recruit more muscles surrounding the area that way more muscles would fire strengthening the area for future use.
Massages to help ease the tension on bones or muscles was also observed and many student athletes left admiring how good they felt after the massages. Also many people came in to be taped or had ice wrapped around certain extremities. Overall, this experience has helped me better understand what an Athletic Trainer does and I look forward to performing such activities in the future.

This is one of a series of blog posts written by students entering the professional phase of the SLU AT Program as a part of MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II.