October 19, 2021

SLU AT Student Appreciates the Clinical Learning Environment at Edwardsville HS


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Edwardsville High School 
By: Alex Davis (SLU MAT Class of 2023)

Hi, I’m Alex Davis and I have been at Edwardsville High School with my preceptor, Katie Hamilton ATC this Fall. This has been an amazing experience to start my first clinical rotation at Edwardsville. Katie  is an awesome preceptor and has helped me grow as an AT student. She has helped me with taping,  therapeutic modalities, special tests, and evaluation. I love being here and helping Katie out with the athletes. 


Every day I get more and more comfortable with my skills and knowledge that I use outside of class and using them in the field under Katie’s supervision.  I love being around the student athletes everyday and I hate to go home when we are finished for the day.  I love building these relationships with the athletes, coaches, and staff here at Edwardsville and I am excited for the rest of the semester.

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.

October 13, 2021

SLU AT Students Acknowledge Preceptor's Role Providing an Excellent Learning Environment at Affton HS


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School
By: Lauren Swords and Jordan Hyink (MAT Class of 2023)

Affton High School might seem unassuming from the outside, but it is really the Taj Mahal of clinical sites. One of the main reasons is because of the amazing preceptor who resides there, Becky Stigen ATC. Becky has given us the freedom to try new things and fine tune our skills while ensuring proper technique and safety for all the athletes. 

We worked with all types of athletes from football to volleyball to cross country which gave us lots of diversity in athletes and injuries. We also had the opportunity to be on the sidelines for a variety of games and learn the different requirements of an athletic trainer on game days. The overall experience has been wonderful so far and has helped expand our knowledge. 


Our clinical assignment at a high school has been an extremely good crash course in what makes an AT. During our peak busy times the AT room will see up to 20 students in the course of an hour. In the beginning of our time at Affton, this involved Becky having to take most of the students herself while we stood back and observed. But now there is a definite flow to how all three of us work together, having our assigned jobs and each seeing different patients. 

When we arrived at Affton High School we were not confident in our skills and the knowledge that we had. Throughout our time, we have learned new techniques for taping, instructing athletes in exercises, assessing injuries in both acute/chronic and emergent settings, as well as the ins and outs of game day for an Athletic Trainer. Due to all this hands-on learning, we have noticed a significant increase in our confidence not only with our skills but in ourselves and each other as well. 

We would highly recommend Affton High School for future clinical placements because Becky is such a wonderful teacher and Affton is such an interesting place. It really makes for a wonderful overall experience. 

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.

October 12, 2021

SLU AT Student Enjoys Connecting Classroom and Clinical Learning at Rockwood Summit HS


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Rockwood Summit High School
By: Maggie Cannatella (MAT Class of 2023)

I really enjoyed my first clinical experience at Rockwood Summit High School.  Although it has only been about a month, I have already learned a lot from my preceptor, Mercy Sports Medicine Athletic Trainer and SLU Alum Tony Mosello MAT, ATC.  This semester, I have learned about some injuries and clinical skills in class and gotten the chance to apply or see them in clinical.  


As the school year progresses, I am excited to learn more about evals and other skills that I get to see Tony use every day.  I have gotten the chance to help tape the athletes and practice modalities I have learned in class.  So far, as I have become more comfortable, I have gotten to know some of the athletes at Rockwood Summit and started to develop relationships and establish trust.  


The athletes, coaches, and staff have been nothing but welcoming and it has been a great environment to learn in.  I am excited for the rest of the semester and for the opportunity to learn more about the profession of athletic training and to continue to learn in class and then apply that knowledge in clinical.  I already have learned and seen so much, and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for the rest of the semester.

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.

October 11, 2021

SLU AT Student Finds a Welcoming Community in a Busy Clinical Site at Marquette HS


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Marquette High School
By: Brittany Risko (MAT Class of 2022)

This semester I have the wonderful opportunity to be placed at Marquette High School with preceptor Mercy Sports Medicine Athletic Trainer Mathew Petersen ATC. This semester has been flying by pretty quick so far! Marquette has been very welcoming and excited to have another member to their community. 

I have learned how to manage more athletes in a shorter amount of time. Marquette has a little over 2,000 students this is a much larger population than my previous clinical placement. It has been a lot of adaptation and learning how to manage all the athletes and get them in and out to fields to practice in an efficient matter. 
I am gaining so much new knowledge as well as refreshing concepts from Mathew. Through observing evaluation, assisting in evaluation and doing evaluations myself I am gaining invaluable experience so far at Marquette. 

I look forward to the rest of the year with the community and working with their athletes.  

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.

October 08, 2021

SLU AT Student Gains New Skills Through Clinical Experience at Webster Groves HS


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Webster Groves High School
By: Muharem Komic (SLU MAT Class of 2023)

At Webster Groves High School with my preceptor Sean Wright ATC and I have learned and experienced quite a lot from being there for about a month even though it feels like I have been doing it longer than that. Sean has been awesome with showing me how everything works in the High School setting. How students come into his office after school to engage in rehab or to get checked out if they feel something is bothering or limiting them from performing. I’ve learned new ways to tape ankles and thumbs compared to how we were taught at Saint Louis University. Now I am in the process of taking parts from each method and kind of combining them. Some experiences that I’ve seen are a couple ACL tears and learning there certain special tests to prove the injury, along with MCL, PCL, and LCL. 


Something that happened recently was a possible cardiac arrest or at least from what Sean and I were told a cardiac arrest. It was this past Saturday and there was a volleyball tournament going on along with two soccer games. We just finished a the first soccer game and went back inside to check on volleyball and eat some pizza that was ordered for the staff. We were eating and Sean gets a call from one of the soccer coaches and said cardiac arrest on the field. We ran out there and this elderly man was on the ground conscious and Sean took his BP and it was weak and rapid, the ambulance was already on the way and they came and took over about one minute after we arrived. Turns out he was dehydrated, his BP went from 150 to 100 just from him sitting up. Sean and I were told it was a cardiac arrest so we brought the AED, but it ended up not being that at all. This whole situation made evident that anything can happen at any given moment, even when you’re not the first person on site. It showed me that you have to be ready and expect the situation to be a lot worse when arriving and we did. 

Overall it's been a great experience for the month being there and I expect to be learning and experiencing more as time goes on. 

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.

October 07, 2021

SLU AT Students Build Their Skills in a Dynamic and Collaborative Environment with Billiken Athletics


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Athletics
By: Maddie Cavanaugh, Amra Kardasevic, and Michael Ryan (MAT Class of 2022)

For the start of our PY2 semesters, we have had the opportunity to gain clinical experience at Saint Louis University.  SLU provides a multitude of sports the opportunity to work with a variety of athletes and Certified Athletic Trainers.  Amra Kardasevic and Maddie Cavanaugh are primarily assisting Jonathan Burch, ATC, with Men’s Basketball.  Michael Ryan is primarily assisting Ben Heimos, ATC, with Men’s Soccer and will assist with Baseball in the Spring.  We are able to spend numerous hours in the athletic training room, gaining experience from all of the staff ATs and learn from the individual, unique skillsets.

It is a unique opportunity to provide medical care for high level athletes.  While basketball is still early on in pre-season, we are getting to see and assist with practices, rehabilitations and injury prevention. Men’s Soccer is partially through their season, so I have been seeing how rehabilitations differ when a player gets a minor injury in a game when the goal is to get them ready for the next game as opposed to how injuries are treated in pre-season.


Maddie and Amra look forward to getting the game day experience and the possibility of traveling with the team eventually to see what both home and away games look like for a Division I Certified Athletic Trainer for basketball.  Maddie is looking forward to experiencing the interprofessional atmosphere between the ATCs, strength and conditioning staff and nutritionists within Chaifetz.  Amra is eager to experience a fast pace environment that is associated with game day and learning more clinical skills from both ATCs and other medical staff if injuries arise.  Michael is looking forward to continuing to learn and get more experience to hone his skills as an athletic training student. Having experienced a few game days already this year, Michael is excited to continue being utilized on those days to help prepare the team for their game. 

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.

October 06, 2021

SLU AT Student Sees the Importance of Communication Skills in Clinical Practice at DeSmet Jesuit High School


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - De Smet Jesuit High School
By: Eldwin Neritani (MAT Class of 2023)

During my clinical experience at De Smet Jesuit High School, I have definitely learned a lot from my preceptor Mercy Sports Medicine AT and SLU alum Dan Herrin MAT, ATC. The dynamics within the athletic training environment has been a new realm that I have never experienced before. One thing that I learned is how important and crucial communication is; whether that be between the athletic trainer and the athletes, or with the coaches, or with any other person. I have learned so much about the athletic trainer-athlete relationship, and how important it is to build that relationship. Having that proper communication between the athlete and I makes the entire process so much easier. With that communication also brings with it a general gaining of trust from the athletes. By being personable with and being able to interact with the athletes allows for a connection to form between us, which just makes the entire process much more enjoyable and streamlined for both parties.


And with those different people coming through the door, comes with different needs and expectations. There is no cookie-cutter one size fits all method that works for everyone. It helps to be creative and be able to think on the spot about a better treatment for an athlete. It could be something as simple as a small addition of an extra figure 8 or stirrup in my ankle tape for them to give them better support, or if an athlete has not been showing results in their rehab I observed as my preceptor Dan tries different techniques that might be of more help.


I have also learned that it is very much alright to not understand everything, something that I have definitely had to work on. Being able to understand my limits and what I know and don’t know how to do has definitely been eye opening for me. The thing that has helped me the most in situations like this is admitting when I don’t know something, but then paying attention to and asking Dan questions has been one of the biggest helps for me. Or even when I do something wrong, or if an athlete wants their ankle or wrist re-taped because they didn’t like how  I did it the first time. These are all moments that I have learned from and will continue to learn from through the experiences I have had.

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.

October 04, 2021

SLU AT Students Enjoy Numerous Clinical Learning Opportunities with Washington University


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis Athletics
By: Emily Haley, Anastasia Galo, Mason Remeis, Alex Smith (SLU MAT Class of 2023) and Sydney Nash (SLU MAT Class of 2022)

Our clinical experience at Washington University, with preceptors Chris Schultheiss ATC,  Jackee Hill ATC and  Amanda Lusky ATC,  we have primarily been caring for football and have had many opportunities to witness and take care of injuries including ACL tears, patellar subluxation, Achilles tendon rupture, AC joint separation, shoulder dislocation and many more. With the number of injuries from pre-season camp and now, we have had ample opportunity to either create rehab plans or assist in executing rehab with the players. 

This experience has given us many opportunities to use modalities that many places do not have like laser, an underwater treadmill, and Hiva mat. Since the sports medicine doctors are frequently at our site, we have also had the opportunity to sit in on and take notes on evaluations as well as the ability to observe suturing. 


The PY1’s have learned a lot from this first clinical experience so far and have been building up our skill sets. We have practiced a lot of taping, compression wrapping, wound care, taken histories, assisted with pre-season physicals, observed on field evaluations, and have just begun to practice evals on the foot and ankle. Wash U is a great learning environment for us as there is always something happening. 

Sydney, a PY2, has had the ability to practice her evaluation skills on athletes as well as learning the administration side of athletic training. She has had many opportunities to assist in physicals and paperwork regarding them which has been an amazing experience to prepare me for my future experience. Being able to be at this clinical site with all of the PY1’s has been an amazing and fun experience.

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.

October 03, 2021

SLU AT Students Appreciate Preceptor's Commitment to Preparation and Learning at John Burroughs School


SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - John Burroughs School
By: Katie Wissing (MAT Class of 2022) and Olivia Mani (MAT Class of 2023) 

John Burroughs School (JBS) has been an incredibly insightful, fast paced, and hands-on experience under the guidance of our preceptor, Dean Tiffany, ATC. No stranger to the word “busy,” Dean is the head athletic trainer, assistant athletic director, and wrestling coach at John Burroughs. This may seem like a full plate to have, but we have quickly learned that the staff at JBS have this strong work ethic and take on this challenge head on, fully committing to their role. 

The pride and joy of the fall season, football has been an excellent opportunity for us to heighten our emergency care skills, such as c-spine stabilization and equipment removal, in a highly competitive environment. With the hot St. Louis summers lingering through September, heat illness simulations are another necessary practice. We always make sure to have a rectal thermometer and the ice bath on hand! 

One of Dean’s strong suits as a preceptor, all of this preparation has made us confident in our ability to provide optimal care to our athletes. There are numerous new special tests, taping techniques, rehab exercises, therapeutic modalities, etc. that we have learned in just our first month at this site. Under Dean’s supervision and with his trust, we have had numerous opportunities to take the lead and demonstrate our newly learned skills. We know that in the weeks to come there is so much to be absorbed and expand our scope of practice. We look forward to an electric semester ahead. 

GO BOMBERS!!!

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.