Interested in a career as an Athletic Trainer? Join us at Saint Louis University!

The Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program is committed to the professional preparation of skilled, compassionate and confident entry-level athletic trainers who contribute to society as clinicians, professionals, and scholars. We build on SLU's Jesuit educational tradition of to form health care professionals of “competence, conscience and compassionate commitment”. SLU AT Program faculty, staff, students and graduates will strive to promote optimal health and wellness and advocate for their respective communities.

Access the program website: 

https://www.slu.edu/doisy/degrees/graduate/athletic-training-mat.php

Apply to the program through the SLU website: 

https://www.slu.edu/apply.php 

OR

Apply through the Athletic Training Centralized Application Service (AT-CAS): 

https://atcas.liaisoncas.com

Email the program: sluptat@health.slu.edu

Contact by phone: 314-977-8561

SLU AT Student Grows Confidence and Clinical Skills over Summer with SLU Men's Basketball

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Billiken Athletics

By: Mason Cotterel (MAT Class of 2022)

I had an amazing experience during my time at Saint Louis University with Billiken Men’s Basketball. Not only getting to learn under a new preceptor but working with a different athlete population and in a different type of setting greatly impacted my development. Getting a lot more experience with modalities, hydration, nutrition, and taping gave me a lot more confidence in my own abilities as well as helped educate me on some of the differences in the treatment and care of athletes at the college level when compared to the high school level. 

Through experiences as well as conversations with my preceptor Jonathan Burch ATC; I learned how at the college level there is a different standard for not only the treatment and care of your athletes but for your professionalism as well. With college athletics you are there as early in the morning to as late in the evening. With you assigned team you are there throughout the day for whatever their schedule looks like and on the road with them for every away trip. Just as there is more of an investment from players, coaching staff, and the school in a team’s success, so too is there a greater investment in their health and it relies on the athletic trainers to help organize and coordinate this care for the athletes. 

I was inspired by my time at SLU, knowing that I hope to get into the world of college athletics with ambition and drive to not only work with sports that I love, but in a field and profession that I love as well. 

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

SLU AT Student Finds Value in Clinical Experience Caring for SLU Billikens Men's Soccer

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Billiken Athletics

By: Jose Blanco (SLU MAT Class of 2021)

This semester I have had the opportunity to work closely with SLU Men's Soccer Team. Athletic trainer Benjamin Heimos, ATC, MS has been my preceptor and both my and him have been providing our best care to all their athletes. So far, I have enjoyed taking care of a hardworking team with great encouraging coaches at a high competitive level. Growing up in a big soccer culture has made me appreciate the intensity and effort that the whole team puts on each practice regardless of not having a set schedule yet. 

Times recently have been full of uncertainties regarding having a season or not due to the pandemic we are living in right now. However, the staff of his team has done a great job at maintaining their motivation. The players have shown a high physical preparation, and thus injuries have been minimal. For those players affected by injuries, we have treated these players with the highest efficiency that we can provide. 

This opportunity has been awesome so far and I am eager to see what the soccer world can bring us on the next weeks. 

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 Student's Confidence Grows Through Preceptor's Support with SLU Billiken Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Billiken Athletics

By: Gabby Herod (MAT Class of 2021)

Being at Saint Louis University has opened my eyes to so much with athletic training. The behind the scene work that Petra Knight, MS, ATC, CES is responsible for is intense and I wasn’t aware that ATs would have to do all of what she does. Being there since July, has given me a great chance to become comfortable with how things work at SLU and with basketball since that will be our main sport this year. Petra has given me a lot of freedom already with evaluations, rehab, and daily treatments with athletes. This has really increased my confidence in all those areas since this is the first time that I have really been able to do what I want to do. I have gotten very comfortable with documentation now that I see athletes for all injuries. She knows that is the area of work I want to be in after I am finished with this program and I look forward to getting better each day. 

We have been primarily with the Women’s Basketball Team since Covid has shut down fall sports. Being with them everyday is a dream come true. Since this sport is my passion I am ready and willing to learn from this team. It has been very different again because of Covid but we are managing the best we can. Everything that Covid has brought is still showing and teaching me that communication is the most important thing with this job.

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 MAT Class of 2020 Hosts Virtual Capstone Day on Friday May 1st

Students in the Saint Louis University Master of Athletic Training Class of 2020 will be presenting their Capstone Projects virtually on-line on May 1, 2020 starting at 8:30 am via Zoom.  The event is open to the public, and presentation of these projects mark the completion of their experience as students in the SLU Athletic Training Program.

2020 SLU MAT CAPSTONE DAY SCHEDULE:

TIME	NAME	TITLE OF CAPSTONE PRESENTATION
8:30 AM	Caitlyn Thomas	Running on Greens: Vegan/Vegetarian vs Omnivorous Diet on Endurance Performance
8:40 AM	Hannah Daily	Plant-Based Dieting: The Effect on Athletic Performance
8:50 AM	Justin Durham	Blood Flow Restriction: An Effective Alernative to Traditional Rehabilitation?
9:00 AM	Allison Stefan	Cut It Off: The Use of Blood Flow Restriction Training as a Post-Operative ACL Rehabilitation Tool
9:10 AM	Becca McGrail	Internal Bracing: What Role Does It Play on ACL Reconstruction
9:20 AM	Mitchell Buerck	“Russian” to the finish line - Blood Doping Enhancement and Harmful Effects for Endurance Athletes
9:30 AM	Emma Yonkers	Vaping and the Adolescent Athlete: How is Perception Different From Reality?
9:40 AM	Alejandra Chavez	Nourish your brain, nourish your body: The role of nutrition in traumatic brain injury treatment
9:50 AM	Conner Mongoven	What do you mean there’s a cream? Topical versus Oral NSAIDs for treatment of rheumatic diseases.
10:00 AM	BREAK
10:10 AM	Claire Ditman		Midfoot Stiffness: What Role Does it Play in Injuries Up the Kinetic Chain
10:20 AM	Cheyenne Meinershagen		Impact of athletic trainers on tactical athletes
10:30 AM	Carmen Roberson		The Neglected Disease: Sickle Cell Anemia and it's Battle through the Political, Social, and Medical World
10:40 AM	Maria Lingardo		Powerhouse of the Cell? Background, Diagnoses, & Treatment of Mitochondrial Disease in the Physically Active
10:50 AM	Gwyn Brown		Mitochondrial Disease in Collegiate Athlete: A Case Study
11:00 AM	Abby Hoffman		Psyched Out: The use of psychotherapy in treating PTSD and anxiety symptoms
11:10 AM	Courtney Nall		Burnout: What We Know and How We Can Help
11:20 AM	Marissa Burch		Tic Disorders and Their Effect on Mind and Body
11:30 AM	Rachel Wilhelm		The Effects of Reduced or Disordered Sleep on Athletes’ Performance and Recovery
11:45 AM	RECOGNITION CEREMONY

Watch the presentations on-line: https://youtu.be/fdghHY3_bwo 

For more information email Dr. Anthony Breitbach, SLU AT Program Director at anthony.breitbach@health.slu.edu.

International Athletic Training Student Values Immersive Clinical and Academic Experience at Saint Louis University

International Clinical Experience at Saint Louis University 

By Alfredo Del Giudice (AT Student, Universidad Camilo Jose Cela)

If you are looking for a full-immersion authentic American experience and are willing to learn new skills in healthcare, rehabilitation and training this is the place for you! Saint Louis University was my place for a couple of months, a place where I really felt part of a community and had the opportunity to grow personally and professionally. The structure of the campus, the library, the gym and classes are full equipped with last generation material and allow the student to have a great didactic experience. Also the services that the university offers are top level, and in this regard I would like to give special thanks to the alumni service who helped us with the big amount of papers we had to fill in order to be part of the Athletic Training program. 

During this experience I had the opportunity to met great professional like Dr. Anthony Breitbach and Dr. Timothy Howell, who were totally involved in doing that the stay in the USA was the best and that were as much complete as possible. 

I really enjoyed receiving theoretical classes in Medical Conditions, Rehab Protocols, First Aid, Suture and also a simulation of how to deal with a job interview. This was thanks to the high quality of the lessons and its teachers but also because of the great group of students that surely will be talented professionals in future. When you can perceive an ambient where everyone is starving for learning and being better everyday you know that who has organized this program is doing a great job with his students.

The Athletic Training Room is a wide space very well organized and full equipped with plenty of rehabilitation material (they also have a rehab pool with an aquatic treadmill!) and by its side there’s a big gym, only for college athletes, also very well equipped. The ambient in the room is dynamic and active, full of students willing to learn and different healthcare professionals like AT, PT, Physician and Strength Coach willing to teach all of their knowledge. At the start of the clinical rotation the practices where mainly observational but day after day I had the opportunity to be involved more and more until finally having total freedom to treat and diagnose athlete. This helped me a lot with developing athletic training and therapy skills and gave a big boost to my English level. Also, I would like to mention the great experience we had at Webster Groves High School with another great professional like Sean Wright ATC, a skilled and proactive AT who was really involved in showing us his way of working and learning from us how we approach the patient; this was absolutely a place where we learn a lot and moreover where we were showed a different ambient from the college sports. 

How not to mention the Arch Madness at the Missouri Valley Conference! Unbelievable experience with many basketball teams from different universities. A show of talents in a real professional stadium such as the Enterpirse Center side by side with a lot of ATT and healthcare professional from all over the United States. A great moment where we had the opportunity to share ideas and our personal history and making friends!

In general, this is a totally recommendable experience for whoever is willing to learn from great professionals and bigger persons! I feel I have acquired new skills, learned a different approach and enriched my professional baggage. Thanks to you all friends, hope to see you soon again!

Experiencia clínica internacional en la Universidad de Saint Louis

By Alfredo Del Giudice (AT Student, Universidad Camilo Jose Cela)

Si está buscando una auténtica experiencia estadounidense de inmersión completa y está dispuesto a aprender nuevas habilidades en atención médica, rehabilitación y entrenamineto, ¡este es el lugar para usted! La Universidad de Saint Louis fue mi hogar durante un par de meses, un lugar donde realmente me sentí parte de una comunidad y tuve la oportunidad de crecer personal y profesionalmente. La estructura del campus, la biblioteca, el gimnasio y las clases están totalmente equipadas con material de última generación y permiten al estudiante tener una gran experiencia didáctica. Además, los servicios que ofrece la universidad son de primer nivel y, en este sentido, me gustaría agradecer especialmente al servicio de alumnos que nos ayudó con la gran cantidad de documentos que teníamos que llenar para formar parte del programa de ATT.

Durante esta experiencia tuve la oportunidad de conocer a grandes profesionales como Anthony Breitbach y Timothy Howell, quienes estuvieron totalmente involucrados en hacer que la estadía en los Estados Unidos fuera la mejor y que fuera lo más completa posible.

Realmente disfruté recibiendo clases teóricas en condiciones médicas, protocolos de rehabilitación, primeros auxilios, suturas y también una simulación de cómo lidiar con una entrevista de trabajo. Esto fue gracias a la alta calidad de las lecciones y sus profesores, pero también debido al gran grupo de estudiantes que seguramente serán profesionales talentosos en el futuro. Cuando puede percibir un ambiente donde todos se esfuerzan por aprender y mejorar cada día, sabe que quién ha organizado este programa está haciendo un gran trabajo con sus estudiantes.

La sala de entrenamiento atlético es un amplio espacio muy bien organizado y equipado con mucho material de rehabilitación (¡también tienen una piscina de rehabilitación con una cinta de correr acuática!) y a su lado hay un gran gimnasio, solo para atletas universitarios, también muy bien equipado. El ambiente en la sala es dinámico y activo, lleno de estudiantes dispuestos a aprender y diferentes profesionales de la salud como AT, PT, Physician y Strength Coach dispuestos a enseñar todo su conocimiento. Al comienzo de la rotación clínica, las prácticas eran principalmente de observación, pero día tras día tuve la oportunidad de involucrarme más y más hasta finalmente tener total libertad para tratar y diagnosticar al atleta. Esto me ayudó mucho con el desarrollo de las habilidades terapéuticas y dio un gran impulso a mi nivel de inglés. Además, me gustaría mencionar la gran experiencia que tuvimos en Webster High School con otro gran profesional como Sean Wright, un ATT experto y proactivo que realmente estuvo involucrado en mostrarnos su forma de trabajar y aprender de nosotros cómo nos acercamos al paciente; este fue absolutamente un lugar donde aprendemos mucho y, además, nos mostraron un ambiente diferente al de los deportes universitarios.

¡Cómo no mencionar el Arch Madness en la Missouri Valley Conference! Experiencia increíble con muchos equipos de baloncesto de diferentes universidades. Una muestra de talentos en un estadio profesional real, como el Enterpirse Center, junto con muchos ATT y profesionales de la salud de todo Estados Unidos. ¡Un gran momento donde tuvimos la oportunidad de compartir ideas y nuestra historia personal y hacer amigos!

En general, esta es una experiencia totalmente recomendable para quien esté dispuesto a aprender de grandes profesionales y personas más grandes. Siento que adquirí nuevas habilidades, aprendí un enfoque diferente y enriquecí mi equipaje profesional. ¡Gracias a todos ustedes amigos, espero verlos pronto de nuevo!

SLU AT Students Experience a Dynamic and Collaborative Learning Environment with Billiken Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Billiken Athletics

By: Caitlyn Thomas, Maria Lingardo, Gwyn Brown, Courtney Nall, Becca McGrail, Justin Durham (SLU MAT Class of 2020) and Josh Hicks, Jose Blanco, Kate Perko, Iris Herrera (Class of 2021)

Being at SLU is a unique experience because of the collaboration between multiple preceptors and students. Even though each preceptor is paired with a student, the students get the opportunity to work together while evaluating patients in the clinic. All of the preceptors have assigned sports, so we get the chance to interact mostly with the sports our preceptors manage. However, when in the clinic, we get the opportunity to help out with treatments of all the athletes, as needed. Every preceptor has a different style of treating; this has given the students multiple exposures to various modes of treatment depending on the injuries. Having this variation is a great way for the students to be exposed to the versatility of athletic training. Another great aspect of SLU is the amount of different health care professionals we have the opportunity to engage with. We can work with strength and conditioning specialists, physicians, physical therapists, and registered dietitians to aide in providing quality care to the athletes.

Courtney Nall and Iris Herrera with preceptor Angie Bradley, ATC: 
We have really enjoyed our clinical experience this semester with the SLU women’s soccer and track and field teams. Our preceptor Angie Bradley, ATC has an immense amount of knowledge and experience and we are grateful to have the opportunity to learn from her. We also appreciate how we can consult other students and preceptors but we still feel like we have plenty to do because there are only 2-3 students per sport.

Justin Durham with preceptor Ben Heimos ATC: 
SLU has been a great clinical experience that has allowed me to get a lot of hands on experience and get to know many great people. Ben has been a great preceptor; he gives me the opportunity to practice my skills everyday and if I ever have a question he is always there to help.

Caitlyn Thomas and Jose Blanco with preceptor Petra Knight, MS, ATC, CES: 
Getting clinical experience with Petra Knight and Women’s Basketball, Field Hockey, and Cross Country at SLU has been enlightening. Petra allows us to be very hands-on with the athletes, and our confidence has sky-rocketed because of that.

Maria Lingardo, Gwyn Brown and Josh Hicks with preceptor Jonathan Burch ATC: 
Our preceptor, Jonathan Burch, makes the clinical site a fun place to learn. Working with other PY1 students is a great way to transfer class material into real world experience. All of the PY2 students and Certified Athletic Trainers are very helpful and enjoy sharing their knowledge with the PY1 students. It is a great atmosphere to get the most out of the clinical experience.

Becca McGrail and Kate Perko with preceptor Elena Melillo. MA, ATC: 
We have really enjoyed having Elena as our preceptor this semester at SLU. Elena covers the softball, volleyball, and women’s swim team. Being a young professional, she is able to give me and the other graduate students doing clinicals at SLU great incite into the transition from being students to certified athletic trainers.

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 Enjoy an Immersive Summer Experience Providing Care for the SLU Billikens

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Athletics
By: Mitchell Buerck (MAT Class of 2020) and Maria Lingardo (MAT Class of 2020)

Starting in July, we had the pleasure of gaining clinical experience at Saint Louis University. Our preceptors, Jonathan Burch ATC and Petra Knight ATC, caring for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Each week we switch off, getting experience with both teams.

Mitchell - I was with the men’s basketball team during the spring semester. It was nice coming back, jumping right back where I left off with practices and helping the players. The women’s team was a new experience for me but I enjoyed it just as much. Being with the men’s basketball team really helped my transition to the women’s team with how they do their practice and rehab. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the summer goes.

Maria - This has been an incredible experience so far. I hope to have a future in Division I athletics, so this setting is perfect for helping me get a feel of how things work. I started off with Petra and the women’s basketball team. I helped set up for practices, helped with treatments and recovery and even ran through rehabs with the athletes. Petra is also in charge of ordering and inventory for the AT room. Getting to help her puts in perspective all of the hard work that AT’s do behind the scenes that no one thinks about. Being with the men’s basketball team has been a similar experience. The players work hard, even at early morning practices, and I’m honored to be helping out.

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

SLU AT Students Enjoy a Dynamic Clinical Learning Environment with Billiken Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Athletics

By: Rory Cusack, Juan Calero Alonso and Matt Murphy (MAT Class of 2019); and Mitchell Buerck, Claire Ditman, Scott Litwitz and Rachel Wilhelm (MAT Class of 2020)

Thus far, our clinical experience with Sports Medicine at Saint Louis University has been an exciting and immersive experience for those of us placed there. Being at an NCAA Division I institution with the Billiken Athletics comes with the special experience of being exposed to a population of athletes completing at a high intensity and demanding level every day. 

Having both first and second year students at the site allows for education through our preceptors and each other, thus furthering our clinical skills while applying new knowledge from the classroom. We each work with a specific few teams under our preceptor, but also get the opportunity to experience other sports and athletes while in the AT room. Our experiences can range from simple wound care to advance rehabilitation program to help an athlete return to sport. SLU Athletic Trainers Jonathan Burch ATC, Ben Heimos ATC, Petra Knight ATC, Elena Melillo ATC and Angie Wills ATC are more than supportive and knowledge preceptors that provide us with valuable resources and knowledge as we continue our education to be Certified Athletic Trainers. 

Additionally, SLU as a clinical site allows for the opportunity with work a large array of resources. As students, we get the opportunity to utilize many modalities and exercise equipment including LASER, ultrasound, electrotherapy, game ready, Normatek, cold tubs and SwimEx, as well as, a fully equipped weight room across the hallway. This equipment allows us to learn, gain confident and diversify our treatment program for athletes. We also have access to strength and conditioning coaches, sports nutritionist, and physical therapy to collaborate with in order to provide the best quality care possible.

Overall, SLU is a clinical site that offers students many different hands on experience in order to advance their skills and  knowledge for the day they become certified athletic trainers. 

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 Student Provides Care for the Billikens in Immersive Clinical Experience with SLU Athletics

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight -  Saint Louis University Athletics

By: Dimitri Kilian (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

During my summer field experience, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine and lead Athletic Trainer for SLU’s men’s basketball and cross country, Jonathan Burch ATC.  Most of our time was spent with men’s basketball during their summer practices in preparation for the upcoming season.  We deal with pre-practice preparation and oversee the team during and after practice.  This would include setting up the hydration station, taping the athletes, and catering to any complaints of injury post practice sessions. 

Because most of the time has been spent with men’s basketball, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know the players well.  That’s something that I haven’t been able to experience and I think it will enhance my care and relationship with the players as my summer field experience progresses.  I’ve learned new techniques in taping, evaluation, practice set up, and rehab.  These are valuable skills that can help my development as a future practitioner.  I’ve also learned more about the less exciting aspects of athletic training like paperwork, but this is still valuable information to know because it is still a very real part of the profession.

As my time here has progressed, I’ve also been able to work with student athletes from other sports that have begun to return to campus.  Most of these students have been soccer players, basketball players, and track and field athletes, and this has increased my exposure to other sports which I haven’t had much of in a university setting.  Most of the work that has been done with these athletes has been preventative to prepare them for their upcoming sports seasons when official practices begin. 

I look forward to what this summer field experience will bring as I continue to learn and grow as a student of the Athletic Training Program.

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

SLU Pre-professional AT Student from Japan Learns About the Importance of Professional Communication in Health Care

New AT Student Blog Post - Haruka Ikeda (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

My first experience of Directed Observation (DO) hours was at John Burroughs High School with Dean Tiffany ATC, Caitlin Gibson (PY2), Danielle Jabczynski (PY1). It was also my first experience to look around a high school in the United States, and actually I am so lucky to have John Burroughs School as my first one. They have clean, orderly AT room and every student athlete respects Dean and also PY students.

The most impressed DO experience for me is a Spring Soccer Tournament at Lou Fusz Rams Park and Fenton Soccer Park. That was the largest soccer tournament for young athletes at St. Louis and there were more than 5 soccer fields inside and outside. At Fenton Soccer Park, SLU Alum Kelly DeGreeff MAT, ATC was with me telling me the importance to have communication with not just athletes or patients, but also coaches and referee, who relates to a game. Young athletes are more sensitive and emotionally unstable than grown athletes, so that’s why ATs need to be more careful and keep an eye out for them. The communication makes us easier to understand athletes condition or a background that should be considered when ATs treat patients.

To be honest, I was quite nervous to do DO hours because of the language barrier, but at the same time I was excited that I got an opportunity to feel the reality of ATs in sports field in my bones. Since I was a student athletic trainer when I was in japan, which was 2 years ago, one of the reasons why I came to the US is to feel the difference between the countries. All of my DO experiences including John Burroughs HS, SEC Gymnastics Championships, Washington University, Track meet at SLU, and the Spring Soccer Tournament were absolutely great opportunities for me to feel and understand the difference.

Thank you all the preceptors and older students, and I also want to thank all of my friendly classmates.

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.