SLU AT Student Appreciates Preceptor's Guidance in Busy Setting with St. Louis Scott Gallagher

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - Saint Louis Scott Gallagher/Mercy Sports Medicine 

By: Chase Long (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

This summer, I have had the pleasure of working with Saint Louis Scott Gallagher (SLSG) Soccer. 

Getting to work under the guidance my preceptor, SLU alum Emily Costabile MAT ATC, through Mercy Sports Medicine has been essential to my growth as a future clinician. I am thankful that she was open to sharing her wealth of sports medicine knowledge with me.  

SLSG has allowed me to broaden my evaluation skills on a wide variety of soccer athletes, as well as how to treat and prevent these injuries.  Because of the high number of athletes we get to interact with everyday, Emily has also helped me improve on my manual therapy techniques that I can utilize in moving forward as an athletic trainer.  

Emily's guidance this summer has been exceptionally beneficial, and I am grateful for the opportunity to get to work with such a unique population of athletes.  

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 Gets Soccer Experience at Multiple Levels with STLFC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - Mercy Sports Medicine/STLFC/St. Louis Scott Gallagher

By: Alex Hubbs (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

Splitting time between the Saint Louis Football Club and Saint Louis Scott Gallagher Club Football has been a beneficial clinical experience operating under Mercy Sports Medicine. The guidance of both Brian Bounds, MPT, ATC, LAT, CSCS and Emily Costabile, ATC (SLU MAT class of 2015) has been instrumental to my clinical education, and I am thankful for their open mindedness towards new ideas, as well as their vast knowledge of all things sports medicine. Each of them urge continuous education and present new challenges to tackle as a team each day.

STLFC has allowed me to expand and improve upon my manual therapy techniques under ATC Brian Bounds. Managing professional soccer players requires a lot of focus and dedication - not only from the athletic training staff, but from the athletes as well.

Working with this club has been incredible, and each player has shown their dedication to their team and sport throughout my time interacting with them. With the help of Brian, we have implemented preventative exercises into their warm-ups, as well as the utilization of GPS Sports Tracker technology to track each player’s exertion levels day-to-day.

In contrast, SLSG has allowed me to focus on evaluation skills on a broad spectrum of soccer athletes. Collaborating with Emily Costabile on common mechanisms of injury, prevention of those injuries, and how to treat them when they do occur, has improved my skills as a clinician.

SLSG is a great clinical example of a site at which an ATC may not know every athlete that they cover, so establishing trust quickly and effectively with each new athlete we see is essential.

Emily’s flexibility towards her ever-changing population is an admirable trait I hope to carry as a future ATC. The guidance of each preceptor this summer has been extremely beneficial, and I am thankful for the opportunity to work with two incredibly diverse and challenging patient populations.

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 Benefits from Multiple Settings at Mercy Sports Medicine and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - Mercy Sports Medicine and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club, St. Louis, MO

By: Sarah Haenchen (SLU MAT Class of 2017)

My summer field experience is at Mercy Sports Medicine Clinic with Meghan Mulloy, ATC and Amanda Keenan, ATC. I am getting experience with Saint Louis Scott Gallagher Soccer Club with Emily Costabile, ATC (SLU MAT class of 2015). I enjoy the two settings as it provides me with different challenges.

Mercy Sports Medicine takes a different approach to therapy. We do not just treat the injured area; we treat the whole body. When one part of the body is injured, other parts may have to take up more work and this can cause movement dysfunction. I have learned how to assess movement through the Selective Functional Movement Assessment and the Functional Movement Assessment screens. Once we find a dysfunction, we will work on breakout sessions that target the dysfunction so that the patient can become more functional. The dysfunctions we find are related to mobility and stability. We first work on mobility, and then focus of stability so that we can prevent the dysfunction from returning. 

While at the clinic, I have also improved my skills in manual therapy especially massage. The clinic does not have any modalities because they believe that the hands can do as good of a job as a modality. Working with my hands lets me assess the areas that need treatment. After the treatment, I am able to feel the difference in the quality of the soft tissue. I love working in the clinic because of the wide range of ages that I work with and the variety of conditions that are seen. Amanda and Meghan have let me choose exercises and expand my knowledge about different conditions and their theories to therapy. 

With Saint Louis Scott Gallagher at Soccer Park, Emily and I provide athletic health care for the U 15, 16, 19, and 23 teams for camps. There are two small athletic training rooms that we share with Saint Louis FC. Sometimes it gets packed in the rooms, but we do our best to make sure that everyone is taken care of and out on the field in time for practice. Emily gives me the opportunity to choose the exercises and come up with the treatment plans for those who need rehab. It is a challenge to determine which exercises are best, but I am glad that Emily is there to also provide her input. I am also able to practice my evaluation skills especially when there is an acute injury. 

My time at both places has been very valuable and I have gained a new perspective in treating patients. Amanda, Meghan and Emily are great athletic trainers to work with, and I am always ready for the challenges they give me. 

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