SLU AT Program Welcomes Alumni Back as Lab Instructors

The Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program is proud to welcome back alumni Alex Hubbs MAT, ATC and Maddie Bozych MAT, ATC to serve as adjunct lab instructors.

A native of Liberty, MO, Alex received a Bachelor's degree from Truman State University before entering the SLU AT Program as a post-baccalaureate student in 2016, and graduating with a Master of Athletic Training (MAT) degree in 2018. He serves at the Athletic Trainer at Pattonville High School in Maryland Heights, MO.  He will work with Dr. Kitty Newsham in MAT 5240 - Musculoskeletal Assessment and Management I and MAT 5250 - Musculoskeletal Assessment and Management II.

Maddie is from Glen Ellyn, IL and entered SLU as a freshman in 2016, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science in 2020 and a MAT degree in 2021.  She has a position as an Athletic Trainer with SLU Billiken Athletics; and will work with Dr. Anthony Breitbach in DPT/MAT 4125 - Therapeutic Modalities in the Fall and with Dr. Mike Markee in MAT 5500 - Rehabilitation in Athletic Training I in the Spring.

Welcome Alex and Maddie!

Students in the SLU MAT Class of 2021 Celebrate Excellence and Scholarship

On Friday, May 7, 2021 students in the Saint Louis University Master of Athletic Training Class of 2021 presented their Capstone Project presentations virtually to the Doisy College of Health Sciences from the Multipurpose Room of the Allied Health Building on the SLU Medical Center Campus.

The SLU MAT Capstone Project is the culminating scholarly product that our students develop to meet the requirements of the Master of Athletic Training Degree.  

The topics of the 2021 projects can be viewed here: https://sluathletictraining.com/2021/04/slu-mat-class-of-2021-hosts-virtual.html

Video of the entire event is posted on YouTube: https://youtu.be/x-S71vzJoz4

The SLU AT Program's Excellence in Professional Service Award and Clinical Excellence Award were presented to graduating students at the event.  The Academic Excellence Award was presented after the final grades are posted at the end of the spring semester. 

Excellence in Professional Service

Academic Excellence

Kate Perko 

Clinical Excellence

Maddie Bozych

SLU MAT Class of 2021 Hosts Virtual Capstone Day on Friday May 7th

Students in the Saint Louis University Master of Athletic Training Class of 2021 will be presenting their Capstone Projects virtually on-line on May 7, 2021 starting at 1:00 pm 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.

2021 SLU MAT CAPSTONE DAY SCHEDULE

Access via Zoom: 

https://slu.zoom.us/j/95397890465?pwd=QWorNVBLOURVRnFLUk5Sd2dyaVRYdz09

Password: 141036

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

SLU AT Students Enjoy Summer Clinical Experience with the Billikens

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Saint Louis University Billiken Athletics

By: Maddie Bozych and Kaylla Juarez (MAT Class of 2021)

Saint Louis University Athletic Training Students have made adjustments to the changing conditions during the Summer of 2020.  Maddie Bozych and Kaylla Juarez discuss their common, but separate and socially distanced, immersive clinical experience with SLU Billiken Athletics.

Maddie Bozych 

I had a great summer experience getting to be involved with the SLU Men’s basketball team! While it was a different type of summer, it was just as interesting! I got to learn from Jonathan Burch, ATC, who not only has great expertise on being a Division 1 basketball athletic trainer, but also as the director of sports medicine. It was a great experience to see all the conversations that went into making a safe summer for the basketball team among a pandemic. Some of the Covid precautions I was a part of were figuring out how to reconfigure the athletic training room to make it as safe and distances as a possible, and taking temperatures. 

My daily routine consisted of getting all the supplies ready for weight training, and once we progressed to practices, taping. Once the players were taken care of, I got a look into all of the paperwork it is important for athletes to have at the start of every year, and practice logging it into the software.  

Aside from seeing some of the behind the scenes of what a director of sports medicine and AT does during a pandemic, I did get to do some rehabbing! I was fortune to also get to learn from Mike Markee, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT, ATC and be a part of the post-op rehabs of one of our athletes. It was great interprofessional experience as I got to go to physical therapy session and learn the exercises, and then take the athlete through them on off days. Having this bridge role was a great experience for a PY2. I learned a lot in a short time! 

Kaylla Juarez

This summer I was able to get clinical experience with SLU’s Men’s Basketball team with my preceptor Jonathan Burch ATC (JB), Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine.  During my time at SLU, I was able to get back into practicing taping skills that I have not been able to do in a few months.  I was able to learn new taping skills through JB and get a better understanding of why we tape our basketball players the way we do.  

I also got to look at the administration side of athletic training that I did not get a lot of experience with at my other clinical sites.  With us still being in a pandemic, there was a lot of paperwork that had to be done before the rest of the student athletes returned back to campus. It was nice to understand all aspects of athletic training and administration work is something I often forget comes along with this career. SLU will be my clinical site for the 2020-2021 school year, and I am excited to see what else I can learn from my preceptor JB and other preceptors I come across in the SLU athletic training room. 

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 from Multiple Levels Learn in an Interprofessional Context at John Burroughs School

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - John Burroughs School

By: Hannah Daily (SLU MAT Class of 2020) and Maddie Bozych (SLU MAT Class of 2021)

John Burroughs is such a fantastic place to be for an athletic training student. As a school, they are a 7th-12th grade institution that has a holistic approach to education with pride in their high rigor academics and extracurricular activities. The athletic mission at JBS is “to champion character through athletics so that we cultivate holistic growth in self and community” which shines through in their policy that the student must be in a sport every season, or be in a weight lifting program. 

The facilities at JBS cannot be beat for a secondary school. The athletic training room is connected to the nurses office, which cultivates a great opportunity for interprofessional work between the two, which is vital at the high school level. They have many modalities like heat, whirlpool, electrical stim and ultrasound. They also have many great tools for rehab as well. 

Dean Tiffany ATC is the head athletic trainer at John Burroughs. Dean has taught us great taping techniques, the importance of good evaluation and special test skills, and we even got to play around with cupping. Along with being the head AT, he is the wrestling coach and assistant athletic director. Dean has shown through all his responsibilities, what directions you can take in this profession and it is really exciting to see all the opportunities you could have if you work hard enough! 

The winter was quite busy at JBS with basketball, wrestling and swimming in full swing. Brian Bounds has filled in as AT throughout the winter while Dean has been coaching. He is an athletic trainer through Mercy and has experience with professional soccer. Brian has shown us a lot that he has learned throughout his career, especially manual techniques. There is a great relationship between PY1 and PY2 here. We have to work together on a lot of the athletes and put both of our knowledge together to find the best for the patient. JBS is a great place for the PY2 to step up and show their role as a mentor to the PY1. 

Dean has cultivated great relationships with everyone at the school, and there is a lot of respect for him and the athletic training students. Everyone I have encountered at JBS has been amazing. The Athletic director, Peter Tasker, is so welcoming and great towards us. The coaches are all amazing in giving us their full cooperation and trust while treating the athletes. The students are fantastic and are used to having SLU students, so they are quick to open up, very respectful, and will do any treatment or rehab we ask of them. 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.

SLU AT Students Enjoy Learning in Dynamic Clinical Environment with Washington University Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University Athletics
By: Mitchell Buerck, Maria Lingardo, Allison Stefan (MAT Class of 2020) and  
Maddie Bozych, Kaylla Juarez, Allison Stefan, Joey Wenzl (MAT Class of 2021)

At Washington University, we are fortunate to learn from four highly experienced athletic trainers while having access to amazing facilities and equipment. The semester there are three PY1’s, Maddie Bozych, Kaylla Juarez, and Joey Wenzl , and three PY2’s, Allison Stefan, Mitchell Buerck, and Maria Lingardo. The six of us have the opportunity to cover a well-respected Division 3 football program that is composed of great athletes who are appreciative of our help. Each day brings new learning opportunities in the fast paced world of football. Each week brings new injuries which we get to evaluate and treat with a multitude of modalities, and create rehab programs to get them back to play.

To prepare for practices and games, we use modalities such as electrical stim, laser, game ready, alter-G, and an underwater treadmill to treat and rehab our athletes to ensure they can play at their fullest potential. During games we are able to efficiently and effectively use the skills we have learned from Grant Rohrig, MAT, ATC, (our preceptor) and through our SLU AT program to help evaluate and treat our athletes to assist them to quickly get back to the game. During our clinical rotation we all get the opportunity to travel with the football team. During travel trips we get more exposure of what it may be like to have a career in a college or professional sports team setting. These trips present us a chance to use our skills in an environment that is different than our usual AT room that doesn’t have all the great modalities. It forces us to adapt to use what we have at our disposal.

As stated earlier, at WashU we get to learn and observe from four different certified athletic trainers who all come from unique backgrounds and levels of experience. Rick Larsen, MS, ATC, Jim Anderson, BS, ATC, Mary Collins, MAT, ATC and Grant Rohrig, MAT, ATC  give four perspectives on taping techniques, injury evaluations, and rehabilitation programs. There is a great balance between teaching by example, and letting us learn on our own. By letting us learn on our own, while they are overseeing, they challenge us to use the knowledge we’ve learned to make rehab and treatment decisions for our athletes. We all are looking forward to the rest of the semester and seeing how our skills improve.

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 in the MAT Class of 2021 Write About Their Transition to Professional Phase of the Program

The Professional Phase of the Saint Louis University Athletic Training has two points of entry: (1) as a graduate student after receiving a bachelor's degree; and (2) as a progressing student in SLU's freshman-entry 3+2 Master of Athletic Training program.

SLU Pre-professional AT students take MAT 3000 - AT Student Development II in spring of their junior year where they prepare to enter the professional phase of the program.  This course includes directed observation in athletic training clinical settings and professional engagement. Each of these student writes a blog post about these experiences as they look forward to progressing into the professional phase of the program:

Maria Balistreri

I completed the majority of my observation hours with SLU Athletics. I got the opportunity to observe and help with a variety of Athletic Training events, including SLU Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, SLU Volleyball, SLU Track and Field meet preparation, and returning athlete physicals.  I was fortunate enough to get the chance to experience Athletic Training in a few of its different capacities, not just game coverage, but also practice, pre-game, behind-the-scenes event prep, and annual mandatory physicals. It was a really great look into the reality of Athletic Training, as I got to observe multiple of SLU’s Athletic Trainers and be involved with an assortment of events.  In my very first direct observation event, I was observing Men’s Basketball game coverage. During the game, an opposing player suffered and injury on the court and was immediately tended to and transported off the court to the AT room for treatment. The speed and efficiency of action to care was both impressive and exciting. Being only steps away from the incident, it was really cool to see the fast-paced reaction to the scene. 

Jose Blanco

This semester I had the opportunity to observe SLU’s women softball and volleyball athletic trainer, Elena Melillo. After observing the softball team’s practices and games for several hours, I feel more confident to face my first semester in the professional phase as well as my first clinical experience. Looking carefully at the interaction of the athletic trainer with the team members taught me that building a strong relationship between the athletic trainer and his or her athletes is key, especially if it is based on trusting each other. This experience also gave me an insight of what an appropriate relationship between the athletic trainer and the athletic training student should be. As a student, I understand that my clinical knowledge is going to build with time and experience, but a way to make the learning process faster is definitely going to be by asking questions and observing the techniques and interactions of the athletic trainer at my clinical site. 

Maddie Bozych

My favorite experience of direct observation was working the Lou Fusz soccer tournament under the Athletic Trainers from the Young Athletes Center. I got to see a lot of action and injury, compared to the other high school and colleges I went to. I also got to talk to three great Athletic Trainers, from different settings, all in one day. I got to ask a lot of questions and hear about how four different people used their AT degree. Because of the high volume of activity at a soccer tournament, I got to see more injuries. I also got to go onto the field for each one with the Athletic Trainer. It was a great experience to get to see the first reaction and steps of when AT asses the injury. The AT’s were great about letting me get right up to the action. The best part of the experience was getting to hear from different ATs. They all came from different paths of education and went a different route with their degree. One went on to become an Occupational Therapist, one works for an orthopedic surgeon, and one has a main role at the Young Athletes Center.  They encouraged questions and we had very real conversation about the profession and health care as a whole. Getting to ask questions and talk about the different paths of AT was such a valuable experience that I will cherish down the road into my profession phase. 

Nick Fanselow

This past year I have had many wonderful experiences that have prepared me to enter the professional phase of the Athletic Training Program at Saint Louis University. These experiences have included professional development where I have been able to immerse myself in the network of athletic trainers and direct observation of practicing athletic trainers at various clinical sights. Although my path as a pre-med student is different than most athletic training students, these experiences have been so beneficial and have set me up to succeed not only in my last year as an undergrad at SLU but also during medical school and far beyond. The professional development activities that I have been able to take part in this year include things like the Athletic Training Speaker Series, the SLATS Bowl-a-thon, and the Athletic Training Capstone presentations. These events all allow students networking opportunities and a unique experience to learn from peers. The amount of knowledge gained from watching the capstone presentations was outstanding. The students put in hard work on their research topics which covered a wide array of topics that any health professional would find beneficial. In the coming year I look forward to continuing my professional development and I am especially excited that I have the opportunity to be the Vice President for Iota Tau Alpha, our Athletic Training Honors Society. I was able to observe many different athletic trainers and graduate athletic training students at a variety of clinical sights. I was able to be with teams like Webster Groves High School Basketball and SLU track and field as well as attend coordinated events such as the Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament. Being able to learn from professionals in a direct clinical setting is a great experience. Each athletic trainer has insight and invaluable information to be shared with students willing to learn. These experiences have helped prepared me to engage with patients in future settings. I am very excited to be moving forward in the SLU Athletic Training program and I look forward to where the future takes me!

Iris Herrera 

Over the course of this spring semester I have learned a lot at Harris-Stowe State University. I was able to observe preceptor Timothy Herlihy ATC and Carmen Roberson (MAT Class of 2020) during my time there. A big bulk of what I saw in Harris Stowe’s AT room was rehabilitation. Athletes came in throughout the day for rehab appointments that also incorporated strengthening. Tim is the only athletic trainer at Harris Stowe, which means that he sees and treats all of the athletes at Harris Stowe. His knowledge about injuries, common injuries within each sport, and rehabilitation exercises is inspiring. I really like that Tim has a lot of trust in Carmen, so she was able to have a lot of hands on experiences with the athletes coming in. I also appreciate that Tim shared a lot of wisdom with me and talked to me about his personal experiences as an AT in different settings. I really enjoyed going in to the AT room and seeing athletes following a rehab protocols because I’m personally really interested in the rehab component of Athletic Training.  While I was not able to work directly with any athletes at Harris Stowe, I have learned a lot this semester from Tim and Carmen. Moving forward I hope to be as knowledgeable as Tim and as eager to learn and have hands-on experiences as Carmen.  

Kaylla Juarez

During my time observing certified Athletics Trainers and the PY1 and PY2’s, I got to get a better understanding of the setting of being an AT. I was able to observe a high school setting and the college setting of Athletic Training.  At the sites I have gone to, I experienced different aspects of each setting.  The site I have pictured was when I observed a soccer/ lacrosse tournament at Creve Coeur Soccer Complex.  At this site it was for younger athletes, rather than high school or college athletes. It was interesting to see how to handle younger kids, compared to older athletes I usually get to observe. While at Creve Coeur, not many athletes came to the AT tent for injuries.  They were mostly bumps or scrapes that needed bandages or ice from us.  It was much less to do, compared to high school or college athletes who seemed to be constantly coming in and out of the AT rooms or tents.  In the college and high school setting, I was able to observe rehab implementation much more.  Before or after games athletes would come into the AT room and tent where they spent a lot of time in rehab or icing to prevent further injury. Whereas in this setting, the AT’s will only briefly meet with their athletes if they get an injury. Most of the time is was very minor. In a high school or college setting, the AT’s work more closely to their athletes and build strong relationships between each other. The setting of college and high schoolers is something I enjoyed observing more, because of the relationship that was built between the AT and athlete. 

Kate Perko

I spent the final weekend of April at the Creve Coeur Soccer Park completing my direct observation hours with a soccer tournament. One of my preceptors for the weekend was Tom McGowan, ATC. He and the other Athletic Trainers are part of the Young Athletes Center of St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University at St. Louis Physicians. He answered all questions I had on the profession and warmly welcomed me into the team of health care professionals despite the cold weather. During the first day it rained most of the morning and into the afternoon. Not exactly what I had in mind for my Saturday morning, but the young players were still out on the field practicing and competing. My estimate of the age range for this soccer tournament would be Elementary through Junior High. There was a few injuries, bumps and bruises, that occurred that morning. I quickly caught on, especially with the younger ones, that often the child would be hit with a ball or kicked by an opponent and fall. It would be shocking and scary for the child, so they would take their time standing up and by the time the Athletic Trainers got to them on the field or the bench the child had calmed down and was only shaken up a little bit. I am very happy to not see a child more seriously injured but after the first few times running out on the field for no injury I was a little bored. I remembered though that with people of such a young age that ball to the cheek or collision with an opponent may have been one of the most painful and scary moments they had experienced in their life so far. The child is not over-reacting or “crying wolf” to get a break from the game, instead they are learning about their body. They are learning about what their body can take, what their pain tolerance is, how to handle potential injuries safely. I was pleased to see the referees, coaches, and parents want to have their kids checked out. In older athletes’, injuries might often be hidden or ignored until the problem gets too large to handle on their own. It is important for the adults taking care of the players to tend toward the side of caution as it teaches the young players to trust the healthcare providers that will be caring for them into adulthood. 

Joey Wenzl

This semester was my most enjoyable one so far in the AT program. Finally getting to go out to different sites to see what happened was very much enjoyed, even if I didn’t get to do much. My favorite site this semester was John Burroughs School. It had the most going on there when I was there. I enjoyed watching the sporting games and although unfortunate there were some injuries. I played along with what I saw and how I would go about finding what was wrong and then what I would do about it. Before the games, the AT room was busy with many different students and seeing everything that happened there and how the after-school rush was handled was impressive. The ability to get everyone treated and in and out in a timely matter was impressive and involved a team effort from everyone that was there. Talking to the students was also fun. I wasn’t sure if they would be open and willing to talk to me since I was new and didn’t really do anything, but they were and hearing what they had to say was interesting and helped make my time feel more worthwhile.  

SLU AT Students Enjoy Engaging with the Community at the St. Louis Science Center's HealthFest

We had a great time again at HealthFest this year!  Every year students from the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program  participate in this event, hosted by the St. Louis Science Center, to help children and families experience health and science with hands-on experiences.

We had tons of fun running through an obstacle course created with various rehab tools. Children ran through an agility ladder, cones, mini hurdles and worked on balance. Not only did the children have fun, but parents were able to try some of the rehab activities as well. We were able to educate the parents on how to incorporate some of our activities in their children’s life and make it enjoyable for the family.

A team of athletic training students from freshman to PY2 years were able to work collaboratively to teach HealthFest 2016 attendees about athletic training and run through the obstacle course with the children. 

Plans are already in the works for next year's HealthFest, which will be rebranded as "Healthy U", next year!

SLU AT Students Have a Fun and Successful Homecoming Weekend

Showing our Billiken Pride on Homecoming Weekend!

By: Jenna Ginsberg (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

On Saturday, September 24th, I was part of a group of SLU AT students, who also included Stephanie Ross, Collin Peterson and Olivia Robinson, provided athletic training services at the Cheryl Cavallo Hustle for your Health 5K. The Physical Therapy department organized the annual race as part of SLU’s Homecoming festivities. Along with Dr. Breitbach, the athletic training students contributed to this event by following the crowd of racers through the course on a golf cart, ready to pick up or care for anyone that may need assistance. 

We were also present at the finish line to hand out water and administer first aid as needed. The course led the participants all throughout SLU’s medical campus, and the sunny but mild morning was perfect race weather. This event also proved to be a great way for a potential SLU student to see what the Athletic Training program is all about, as she got to mingle with us and ask questions, as well as witness us applying our knowledge in a practical setting. 

After the race there was a pancake breakfast and an open house in the Allied Health Building.  The AT Program hosted our visitors in the Modalities Lab.

The Athletic Training program also took part in the Homecoming Float parade that afternoon. Freshman students Kacie Frost and Maddie Bozych stepped up to the task of decorating our cart, and the results turned out great. 

All in all, it was a very successful Homecoming weekend, and I enjoyed being part of it.