SLU AT Students Enjoy Immersive Clinical Experience in the SEC at Ole Miss

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - University of Mississippi Athletics - Oxford, MS
By: Jazmon Carroll and Catherine Chua  (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

We have had the pleasure of having a summer field experience at the University of Mississippi under preceptor Corbit Franks ATC. Franks has provided us with a well-rounded and unique exposure with NCAA Division I Athletics in the Southeastern Conference. The bulk of our time has been spent preparing the Women’s Soccer team for their season this fall. We deal with pre-practice treatments, practice and workout coverage, hydration and helping with any other complaints of injury post practice.

Being with a single primary sport makes it easy to build rapport with the athletes and build closer bonds than we've been able to have at a smaller college. The relationship we’ve been able to build with the women’s soccer team here at Ole Miss is one of a kind and we both cherish the experience and bond with the athletes. They’ve been able to feel comfortable coming to us with any pre-existing injuries, any worries or thoughts about current training, and life in general. The ability to build these relationships will be incredibly important in the future of our profession.

We have been able to learn all parts of the athletic training here at OleMiss. Treatments, hydration, diet, along with the paperwork and office work have all been a part of the experience. We are incredibly excited to continue with the women’s soccer team through their preseason and be able to attend their first regular season game before returning to Saint Louis.

We hope to continue learning sport-specific treatments and rehabilitation for soccer and are very eager to see how this team does throughout their season!

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 and Faculty Team Up at Nike Basketball Camp

Saint Louis University's Simon Recreation Center serves as the host site for one of the nation's top basketball events each June.  

Nike invites some of the country's top high school freshmen and sophomore basketball players to the Elite 100 Basketball Camp to help them develop their skills on and off the court.  Many of the top players currently in the NBA participated in this event over the years.

Once again this year, on June 7-10, 2018, SLU Athletic Training Program faculty and students worked side by side to provide medical care for the camp.  

This provides a great clinical connection for our program, and has emerged into a tradition and gives them a common experience over the years.

We appreciate this opportunity each year to empower our students in a fun and exciting clinical environment.

SLU Pre-professional AT Student Gains Confidence Through Directed Observation Experiences

New AT Student Blog Post - Conner Mongoven (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

As a Junior in the SLU AT program, I am getting ready to transition into the professional phase of the program. It is hard to look ahead and know exactly what to expect and what it will be like starting with Gross Anatomy this summer, but throughout MAT 3000 and direct observation hours, I have gotten a much better grasp as to what I will experience these next two years.

I got to experience a lot of different settings in my Directed Observation (DO) hours, including the Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament at the Scottrade Center, SLU Club Hockey at Webster Groves, SLU Track and Field at the Medical Campus track, and both the Southeastern Conference gymnastics championships and NCAA gymnastics championships at Chaifetz Arena. My favorite experiences were at hockey and gymnastics. I enjoyed the fast pace of hockey and witnessing PY2 student Pat O’Neill and Dr. Timothy Howell discuss their opinions of a shoulder injury of one of the opposing players, and hearing their thoughts of how that team’s athletic trainer was handling the situation and the injury. At gymnastics, which I had never before seen in person, it was cool to see the amount of team morale and crowd support, and the constant cheering as each event took place simultaneously. I got a lot of insight from PY1 students Adam Long and Jazmon Carroll at the SEC Championships about their clinical experiences and what to expect as I move on to the professional phase of the program.

After learning some basic skills in MAT 3000 and doing direct observation hours, I am really excited to begin the next phase of the program and work towards the Master of Athletic Training Degree and AT certification. Hearing from current students above me has given me the confidence to know that no matter how hard anything seems now, that I will be able to excel in the program. I can’t wait to move forward and continue this journey in the SLU AT program.

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.

SLU Pre-professional AT Student Appreciates Directed Observation Experiences in Preparation for the Next Stage of the Program

New AT Student Blog Post - Mitchell Buerck (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

Going into Junior year, I was a bit nervous with Directed Observation (DO) hours and the last year before becoming a Professional Year (PY) student. It all changed going to my first DO experience with PY2 student Caitlyn Gibson, PY1 student Danielle Jabczynski, and Dean Tiffany ATC, the athletic trainer at John Burroughs. The AT room there was so different than anything I’d ever seen. Going there was definitely an eye opener and I’m very thankful for the experience.

What really got me excited for going into professional phase was the NCAA Gymnastics championship. I’ve never had experience with gymnastics before and I didn’t know much about it and thought that I wouldn’t enjoy it all too much, but doing DO hours there really changed my mind. It was very fast paced with everything going on and a different atmosphere that I’d never seen before. It was nice having PY1 student Jazmon Carroll to explain how everything worked and AT faculty member Dr. Timothy Howell make me feel welcomed and talk about the next two years of the program. It was a great experience that I’ll never forget and would love to do more events like that again.

I think doing DO hours really helped me with what I will be doing the next two years and what I need to learn to become the AT I want to be. Talking with the older students about gross anatomy really made me feel better knowing that if they can do it, so can I. The DO hours gave me a head start for my PY years and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

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.

SLU AT Students Benefit from a Wide Range of Clinical Opportunities at Lindenwood-Belleville

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Lindenwood University -Belleville

By: Ben Wildman (SLU MAT Class of 2018), Jazmon Carroll, Cody Hutson, and Chris Mecherle (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

The college experience at Lindenwood University - Belleville has been an amazing experience thus far. Shifting from a high school to a college has been an adjustment, but the plethora of modalities, staff, and diligent, hard-working student athletes has been a pleasure to be around. Life in a larger athletic training room has its challenges such as: staying organized, staying clean, and addressing less than full functioning appliances. However, it also has its perks including: more space for rehab, extra plinths, increased storage space, a more inviting atmosphere for student-athletes, and much more. The benefits outweigh the inconveniences by far, and we have never had a problem performing treatments before and after practices due to lack of space. The staff, athletes, and AT students have definitely appreciated its utility.

One of the main differences between being a athletic training student at a high school compared to a college is the number of sports teams you are assigned to. In a college setting, you typically are given one, maybe two or three sports, while you are the athletic trainer for all teams at a high school setting. At Lindenwood, we were all assigned to one sport. One of us is with wrestling, one with rugby, another is with baseball, and one with Men and Women’s ice hockey. By being with different sports, this is giving us the opportunity to have different experiences despite being at the same clinical site. This also provides us with opportunities to learn from our peers as we share techniques and teachable moments when we are all together. We are grateful to be given the chance to share a learning environment with our peers in the Lindenwood-Belleville Athletic Training Education Program. We are very lucky to have opportunities to mentor and learn alongside them.

Ben Wildman (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

As a PY2, I continued my clinical experience at LU-B after football season by joining the men and women’s ice hockey teams under the mentorship of Tim Woodstock, MS, ATC/LAT. Tim and I spend our afternoons at the Meramec Shark Tank where the teams practice and provide Athletic Training services for games on Friday and Saturday nights. Both of our teams have successfully secured bids to their respective National Championship Tournaments, which are played over spring break. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of their trip and their quest for the title of National
Champions. I really enjoy being around the student-athletes as they all have very diverse backgrounds. We have student-athletes that hail from Europe, Canada, and Australia. Each student-athlete brings unique experiences and talents to their teams. Being at the ice rink has forced Tim and I to become creative with our intervention strategies as well as our equipment and space. There is never a bad day at the rink as we are always having fun and learning every single day.

Jazmon Carroll (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Going into my second clinical rotation at LU-B, I have been placed under the mentorship of Lauren Randazzo, MA, ATC, CSCS. Everyday during the week, Lauren and I, along with another AT student at Lindenwood, facilitate rehabilitations, prepare athletes for practice, and then head up to both men and women’s wrestling practices. Being a part of the wrestling team at LU-B has been an unexpectedly great experience. Coming in, I was not familiar with wrestling in the slightest bit, but now I have gotten really into the sport. On February 17th, LU-B hosted the Men’s Wrestling AMC Conference Championships. Despite it being a fifteen-hour day, it ended up being an amazing opportunity where I was able to learn a lot. At the end of the day, three of our wrestlers placed second, while one of them advanced to Nationals. Not only is there success on the men’s team, but one of the athletes on the female team recently became the National Champion. As previously stated, this experience has been a great one, and everyday I am learning and having fun. I am so grateful.

Cody Hutson (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Never would I think that I would be helping out a sport such as men’s rugby. It is such an aggressive sport that I was honestly intimidated by. But I have had the opportunity to get to know a couple of the athletes and they treat me with respect and like part of their close-knit family. While I have had the ability to work with good athletes, I have been even luckier to have Sarah Hayden MAT, ATC as my preceptor. She is always available to answer any questions I may have and has enough confidence in me to wait until I ask for guidance or consider my answer as a possible option even if it isn’t her first choice. I am not always confident in myself but having someone behind me as a guide towards on hand learning is definitely the most beneficial way for me to learn. I am having a great amount of fun with the people that surround me at this clinical site and I cannot wait to see what else this semester has in store for me there. 

Chris Mecherle (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Experience with the baseball team at LU-B began as a slow recovery for many injured players at the start of the season. Under the guidance of Stephen (Curtis) Wilkerson MS, ATC we have been able to successfully rehabilitate many of the previously injured players back to their full potential. We have spent more time this year at baseball practices than spent in previous years, and it has given us the chance to get to know the guys more and examine what makes some individuals more prone to injury. Being around Curtis, the other Lindenwood students, and the members of the baseball team has been a very rewarding experience, since we can all put forth our knowledge to keep the team healthy. Be it at double headers, practices, or in the AT room, injury prevention and rehabilitation are always being performed.

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 has Rewarding Experience with the Students and Staff at Triad HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Triad High School
By: Jazmon Carroll (MAT Class of 2019)

Since August, I have had the opportunity to join the athletic training staff and student athletes at Triad High School in Troy, Illinois. I have had the pleasure in observing and learning from Jack Edgar ATC, my preceptor, as we work with Triad Athletics. So far, our main focus has been on football, but I have also been given opportunities to work with individual athletes of other sports as they progress through their injury rehabilitation.

Each day, I arrive about two hours before all practices begin. During this time, I assist in practice prep and preparing the athletes for practice, through taping, modality and manual therapy. After all preparations are finish, I then go out and cover football practice. Typically, you can find me at every football practice, every Varsity football game, every home JV/Freshman football game, and every home soccer game. Being at these events is important because it allows me to not only provide medical assistance when needed, but I am also able to connect and get to know the athletes.

The best day out of the week would definitely have to be game day. Fans fill the stands in excitement as they cheer on their Knights. I can honestly say the Troy community supports their players no matter what. Regardless of the results, they are proud of them.

Ending the game with a victory is thrilling, but for me the most rewarding part would have to be witnessing an injured athlete return to play, and I would say that I have the best seat in the house.

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.