SLU AT Student Learns New Skills in Regenerative Therapy at Bluetail Medical Group

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Bluetail Medical Group

By: Amra Kardasevic (MAT Class of 2022)

I am currently in the middle of my summer field experience at Bluetail Medical Group and I am loving it! My preceptor, Devon Guckes, ATC, works an athletic trainer with physician Matthew Bayes MD. Dr. Bayes specializes in sports medicine injuries and non-operative treatments including regenerative therapies. He utilizes ultrasound to guide his treatments and aid in confirming diagnoses. 

Devon’s role consists of performing initial evaluations on new patients, doing follow-up interviews on patients that have been recently treated, preparing equipment for procedures and injections, and many other things. The regenerative treatments that they do are mostly for patients with arthritis. The stem cells help to regenerate cartilage and give those people around 5-7 years of relief before it starts deteriorating again. They are also used for muscle tears and partial ligament and tendon tears, to help rebuild them more quickly and decrease the chance of reinjury. It has been very cool to see patients come back for a follow up and be doing a lot better because of these treatments.

This summer at Bluetail I have had the opportunity to see patients and complete their history and evaluations on my own. After doing this, I am able to go in with Dr. Bayes and assist with the ultrasound and observe him doing his evaluation and giving recommendations for treatment. I have also been able to assist him with some procedures and injections, which has been a very unique experience that I have not gotten to have before. We have seen patients with lots of different musculoskeletal injuries, along with a good amount of concussions so I am getting a lot of exposure to pretty much everything. It is also a different patient population than I am used to, with a wide range of ages and activity levels that we see.

I am really enjoying my time at Bluetail and am learning so much from Devon and Dr. Bayes and his medical assistant. Everyone is very dedicated to giving their patients the best care possible which is very refreshing to see. I am enjoying the clinical setting because I like seeing how helping manage other medical conditions can also help with musculoskeletal injuries. 

I am looking forward to continuing my experience and everything that I will learn in the upcoming weeks!

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 Hands-on Experience in a Physician Office at Blue Tail Medical Group

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - Blue Tail Medical Group, St. Louis, MO

By: Brianna LaBarbera (MAT Class of 2017)

I have been very fortunate to be able to spend my summer field experience at Blue Tail Medical Group with Matt Bayes, MD, and Devon Guckes, ATC. Dr. Bayes specializes in treating all sports medicine injuries and non-operative orthopedics, with a special interest in treating sports concussions and post-concussive syndrome. Using ultrasound guidance, Dr. Bayes utilizes stem cell therapy in his treatments for patients suffering from degenerative conditions.

Devon serves as an Athletic Trainer in this physician clinic, something I am very interested in pursing for my future career. She has been an awesome mentor to me and everyday teaches me new techniques and skills in order to improve my patient evaluations. She has given me the opportunity to individually practice my skills and patient interaction, which I have found to be most beneficial. Not only have I been independently evaluating patients and gathering their history, I have been assisting during procedures, which has been an exciting component of my experience. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of healthcare team with Dr. Bayes, Devon, and the Medical Assistant at Blue Tail Medical Group. Since the first day, I have been very impressed by their patient care efficiency and passion for improving their patient’s health. 

This experience has truly aided in my growth and development as an athletic training student.  It has exposed me to patient care I do not always see in the traditional athletic training setting. I look very forward to the rest of my summer field experience at Bluetail Medical Group, and will take my acquired skills into my future practice! 

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.