SLU AT Student Experiences Collaborative Athletic Health Care with the Minnesota Golden Gophers

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics
By: Adam Long PT, DPT (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

For my first summer field experience, I worked alongside Jeff Winslow MS, ATC, CSCS, associate athletic trainer for men’s ice hockey at the University of Minnesota. With summer being the off-season for ice hockey, most of our responsibilities took place off the ice, primarily in the athletic training room-located at ice level of 3M Arena at Mariucci.

With incoming freshman, pre-participation evaluations must be performed to rule out any medical conditions which may negatively affect the athlete and to promote overall health and safety during sport. Additionally, baseline ImPACT and SCAT testing were administered for concussion monitoring during the upcoming season. Meetings with the team orthopedic surgeon were scheduled to monitor athletes’ progress through rehab moving towards a return to skating and drills on ice.

I also gained experience from both administrative aspects and interprofessional collaboration at the University of Minnesota. Communication among coaching personnel, strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, counseling, physicians, graduate assistants and more, detail the amount of involvement required when responsible for the student athletes. Additionally, I gained insight about the role of athletics director, medical director, and its relation to the entire body of athletic medicine-with their goal to create a collaborative care model for athletics.

Finally, I was fortunate to get exposure to football summer activities. Michael Sypniak ATC, associate and head athletic trainer for football provided me opportunity to see the inner workings of his staff and team and how they function. With a large number of athletes to monitor-it takes a coordinated effort to provide coverage and treatment.

I definitely found benefit from my experience at the University of Minnesota as it further clarified what an athletic training position would look like at a Big Ten University.

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 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 AT Student Feels Empowered During a Year-long Ice Hockey Experience at Lindenwood-Belleville

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Lindenwood University-Belleville
By: Madeleine Hauck (SLU MAT Class of 2017)

This semester, I have had the opportunity to work with the Lindenwood-Belleville Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey teams. I am very grateful for this opportunity, as I have grown up around hockey and there are few opportunities to get experience with the sport. I enjoy the fast pace of the game, the physicality, and the dedication of the athletes. The demands of hockey are not for all athletes. I have come to realize that the hockey athletes I have worked with are some of the hardest working individuals I have been exposed to in my clinical experiences. I appreciate the effort that they put in on the ice, in the classroom, and in the Athletic Training room. My role as an Athletic Training Student is more rewarding when the athletes are dedicated to rehabilitating injuries and geting back on the ice sooner and healthier.

My preceptor this semester is Tim Woodstock MAT, ATC. Tim has been a great resource to learn from in my last semester as a student. He has been through an MAT program and respects my knowledge. Tim gives me the autonomy to take on whatever I would like on the ice and in the clinic under his supervision. I am able to refine my skills and feel confident in my independence. Tim also has many informational nuggets to share with me. He has a great skill for making whatever he needs out of what he has in front of him. I have learned not only different ways to manage injuries, but also how to make efficient use of what resources you have.

It has been great to be at Lindenwood-Belleville for my full year of clinicals. When I come in for treatment hours at the Athletic Training Facility, I feel very comfortable. Everyone there is a familiar and friendly face that I know trusts my skill set, but will also be there to help me whenever I need it. Being at one clinical site for a full school year has really been beneficial to understanding what it will be like when I am employed in the future. I am very thankful for everyone on the staff at Lindenwood-Belleville for taking in a Billiken for a year and providing such a great clinical site!

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.

New SLU AT Student Gets a Wide View of AT Through Numerous Clinical Sites

New AT Student Blog Post - Justin Ullom (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

More often than not, I was able to attend Affton High School in order to observe Mada Hauck, whose preceptor is Becky Stigen ATC. This training room is small, and it gets crowded at times, but it showed me the best way to make use of one’s space, no matter how limited. Observing a high school, I saw multiple sports throughout the semester and therefore learned many injuries that are common with their respective sports. I also learned that it is important to be able to communicate to all types of people, whether they are shy or outgoing, in order to best get your information across to them. The sports I observed most were basketball and volleyball. While there were no major injuries that occurred during my time observing, I was able to see many preventative or rehabilitative methods for those who had chronic injuries, or multi-sport athletes who were just coming off of an injury from a previous sport and ended up carrying it over to their new sport. 

I also observed at a Parkway South High School. While at Parkway South, I observed Sarah and her preceptor Mike Tzianos ATC. Mike was a very active athletic trainer, as he moved around and rotated from sport to sport in order to check on people, although we spent most of our time in the wrestling room watching practice. Mike explained that we were spending most of the time in the wrestling room because of all the sports that were practicing that day, wrestling was the one that was most likely going to have some sort of injury compared to others. We did watch a short scrimmage between the junior varsity women’s basketball team and the varsity women’s basketball team. One of the more interesting things that occurred during this observation was when a male basketball player came into the training room with a peeling callus that was about twice the size of a half dollar bill. Mike simply took some toenail clippers and carefully cut off the dead skin in order to expose the new skin to air. This observation taught me to make sure to keep a watchful eye on the most high-risk sport when it comes to being an athletic trainer at a high school. 

Another time I observed Tim Howell EdD, ATC, CSCS at the Webster Groves Ice Rink for the college club hockey championship. There was one instance where a player slipped and crashed into the boards very hard, and Tim was initially waved over to check on him, but it was then concluded that it was nothing to worry about so he did not have to go check on the player at the bench. There was one player who had a finger cut open, and Tim checked to see if he had gotten stitches as instructed. This taught me to always follow up on previous injuries in order to make sure that the athlete is doing everything they are supposed to do in order to help the injury heal.

I also observed Bailey Draheim and Tammy Pastor ATC for SLU athletics for two different sports. The first time I observed, I watched some track and field competitions. Not much happened at the meet, although we did learn how spine board an athlete out of the pit. While spine boards are seemingly becoming more and more unnecessary, it was still a very interesting learning experience, one that was reinforced a couple weeks later in class, as we learned how to spine board on flat ground. The second time I observed these two was for a tennis tournament. At this observation, Tammy talked about many injuries associated with tennis, as well as other overhand sports. She mentioned that many tennis players will have chronic wrist injuries. This site taught me that it is very important to understand the chronic injuries for any sport that I deal with as an athletic trainer since they will most often be the issues that arise in any athletes I might see. 

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.

Golden Gopher Hockey Gives SLU AT Student a "Cool" Summer Internship

Summer Internship Blog Post - University of Minnesota
By: Angie Vitale (MAT Class of 2015)

This summer I had an amazing internship opportunity at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  Under the direction of athletic trainer Jeff Winslow ATC, I spent the summer working with the Men’s hockey team. Having never worked in a D1 environment before, I was not sure what to expect.  I quickly learned that a higher level of performance means a much higher degree of dedication, commitment, and hard work.  Even in their off season, these men come in everyday bright and early ready for whatever work out their strength and conditioning coach has made up for them.  Even after these rigorous work outs, many of them spend time on the ice, getting prepared for the coming season.

This level of play comes with it many perks in the athletic training room.  Many sponsors supply additional advanced modalities that I have never personally used before.  With all this advanced technology, however, the main thing I have learned from Jeff is that what we as athletic trainers do is primarily done with our own two hands.  Given all that he has to offer his athletes, his favorite techniques are still active release therapy, massage, and joint mobilizations.  As he has shown, it builds a higher level of trust and interaction with the athletes.

This has been a very eye opening experience into the world of D1 collegiate athletics.  In these past few months I have seen many chronic issues, some acute, and many athletes performing daily rehab. Athletes come in the training room to work, knowing that it will better their future performance.  They trust Jeff’s advice as well as the advice of their other superiors, and do what is requested of them.  I am very grateful for my time here and look forward to seeing what Golden Gophers hockey brings in the coming year!

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

AT Faculty Member Combines Teaching With Health Care at SLU Ice Hockey Games

It’s not just cool --- it is ice cold!
By: Timothy G. Howell Ed.D, ATC, CSCS

I love being a Billiken! As the clinical education coordinator for the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program (ATP), a position I have held for almost three years, I have a vested interest in AT Student (ATS) success. My primary role in the ATP is to make certain we have the right types of preceptors and clinical sites to ensure ATS are getting some great opportunities to practice the skills they are learning in the classroom in a real-time athletic training environment.

SLU AT students Michael Aaron, Claire Botting and Angie Vitale on the bench at a SLU Ice Hockey game.

One such environment has a playing surface of between 14-24 degrees.  An ATS, either PY1 or PY2, can sign-up with me to provide athletic health care when I provide home game coverage for the SLU Club Ice Hockey Team. It is a great opportunity for me to see first hand what skills athletic training students are taking with them from the classroom to the field (or in this case the ice.) I get to interact with the ATS outside of the classroom as their preceptor, not their faculty member nor their clinical education coordinator, but someone who, beyond the dasher boards, can help refine an athletic training students skills and abilities.

SLU AT Student Has Summer Internship With Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers’ Summer Internship

By Andrea Auclair- MAT Class of 2014

This summer, I interned with the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers.  Under the guidance of Flyers’ head athletic trainer, Jimmy McCrossin, I spent a week learning the ins and outs of athletic training at the professional hockey level while helping to provide athletic training services for the Flyers’ annual prospect camp at the Wells Fargo Center and Flyers Skate Zone.

Philadelphia Flyers Athletic Trainer Jimmy McCrossin ATC with SLU AT Student Andrea Auclair.

Everyday started at 7am as I walked into an ice-cold hockey rink from a humid ninety-degree morning. There was never a slow moment to the morning as players and coaches came into our makeshift athletic training room, while the main facility was under renovation, to get help with medical issues ranging from the daily aches and pains of hockey to the more serious post-operative rehabilitation.

Each day brought a new experience to be learned from. Whether it was preparticipation medical evaluations or helping with a rehabilitation protocol for an athlete one day out of a meniscal repair, there was always something new for me to learn. One of the best parts of interning with the Flyers’ athletic training staff, comprised of head athletic trainer, Jimmy, assistant athletic trainer Sal Raffa, and minor league affiliate Phantom’s head athletic trainer Greg Lowden, was the ability to constantly learn. Whether it was in the fitness center prescribing rehab exercises, in the athletic training room using therapeutic modalities, or sitting on the Flyers’ bench, each moment was filled with questions from me as well as explanations from athletic training staff on all facets of hockey and athletic training.

One of my favorite experiences with the Flyers was not on the ice, but rather out in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, where the Flyers held their annual “Trial on the Isle” for prospects. The day was comprised of athletes going for a mile and a half run on the beach followed by running back as teams of four carrying a thirty foot rope in which two athletes wore blacked out goggles and the other two wore earplugs. Every two blocks along the way, a different physical or mental challenge was given to the teams in order to test their bodies, minds, and more importantly their ability to work as a team. The day concluded with a round robin volleyball tournament where members of the community took on Flyers’ players.

Although I am a Blackhawks fan, I will forever hold a place in my heart for the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization. From the athletes to the coaching staff, I couldn’t be more grateful to work with a fantastic group of guys. An even larger thank you goes out Jimmy, Sal, and Greg who taught me so much in a small amount of time that I will use in my career as an athletic training student and future athletic trainer.

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

SLU AT Program Experiences March Madness On Ice

March Madness extended well beyond basketball for the Saint Louis University Athletic Training program.  Dr. Timothy Howell, the Clinical Education Coordinator for the SLU AT program, worked as the head athletic trainer for the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men’s Division II National Championships. 

Dr. Howell (far right) and SLU AT student Jessica Buschjost providing care for the SLU Ice Hockey Team.

16 teams from across the country came to complete in tournament which was held at the Hardee's IcePlex in Chesterfield MO. The tournament consisted of 29 games over a five day span. The tournament wrapped up with Michigan State University winning the Championship over Grand Valley State on March 18^th.

Billiken Hockey Having a Great Year!

The SLU Billiken Ice Hockey Team is on a roll.  They currently have a 16-3-1-1 record and are ranked #6 in the Central Region of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The team has several links to the SLU Athletic Training Education Program.  AT students Adam Long (junior) and Neal Ryan (freshman) play on the team and Program Director Dr. Tony Breitbach covers their home games and acts as a medical consultant to the team.  They play at the Webster Groves Ice Rink and are coached by former St. Louis Blues player Coach Todd Ewen.  Congrats to Billiken Hockey....good luck the rest of the way!

SLU Billikens Hockey Website

ACHA Rankings Website



Adam Long, Dr. Tony Breitbach, Neal Ryan



Action at the Webster Groves Ice Rink.

Its 1:45 am and the Hockey Bills just beat Mizzou 4-2

Trying to serve a previously unmet need, our faculty covers the Billikens Hockey Club. Coach Darren Helmkamp and his team are great to work with, and we hope we are having a positive impact as we cover their home games and serve them otherwise as needed.

Tonight...due to technical difficulties at the rink, the game vs Mizzou, that was scheduled for 9:00 pm, had to be postponed until 11:30 pm. We stuck it out with the the team and were treated to a hard fought 4-2 win, ending at 1:45 am.

Best of luck to the Bills saturday night, as they play at Mizzou.

Click here for their website

Here are a couple of pics: