SLU AT Students Develop Clinical Skills with Preceptor/Role Model at Christian Brothers College HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Christian Brothers College High School

By: Alejandra Chavez and Abby Hoffman (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

CBC has been a great clinical site to start practicing skills we’ve learned in class. Every day, we apply athletic tape to prevent and treat injury. We’ve also picked up some new tips to refine our taping techniques, which has been really useful before football games when there are a lot of athletes that need to be taped. In addition, we’ve also learned how to tape outside of the basic taping techniques. 

We have learned a lot about concussions since we have had several diagnosed concussions so far in the year. We have a lot more knowledge about how to manage situations on the field if a concussion is suspected. We have also had the opportunity to perform a SCAT 5 and have athletes check back in every day and fill out a concussion evaluation sheet to track symptoms. Our preceptor, CBC and Mercy Sports Medicine Athletic Trainer Kristen Jeans ATC, LMT is also a licensed massage therapist, so we have also learned massage techniques to treat athletic injuries.

In addition to learning more about concussions, taping and massage, we have learned from our preceptor Kristen about the importance of maintaining a professional relationship with the athletes, coaches, and parents. Seeing how much the athletes, parents and coaches trust and value Kristen’s work is really inspiring to us to hopefully develop those types of relationships in our careers one day. 

Being at CBC High School for our first clinical experience has been great and we are both excited to immerse ourselves more into this experience and gain a lot more skills and knowledge.

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 Pre-professional AT Student Excited to be Back Home at Webster Groves High School

New AT Student Blog Post - Abby Hoffman (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

I am a junior in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program and I am thankful to say I have had the opportunity to observe at a few different places this semester, as well as watch different sports. Coming from St. Louis, I was very excited to go back to my high school, Webster Groves, to observe in the AT room just as I did as a senior. It was different being back as just an observer when I was once an athlete and a student. As I watched athletes get helped, I realized that I had much more knowledge than I did. I felt like I learned a lot by listening to how my preceptors asked questions. I have always found it difficult to ask the right background questions and take history. Observing this was a great way for me to practice taking history in my head. 

In February, I had the opportunity to observe a hockey tournament game between Iowa State and McKendree University. The tournament was held at the Webster Groves rink, which is place I grew up skating at and watching my friends play at in high school. Hockey is a sport that I enjoy watching and would like to work with in the future, so I was very excited for this opportunity. Nothing too crazy happened while I was there, but I did get to see how AT's prepare for the game. I was happy to experience how an athletic trainer's typical day would go at a hockey tournament. Whether that meant standing for hours or being really cold, I was happy nonetheless. 

As I look ahead at the next two years in the AT program, I am excited and ready to start my journey working at a clinical site instead of observing. I feel as though the places I observed have helped me prepare for what it'll be like when I am at my own site. I am excited to use the knowledge I have gained over the past few years and put my skills to practice. Although I am nervous to start the professional phase of the program, I am excited to be that much closer to my goal of becoming an Athletic Trainer. 

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.