SLU AT Student Sees the Athletic Trainer's Wide Spectrum of Responsibilities on the Team at Lurie Children's Hospital

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
By: Paul Lamb (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

This summer at Ann and Robert H. Lurie’s Children Hospital has given me an immense amount of learning opportunities in a new setting for Athletic Trainers that I hadn’t experienced before this summer. Working within a hospital setting means being a part of interprofessional health care teams that incorporate numerous domains, including Athletic Trainers, Orthopedic Specialists, Nurses, Translators, and much more.

I’ve been lucky to have the guidance of four AT's (Kristi McCracken, ATC, Emily Worobec, ATC, Madeline McHugh, ATC, and Adam Potteiger, ATC) to demonstrate the role of an athletic trainer. Each one has taught me endless amounts about new conditions and treatment strategies, and have allowed me to get hands-on experience in clinic.

A typical day for me this summer starts with going to one of the Lurie outpatient clinics that are scattered throughout Chicagoland. From there, the day varies depending on what patients are scheduled. So while on day I may be shadowing a pediatric orthopedic surgeon as they diagnose an ACL injury, the next day I may be assisting in the casting of a baby with clubfoot. This variance of opportunities has shown me the wide spectrum of responsibilities that Athletic Trainers take on within the health care system.

I’m grateful to the staff at Lurie Children’s for welcoming me into their health care community, and allowing me to learn as much as I have so far this summer. The next few weeks will offer new chances to broaden my scope of knowledge, and I’m excited for what that will bring.

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 AT Students Give Roosevelt HS Students a Day with the Billikens

Roosevelt High School Athletic Training Club

By: Cat Chua, Rory Cusack and Paul Lamb (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

On January 23rd, we took the Roosevelt High School (RHS) Athletic Training Club for a field trip to Saint Louis University (SLU). This club, sponsored by the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program and funded through an Ethnic Diversity Enhancement Grant from the National Athletic Trainers' Association Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee is designed to nurture interest in athletic training and the health professions for students at RHS.  Kemba Noel-London MAT, ATC CES coordinates the RHS AT Club along with student mentors from the SLU AT Program.

First, we took the students on a tour of the SLU athletic training room. They learned about different modalities and treatments performed in the room. They also got to meet one of the basketball players. After the tour of the training room, the students went onto the basketball court to take some pictures before the game. Then we went to Grand Hall to eat dinner. We showed videos of injuries to the students and had conversations about what an athletic trainer does in those situations. Before going to the basketball game, the students got a tour of the Simon Rec Center. At the game, the high school students got to sit in the student section where they cheered along with the rest of the SLU students and fans, received cheer items from the people leading the student section, and even met the Billiken! The basketball game field trip was a great success and so much fun for all of us.

The students were able to experience the athletic training from from an athlete’s point of view and were able to ask many questions to both the Athletic Trainer and a few athletes. The students were extremely curious as to how an Division 1 athlete juggles basketball, course work, and social life. They asked how they athlete got their scholarship and how hard they worked in high school. The students then were asking us what our thoughts on how they can get to be like those D1 athletes, or the process of walking on to a team. The students from Roosevelt are all athletes themselves, and know what hard work it takes to stay on a team and be successful. As Athletic Training students, it gave us a chance to answer questions that we normally wouldn’t get in an athletic training facility, but from high school students that are genuinely interested in what it takes to be a healthcare professional or an athlete and what life is like in college. 

Moving forward in the semester, we plan on further exposing the students to the different roles and providers on a sports medicine health care team. Over the next few meetings, the students will have the opportunity to learn more about sports performance and how athletes prepare for a game through a discussion on eating like an athlete as well as preparing for a game through a presentation on training like an athlete. An additional field trip to the SLU Anatomy Lab will be an excellent chance for club members to understand topics we’ve discussed during club meetings in a more hands-on setting. Our goal at the beginning of the year was to get the high schoolers engaged in sports medicine, and present them with opportunities to see the many ways in which it can impact their lives and the lives of the people around them. Our field trip to the SLU basketball game helped advance that goal, and with so many exciting topics ahead of us, it’s hard not to be enthusiastic about what we’ll accomplish the rest of the year with the Roosevelt High School Athletic Training club!

SLU AT Students Conduct Workshop on Sports Medicine Skills for 2nd Year Medical Students

Athletic Training Sports Medicine Night with SLU 2nd Year Medical Students

By: Bridget Bushong (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

The Saint Louis University Athletic Training Society hosted a sports medicine night with second year medical students who have an interest in sports medicine. This workshop had three stations, run by Professional Year 2 (PY2) and 1 (PY1) students in the AT program, for the students to rotate through during the event. The stations included concussion testing, ankle taping and emergency spine boarding. While the PY2s were the group leaders, there were also several PY1s assisting during the sessions as well as undergraduate students who were models for taping and spine boarding.

This event is a great way to collaborate with other medical professionals and increase patient care by having an interprofessional team assisting with the care. While ATs are specifically trained to diagnosis, treat and manage concussions, apply assistive taping and handle emergency spine boarding situations it is important for other medical professionals to understand and be able to assist if necessary. The 2nd year medical students had great questions during each session that showed they were extremely interested in the sports medicine field. 

Overall this event was a huge success for spreading knowledge about the athletic training profession and building interprofessional teamwork. The group leaders for the concussion session were Killian Hollo, Adam Long and Paul Lamb. Group leaders for the taping session were Madeleine Bresnahan, Erin Fabbri and Rory Cusack. Taping Models were Claire Ditman and Cheyenne Meinershagen. The group leaders for the spine boarding were Bridget Bushong, Jenna Ginsberg and Ben Wildman, models included Mitchell Buerck and Allison Stefan.

A big thank you to all of those who participated in the event!

SLU AT Program Provides Varied Immersive Experiences for Irish Clinical Exchange Students from Athlone Institute of Technology

International Clinical Exchange- SLU and Athlone Institute of Technology
By: Andrew Moran & Fiachra Lennon (Athletic Therapy Rehabilitation Students - Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland)

Our experience studying at Saint Louis University for 15 weeks has now come to an end, we feel that we have found the experience that we were looking for before we came out to St. Louis. Working with Webster Groves HS and the SLU Billikens Sports Medicine staff at Chaifetz Arena, we have definitely benefited from this international clinical exchange. From our very first day at Saint Louis University we were welcomed by Anthony Breitbach PhD, ATC the Athletic Training Program Director who took time to collect us from the hotel we were staying at and brought us to induction day at SLU.

Induction week was very helpful as we got a good feel for SLU and its facilities. We also had the privilege to be brought to a park along with the rest of the international students to witness the Solar Eclipse on the 8/21/17 which was one of the most incredible things we have ever seen.

After we got settled into our new apartment and familiar with SLU, we got out schedule for clinical placement and class. We were placed at Webster Groves HS Monday to Friday working from 2pm till 8-9 depending on what sporting events were on each day. We also had rotation with Jason and Jordan the other two Irish students from AIT, at Chaifetz Arena in the morning where we working with the SLU sports medicine staff in the medical room in Chaifetz. We began our day at Chaifetz at 7am and finished at 10:30 am. At first we found it hard to get up for this but once we got into the swing of things we became more accustomed to it.

In the middle of the day we took 3 different modules Rehabilitation in AT II with Mike Markee, ATC, PT, OCS, COMT, Clinical Practicum III with Tim Howell, EdD, ATC, CSCS and Contemporary Clinical Practice with Kitty Newsham, PhD, ATC. We found these classes really beneficial for us. We also had the chance to take a Mock BOC exam with our PY2 classmates which will help us study for our ARTI exam that we will be taking for accreditation. In these classes, as well as furthering our knowledge in athletic training, we made a lot of friends for life with our classmates. This turned out to be a very symbiotic relationship as we could share the knowledge that we have learned in AIT and in turn they could share what they have learned with us.

Our clinical experience at Webster Groves high school has been extremely beneficial towards our learning experience in St. Louis. Our preceptor Sean Wright ATC has been head AT at Webster Groves for the past 13 years and his continued culture of collaborating to give the best care to athletes. Sean welcomed us into his school and Athletic training room with an open hand. From day 1 he threw us into the fire with evaluations and treatments which I felt was very beneficial because we could get hands on real life AT experience right from the start.

We made many friends working at Webster Groves, especially the SLU AT students who we traveled to Webster with, Paul Lamb, Pat O’Neill and Dimitri Kilian. We benefited greatly from working alongside each one of them which made our life in SLU much easier and also became very close friends whom we will never forget. Sean Wright ATC was so beneficial to work alongside at his high school, his vast knowledge of athletic training and his care for athletes will stand with us as long as we practice athletic training. This busy fall season we experienced a wide range of athletic events. Sports which were new to us such as American Football, Basketball, softball and wrestling along with sports we would be more accustomed to back in Ireland such as soccer, volleyball, athletics and field hockey. To work in a school with such a high caliber of athletes and working Friday night football was everything and more we expected when we heard we were working at a High School.

Working at Chaifetz Arena with the SLU Billikens Sports Medicine staff was a huge opportunity which allowed us to work with high quality athletes at a top of the range sports facility and medical room. We had the opportunity to work with the SLU Men’s Basketball team and Jonathan Burch ATC, SLU Men’s soccer, SLU baseball and Ben Heimos ATC, SLU field hockey and Petra Knight ATC, and SLU volleyball, tennis and softball and Tammy Pastor ATC. We had great experience working with each athletic trainer at the sports medicine room in Chaifetz arena, from covering a SLU baseball game at Busch stadium to taking full volleyball practices with Tammy pastor ATC at 6am in the Chaifetz pavilion. We loved every minute of this experience and gained valuable knowledge along the way. We honestly felt that this experience was more than we asked form the first day Tammy let us do a full evaluation on one of her athletes we felt a huge amount of respect and gratitude towards Tammy to the final day when we said our goodbyes, it will be an experience we will never forget.

Our time in Saint Louis University sadly has come to an end. We have gained so much experience on our 15 week international clinical exchange. From taping Ironman’s wrist at the Marvel Universe Live show at the Chaifetz Arena, working Friday night lights at Webster Groves HS, sharing classes with PY2 SLU students, to the early, early mornings in the sports medicine room at Chaifetz Arena and the late, late Saturday nights with our new and lifelong friends we made along the way this experience will never be forgotten.

SLU AT Students Thrive with Veteran Preceptor's Team Approach at Webster Groves HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Webster Groves High School

By: Pat O'Neill (SLU MAT Class of 2018); Dimitri Kilian and Paul Lamb (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Our clinical experience at Webster Groves High School has centered around a team-based approach to caring for a diverse community of athletes across the spectrum of sports. Critical to this team-based approach is communication that allows all voices to be heard, and collaboration that encourages all members of our team to be engaged in the care of our athletes. Our preceptor Sean Wright ATC has cultivated this culture of collaborating to give the best care to an athlete since he started at Webster Groves 10 years ago. 

Sean strengthens this culture by inviting the next generation of athletic trainers, who Sean teaches in his athletic training classes at the high school, into the AT room for observation hours. We have found that athletes who are also in Sean’s athletic training classes have a better understanding of their injuries, and are often more accepting of diagnoses and the rehab protocols that follow. This is unique, as many high school athletes don’t have a similar background in foundational principles of athletic training, and thus are less likely to understand the severity, mechanism, or timetable for their injury. 

During this busy Fall season, we have experienced a wide range of athletic events. Our football and volleyball teams have gotten off to hot starts, while our soccer and softball squads have built upon their successes as they get prepared for postseason play. From Friday night football games to cross-country meets, the chance to see athletes of different sports and different levels has strengthened our knowledge base by reinforcing competencies of Athletic Training that may be practiced in one sport, but not another. 

Day by day, our team at Webster strives to work together to care for our athletes in the best way possible. Sean emboldens each member of our staff to curate confidence in themselves through independent evaluations, while nurturing a team-based atmosphere among our group that’s there to lend an idea or helping hand when needed. With postseason sports on the horizon for fall sports, and winter sports just around the corner, we’re looking forward to more great experiences with the Statesmen!

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.

UCJC Clinical Exchange Students Live and Learn in the USA at SLU and Webster Groves High School

Our Experience in Saint Louis
By: Kike Aranda Lopez and Jorge Atienza Gomez

We are spanish physiotherapists from the Master in Physical Therapy in the Sport program at Camilo Jose Cela University of Madrid, and thanks that we had the opportunity to do clinical training at Saint Louis University, in the USA.

Our experience started at 28th July, when we arrived in St. Louis. It was a good chance for us to improve our knowledge, a good life and professional experience.

We spent the Month of August at Webster Groves High School as Athletic Training Students, with our preceptor and friend Sean Wright ATC. Sean is an excellent professional who taught us a lot of things. Moreover, we were also with Paul and Dimitri, two SLU AT students with a brilliant future. At WGHS we prepared to the athletes for their practice, taping and stretching; watched their practices and games; and rehab in the Athletic Training Room.

In that time we could see some concussions, traumatic injuries like ankle and knee sprains and muscular injuries. We had to wait in the AT room until the athletes finished their classes. It was a good experience, because we had to speak in English with all the people, and that was a very good choice to improve it.

Because of our schedule, we only had the chance to be at one football high school game. We were with Sean at the field, with the players and coaches, helping in all that we could. Was an amazing atmosphere with the band and the cheerleaders also. Webster Groves HS won, let’s go Statesmen!

Also we had the lucky to be with the college athletes, in the soccer and volleyball teams, with Ben Heimos ATC and Tammy Pastor ATC at SLU. They worked with us, and we assisted with them with rehab.

In only one month, we have made a lot of friends in the USA, we have met great people, and all of them have been very nice with us. It has felt like in home, and we were very sad when we left.

We want to say thank you to Paul and Dimitri to be awesome with us, to all the AT's that have been with us for all the help, specially Sean, SLU faculty member Dr. Tony Breitbach, who took care to us these month, and to UCJC faculty member Álvaro García-Romero to give us this opportunity to go to USA.

Nuestra experiencia en Saint Louis

Por: Kike Aranda López y Jorge Atienza Gómez

Somos dos chicos españoles que estudiamos un máster en la universidad UCJC de Madrid, y gracias a ello tuvimos la oportunidad de realizar las prácticas clínicas en la Universidad de St. Louis de USA. 

Nuestra experiencia comenzó el 28 de julio, cuando llegamos a St. Louis. Una oportunidad que sabíamos que iba a ser muy enriquecedora en cuanto a conocimientos, experiencia de vida y profesional, y así ha sido.

Estuvimos trabajando todo el mes de agosto en el Webster Groves High School (WGHS) como Athletic Trainers junto con nuestro tutor y amigo Sean Wright ATC, todo un profesional del cual hemos aprendido muchas cosas. Además, estuvimos junto con Paul y Dimitri, dos alumnos de SLU con un futuro brillante.

Nuestro trabajo en el WGHS consistió en preparar a los deportistas para sus entrenamientos, mediante vendajes y estiramientos, observar los entrenamientos, sobre todo de football, por si había alguna lesión, además de tratar a los deportistas de la escuela lesionados.

En este periodo tuvimos que enfrentarnos a conmociones, lesiones traumáticas como esguinces de tobillo, rodilla y dedos, además de otras lesiones musculares.

Las lesiones las tratábamos en la sala de Athletic Trainer, en la cual, los deportistas llegaban al finalizar las clases. Fue una buena experiencia, ya que tuvimos que interactuar con todo el mundo en una lengua diferente a la nuestra, lo que nos sirvió para mejorar nuestro inglés.

Por desgracia solo pudimos estar en un partido de Football en el High School. Estuvimos con Sean a pie de campo, con los jugadores y técnicos, dando asistencia al que lo necesitase, a la vez que observábamos cada jugada del encuentro. Fue increíble el ambiente con la banda y las cheerleades incluídas. Por suerte ganaron los Websters ¡Vamos Websters!

Además de la experiencia en el High School, tuvimos la suerte de poder estar con el deporte universitario en SLU en el equipo de Soccer y de Volleyball con Ben Heimos ATC y Tammy Pastor ATC de Athletic Trainers. Se portaron muy bien con nosotros y nos hicieron partícipes el poco tiempo que pudimos estar con ellos.

Para terminar, queremos decir que nos llevamos grandes amigos de Estados Unidos, hemos conocido grandes personas y todo el mundo nos ha tratado muy bien, nos hemos sentido como en casa, y nos dio mucha pena cuando todo esto acabó. Agradecer a Paul y a Dimitri por el trato que nos dieron desde el primer día, a todos los profesionales con los que hemos estado por todo lo que nos han ayudado, sobre todo a Sean Wright, a Dr. Tony Breitbach por preocuparse tanto por nosotros y hacer que todo esto sea posible y a Álvaro García- Romero, el director de nuestro máster, por darnos la oportunidad de poder haber ido a Estados Unidos.