SLU AT Student Recognizes the Importance of Communication in Clinical Practice at Athletico and Fenwick HS

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight -  Athletico/Fenwick High School, Oak Park, IL

By: Matthew Eifert (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

My field experience with preceptor Tony McCormick ATC at Athletico and Fenwick High School has provided the unique opportunity to practice with diverse patient populations in the clinical and high school setting.  

The goals and abilities between the two groups may be drastically different but many aspects of their care remain the same. Some patients find isolating smaller muscles difficult (such as the rhomboids). Verbal communication and cues can only get a practitioner so far. This is especially true when a language barrier is present between the client and clinician. Showing the patient, the exercise yourself while explaining the details can help bridge the gap. Further visual cues such as a mirror will allow the patient to correct themselves independently. Depending on the experience and extent of their pathology, patients may require more instruction.

Tactile cues can be an effective manual strategy to help a patient contract the muscle group short of neuromuscular stimulation. Using touch on the desired structures; clinicians can persuade correct motion. Using a half foam roll between the patients back and a wall can help recruit scapular adduction using the Rhomboid muscles. The focused pressure from the roll along the spine of the patient will highlight the movement of their shoulder blades towards midline. Tactile cues can simply be the practitioner palpating the targeted muscles during the exercise.  Its very important to maintain professionalism and patient consent during the entire interaction; but especially when physical contact is necessary. 

Communication remains paramount with any population in health care. A lack of information being exchanged between the patient and practitioner is a major hurdle to the delivery of care. Transparency, on the other hand, leads to better outcomes. 

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 an Authentic Experience as an Outreach Athletic Trainer at Athletico

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - Fenwick High School and Athletico, Oak Park, IL

By: Nick Kellerhals (SLU MAT Class of 2017)

This summer for my clinical internship class MAT 5900 I had the privilege of working with Tony McCormick ATC and Athletico Physical Therapy. Tony is the head Athletic Trainer for Fenwick High School. Fenwick High School is a selective private college preparatory school located in Oak Park, Illinois, and was founded in 1929 as part of the Province of St. Albert the Great. Tony also does outreach services for Athletico in Oak Park.  

While at Athletico I was able to observe an evaluation done by a physical therapist and was able to compare and discuss our SOAP notes. Observing the eval gave me more insight on how to do a fast but thorough evaluation. The most interesting things I observed were an Athlete who had torn his ACL, LCL, PCL and Meniscus as well as another individual who had Complex Regional Pain Syndrome from her hand up to her shoulder. This summer has allowed me to see what it would be like in a outreach clinic setting as well as a High School. At Fenwick I was able to implement injury prevention and proper hydration techniques with the athletes as well as taping and injury eval. 

I was able to observe Tony and some PT’s at Athletico as well as assisting with the patient rehab. One of the coolest opportunities I was able to observe this summer through working with Tony was seeing a K-Vest screening. K-Vest is a human motion learning system. It is an all-in-one wireless system that instantaneously measures players’ power signatures and 3D data. It also provides one with an extensive library of pre-built training programs and drills customized to the patients categories that need work on. I observed this demonstration at the Athletico in Oak Brook. The K-vest at the Athletico’s golf center performance facility was introduced 4-6 months ago and it is the only Athletico that has it. 

I definitely learned a lot from Tony this summer and am glad I had the opportunity.

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.

SLU AT Student Has a Rich and Varied Internship Experience with AthletiCo in Chicago

AthletiCo Summer Internship

By: Kelly Peck - MAT Class of 2014

This summer I spent 8 weeks as an athletic training intern for AthletiCo in Chicago, Illinois. AthletiCo provides physical therapy, athletic training, occupational therapy, and other fitness services to Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Under the guidance of Certified Athletic Trainer, Tony McCormick ATC, I spent my summer learning rehabilitation techniques and work conditioning rehab in the Oak Park and Berwyn clinics and gained athletic training field experience at Fenwick High School in Oak Park.

SLU AT Student Kelly Peck with preceptor Tony McCormick ATC

The summer started as the Fenwick Friars wrapped up their spring sports, and summer football camps began. My morning hours were spent in the clinic as I assisted with initial evaluations, injury screens, and patient rehabilitation. On Wednesdays I worked in the Berwyn clinic with workman’s compensation patients, with a primarily Hispanic population. This was a great experience of learning cultural diversity and working with non-athletic injury patients. Many afternoons Tony would have something new planned for me; doctor’s office visits, sports medicine conferences, football camps, and visits to various athletic training settings. I was fortunate to see performing arts injury clinics, the sports medicine headquarters of the US Soccer Federation, a combine for US Figure Skating, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association Convention in Las Vegas.

My preceptor, Tony McCormick is a fantastic athletic trainer with a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources. I was constantly pushed to jump right into the task at hand and introduced to many new experiences and sports medicine professionals. Along with the staff at both the Oak Park and Berwyn clinics, I could not have wished for better individuals to work with. This summer provided me with a great educational and professional experience with the city of Chicago in the background. I cannot wait to continue to use these learned skills and techniques in my final year with Saint Louis University’s Athletic Training Program, and eventually in my career as a certified 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 Student Gets a Wide Variety of Experience with AthletiCo in Chicago

A Summer of Learning and Inspiration
By: Mary Finkenkeller (SLU MAT Class of 2013) 

Tony McCormick ATC with Mary Finkenkeller (SLU MAT Class of 2013)

For the past 2 months, I have been an intern for AthletiCo in Oak Park Illinois.  AthletiCo is a Chicago based company that offers health care services at over 70 clinics in the area and is a fantastic company to work for.  This company is the single largest employer of athletic trainers in the country, and also employs physical therapists, occupational therapists, and massage therapists.  Athletic trainers employed by AthletiCo are working in clinics, high schools, universities, professional sports, club sports, and US sports.  I have had the pleasure of working with Athletic Trainer Tony McCormick, who works both in the Oak Park AthletiCo clinic and at Fenwick High School.  Tony has been an athletic trainer at the university level and the high school level, as well as a college professor, which makes him the perfect clinical instructor for any student. 

            

During my time with him and AthletiCo, I have been given countless opportunities for experiences and learning.  Tony is very well known within the company, and he also has countless connections outside the company.  He has introduced me into fields that I am interested in like the performing arts, volleyball, and rugby.  He has also provided me with opportunities in the clinical setting that I never expected, like working with work conditioning patients, observing functional capacity evaluations, and assisting in physical screens at a local high school.  He really enjoys teaching and working with students, and has been an amazing mentor and clinical instructor for the past 2 months.  He will continue to be an inspiration to me and to all young professionals who know him.    

Students in the Saint Louis University Athletic Training Education 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.