Students in SLU MAT Class of 2019 to Present Capstone Projects on Friday May 3rd.

Students in the Saint Louis University Master of Athletic Training Class of 2019 will be presenting their Capstone Projects on May 3, 2019 starting at 8:00 am in the Multipurpose Room on the 3rd Floor of the Allied Health Building on SLU's Medical Center (South) Campus.  The event is open to the public, and presentation of these projects mark the completion of their experience as students in the SLU Athletic Training Program. 

SCHEDULE

7:30 am   BREAKFAST

8:00 am   Erin Fabbri - Playing surface and ACL Injuries

8:15 am   Cody Hutson - Footwear/equipment and Lower Extremity Injuries

8:30 am   Maggie Rowell - Short Foot Exercise Program and Balance

8:45 am   Jazmon Carroll - Early Weight-Bearing After Achilles Tendon Rupture

9:00 am   Matt Eifert - Acute Pain Management and Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

9:15 am   Rory Cusack - ACL Injury Prevention Programs for Female Collegiate Athletes

9:30 am   Adam Long - Blood Flow Restriction for Strength in ACLR patients

9:45 am   Juan Calero Alonso - Functional Knee Braces for ACL Protection post-injury

10:00 am Sarah Menzuber - Platelet Rich Plasma vs Stem Cell Therapy for Connective Tissue

10:15 am Matt Murphy - Therapeutic Ultra-Sound with Soft Tissue Manipulation for Tendonopathy

10:30 am Jesse Schmitt - Light Resistance Training and Hamstring Injuries

10:45 am Chris Mecherle - Cupping vs Massage for Neck and/or Shoulder Pain

11:00 am Danielle Jabczynski - Vestibular Rehabilitation for Benign Paraxysmal Postural Vertigo

11:15 am Paul Lamb - Resistance Training to Reduce Injury Rates in Young Athletes

11:30 am Justin Ullom - Oxford vs DeLorme Method of Strength Training

11:45 am Cat Chua - Relationship between Fatigue and Injury

12:00 am Dimitri Killian - Relationship between Depression and Immune Responses

12:15 am Brian Leach - Entrepreneurship in Athletic Training

12:30 am PROGRAM AWARDS AND PRECEPTOR RECOGNITION LUNCHEON

For more information call 314-877-8561 or email sluptat@health.slu.edu.

SLU AT Students Thrive in Dynamic Interprofessional Setting at Fontbonne University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Fontbonne University
By: Maggie Rowell and Cody Hutson (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

There are two of us Saint Louis University students that are assigned to Fontbonne University, Maggie Rowell and Cody Hutson. Our preceptors are SLU alumni Ann Schmerbauch MAT, ATC, LAT (MAT Class of 2011) and Andrew Gomez, MAT, ATC, LAT(MAT Class of 2016.) We also have the opportunity to work with two Graduate Assistants, Hunter Pescetto ATC, LAT and Sadie Krehbiel ATC, LAT, who recently got their AT Licenses. This allows us to get a perspective on not only how our professional lives will be once we graduate from SLU specifically, but also what it is like to be a newly licensed AT.

Fontbonne University is a NCAA Division III school with approximately 2,000 enrolled students. The university fields 10 Men’s Sports and 11 Women’s Sports. For the Fall season, there are 3 sports we work with majority of the time. The sports include Men and Women’s Soccer and Women’s Volleyball. While there aren’t a wide variety of athletes, it allows us to form great relationships with the athletes and spend quality time with each individual. The athletic community is so welcoming and satisfying to work with that we show up to practice before our classes and then return to Fontbonne’s ATR to continue working with the athletes. Throughout the semester, we are able to follow-up with each injury and guide their recovery with rehabilitation exercises, soft tissue massage, and sport-specific functional exercises. We are able to connect with the athletes by checking in each day to make sure they are heading in the right direction in order for them to return to sport as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Fontbonne Athletic Training Room is constantly filled with athletes of all sports, whether they are in-season or off-season. This allows us to multi-task in crazy environments and prioritizes athlete’s care in an efficient manner. Every Monday, Chiropractors and a Sports Medicine Physician come to Fontbonne’s AT room to help evaluate athletes. This allows us to collaborate interprofessionally with other healthcare professionals by discussing the proper plan of care for the athletes. As a whole, the Fontbonne’s athletic community is a great learning environment to advance our clinical reasoning skills, manual techniques, evaluation skills, and triage expertise as we advance into our second and final professional year.

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 AT Student Experiences a Variety of Practice Settings with University Hospitals Sports Medicine

SLU AT Summer Field Experience Spotlight - University Hospitals Sports Medicine - Cleveland, OH

By: Maggie Rowell (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

I found my summer fieldwork experience to be a very unique opportunity. My time with University Hospitals was spent in a variety of healthcare settings. Due to the Athletic Trainer’s broad Scope of Practice, I quickly learned AT's are able to work in a multiple settings and have a wide spectrum of responsibilities. This summer I was able to see how AT's work in a Physician Practice in post-operative surgery out-patient settings; work in Physical Therapy clinics with rehabilitation, soft-tissue work and exercises; and lastly as an AT in a high school setting.

For my first two weeks I was at St. John’s Medical Center. I spent a majority of my time with Dr. Eric Jankov (PT, DPT, SCS, OCS, C-OMPT). During my time here, I was challenged to come up with differential diagnoses, rehabilitation exercises, and spot out specific compensations in gait and exercises. While I did not do much hands on work, I expanded my clinical reasoning and mindset to take a broader approach and higher level of thinking. Instead of primarily focusing on the diagnosis, I learned how imperative it is to figure out how and why an injury could have happened. I learned to not just focus on the joint and/or injury area, but rather, take a more complex assessment approach. It taught me how to acclimate rehabilitation exercises to each specific patient. This experience also exposed me to different patient populations and pathologies I may not see in the typical setting.

The next week I spent my time at Brookside High School with Mike Cicerchi (ATC, CSCS).  I started just as the players began their football two-a-day practices. I got the opportunity to hone my taping skills and on-field evaluation/triage skills. While on the sidelines, I was also able to discuss the advancements in Athletic Training from a more seasoned perspective. Since Mike has been working in the field for over 20 years now, I was able to hear about the transition and rise of the profession. I also got the opportunity to experiment with Riddell’s new sensory helmets, which is part of the newest concussion technology. In addition, I got the opportunity to get experience at a Medical Tent in the Cleveland Marathon. I worked alongside Tina Thompson (ATC) and a variety of healthcare professionals.  This was a great way for me to network with different Cleveland medical professionals and practice working interprofessionally in the event of a triage situation.  

For my last week, I was able to experience the hospital setting. I worked under Megan Valentine (ATC, LMT) at the Ahuja Medical Center.  I was able to see the wide variety of responsibilities AT's have in a physician practice. Whether it was billing, casting, prepping injections, history taking or even helping with the diagnosis. In conclusion, University Hospitals allowed me to immerse myself into the plethora of settings AT's are able to work in due to their broad scope of practice.  

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 are Excited to Learn in a Busy College Setting at Webster University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Webster University
By: Maggie Rowell and Cat Chua (MAT Class of 2019)

We are both students in the 1st Professional Year of Saint Louis University's Master of Athletic Training Program. Our Spring 2018 clinical rotation is with Webster University Athletics. We previously were placed at high schools and are transitioning into the college AT room atmosphere. Webster University is a NCAA Division III school located in Webster Groves, Missouri. It is a liberal arts school with approximately 2,500 undergrad students who take pride in their athletic population. Within the past year, Webster has sent their women’s soccer, women’s basketball and men’s baseball to compete in the NCAA Division III Championship Series. We are working with preceptors Jennifer Popken (MS, ATC) and Martin Fields (LAT, ATC).

We were limited in the modalities available in our previous high school settings. At Webster University, we have gotten the chance to utilize GameReady, Electrical Stimulation, Hydrocollator, Ultrasound, and a HivaMat. It has been a great hands-­‐on experience working with different modalities and knowing when to apply each one in the rehabilitation process. Additionally, we have gotten the opportunity to evaluate athlete’s injuries by performing a full evaluation including general history taking, manual-­‐muscle testing, palpation, joint play and special testing. After assessing the athletes, we interact with our preceptors for additional tips, changes to the process, and any additional feedback. It is a great learning environment that encourages us to think on the spot and fully apply what we've learned in the classroom in the clinical setting.

In the upcoming months we will be taking care of spring season athletes such as baseball, softball, tennis, and outdoor track and field teams. An interesting aspect about these upcoming teams is they all practice off site, which makes scheduling very important for rehabilitation and treatment. We are both very excited as the women’s basketball just won the SLIAC conference championship and are headed to the NCAA tournament this week! With only two AT's and over 300 athletes, it has been a very busy AT room.

We are excited to continue our clinical education process and grow as Athletic Training students with the Webster Gorlocks.

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 AT Students Inducted into Alpha Eta Allied Health Honor Society

The Saint Louis University chapter of Alpha Eta, the National Scholastic Honor Society for Allied Health Professions, held its annual induction ceremony in the Multipurpose Room of the Allied Health Building at Saint Louis University on November 16, 2017.

The Society is named for the Greek letters equivalent to the first letters of Allied Health (AH), which are Alpha Eta.  The purpose of the Society is the promotion and recognition of significant scholarship, leadership, and contributions to the allied health professions.

The following SLU AT students were honored in this year's ceremony:

• Alexander Hubbs - Liberty, Missouri (MAT Class of 2018)
• Erin Fabbri - Des Plaines, Illinois (MAT Class of 2019)
• Ryan Frantz - Troy, Missouri (MAT Class of 2019)
• Chris Mecherle - Bloomington, Illinois (MAT Class of 2019)
• Margaret (Maggie) Rowell - Lakewood, Ohio (MAT Class of 2019)

Congratulations to this year's Alpha Eta honorees!

SLU AT Student Learns Through the Support of Preceptor/Alum at Rockwood Summit HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Rockwood Summit High School
By: Maggie Rowell (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

I began my first clinical rotation at Rockwood Summit High School. It has approximately 1,200 students and has had great success in their athletics, including 3 state championships in the past year. I was very excited to start working with the athletes and learn more about the profession outside of the classroom.

 I was fortunate enough to be placed with a Saint Louis University Athletic Training Alumnus, Tony Mosello, MAT, ATC, LAT. It is nice to work with an alum because he understands exactly what I am learning, the different tests and techniques we are taught, and adjusts our learning styles in reference to my knowledge set. It has also been nice getting to know the different coaches, athletes, parents, athletic directors, and physicians that we encounter in our day-to-day events.

Rockwood Summit has a wide variety of fall sports such as field hockey, soccer, volleyball, football, and many more. Since there are so many fall sports, there is always someone coming into the Athletic Training room looking for tape, rehab work, injury diagnosis, or help with a therapeutic modality. I have also been exposed to many triage situations. We have dealt with fractures, knee injuries, heart conditions, heat stress, and even a cervical spine injury. At first, it was intimidating to be engulfed in an environment where I may not have the proper skills to confidently have an action plan ready. However, by working with Tony, I was able to step out of my comfort zone and continuously learn through action. It is allowing me to take on new challenges that I would not have learned in the classroom.

Outside of being exposed to new injuries, I have also been exposed to the different, more subtle, responsibilities of an Athletic Trainer. I have learned how to properly keep in close communication with the athletes, parents, and physicians throughout the plan of care. I have learned the importance of developing trust with the athletes by being approachable and relaxed. Lastly, I have learned it is very important to document all aspects of an athlete’s care.

I am excited to continue learning new things as I continue being exposed to the athletic training profession at Rockwood Summit High School.

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 Appreciates Preceptor's Relationship with Student-Athletes at SIU-Edwardsville

New AT Student Blog Post - Margaret Rowell (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Most college students spend their time studying for exams, writing papers, and preparing presentations. This semester, our athletic training class was given the chance to observe a variety of certified athletic trainers throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The settings included nearby universities, professional sports teams, and high schools. As I am approaching the graduate school portion of SLU’s Athletic Training program, I was excited to learn from other SLU graduate students at their clinical sites. After observing for over 75 hours at different clinical sites, I enjoyed observing the athletic trainers at the university level most. I noticed that athletic trainers at universities interacted with one specific team and got to know each individual athlete on a personal level. One of the universities I enjoyed observing was SIUE. 

I observed Stephanie Ross, SLU MAT Class of 2017, at her clinical setting with SIUE softball. Her preceptor, James Mays MS, ATC, is one of the current certified athletic trainers working with SIUE Athletics. I really enjoyed the atmosphere while observing Stephanie and James interact with the Women’s Softball team. The team respected both Stephanie and James and came into the athletic training room with good spirits.

James was very close with all of his athletes and got to know each and every player. I noticed that he didn’t have to ask what tape jobs some players needed or where they needed ice. He had gotten to know each and every player and knew where each player was experiencing her injury. On top of that, James also asked players about topics outside of sports, such as their social life and academics. For example, he specifically reached out to an athlete to ask how their statistics exam went. This shows that James gets to know each and every player on a personal level, rather than just treating each athlete as a patient. Stephanie also got to know each of the athletes on a personal level. I enjoyed observing how athletic trainers are able to interact with the athletes on a personal level, while still providing quality care. I learned that creating a relaxed and open environment is key to being an athletic trainer. This ensures the athletic trainer understands the athlete as a whole. This is just one of the qualities to being an Athletic Trainer I was able to learn from experience in the clinical field, rather than from a book or class lecture.

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.