SLU AT Student Sees the Importance of Professional Relationships and Networking in Athletic Training

New PY1 AT Student Blog Post - Carlton McDonald-Jordan (MAT Class of 2024)

During the semester, I had the opportunity to observe various events and clinical sites. These opportunities allowed me to witness first-hand what it is like to be an athletic trainer (AT) and engage in a professional healthcare setting, both with patients (athletes) and other healthcare professionals. Two big takeaways from the experience would be the importance of establishing good, healthy relationships with the athletes that build a foundation of trust and being open to exploration in the athletic training world and allowing your personal desires to be stepstones through your journey as an athletic trainer. 

A great observation opportunity I was able to experience was the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament held at the Enterprise Center on the first weekend of March. I loved being in the collegiate basketball environment and it is something I wish to experience at some point in my professional career. I had the opportunity to witness interprofessional collaboration on a bigger scale as there were various professionals from different institutions and practices. This experience also showed me how small the athletic training world is, which places much emphasis on connecting and networking. My favorite part of the experience, though, was seeing the athletes interact with the athletic trainers. Instantly, you could tell the relationship between the athletes and AT was unique and cannot be replicated by many other professionals. It was also great to be able to connect with old friends and teammates who were playing in the tournament for their respective institutions.

Another great handful of observations came at Affton High School with PY1 Jordan Hyink and preceptor Becky Stigen ATC. During this experience, I was able to observe up-close the working relationship between trainers and young athletes. The athletes in this case (young teenagers) seem to engage more with the AT on a personal level. This experience provided a different atmosphere, one that appeared to be less competitive and more convivial. The AT's at Affton did a great job of communicating areas of concern while also recognizing the athletes’ autonomy. From this, I was able to  recognize the importance of placing the athlete at the center of care and catering care to meet their needs and/or wants.

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 Students Acknowledge Preceptor's Role Providing an Excellent Learning Environment at Affton HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

By: Lauren Swords and Jordan Hyink (MAT Class of 2023)

Affton High School might seem unassuming from the outside, but it is really the Taj Mahal of clinical sites. One of the main reasons is because of the amazing preceptor who resides there, Becky Stigen ATC. Becky has given us the freedom to try new things and fine tune our skills while ensuring proper technique and safety for all the athletes. 

We worked with all types of athletes from football to volleyball to cross country which gave us lots of diversity in athletes and injuries. We also had the opportunity to be on the sidelines for a variety of games and learn the different requirements of an athletic trainer on game days. The overall experience has been wonderful so far and has helped expand our knowledge. 

Our clinical assignment at a high school has been an extremely good crash course in what makes an AT. During our peak busy times the AT room will see up to 20 students in the course of an hour. In the beginning of our time at Affton, this involved Becky having to take most of the students herself while we stood back and observed. But now there is a definite flow to how all three of us work together, having our assigned jobs and each seeing different patients. 

When we arrived at Affton High School we were not confident in our skills and the knowledge that we had. Throughout our time, we have learned new techniques for taping, instructing athletes in exercises, assessing injuries in both acute/chronic and emergent settings, as well as the ins and outs of game day for an Athletic Trainer. Due to all this hands-on learning, we have noticed a significant increase in our confidence not only with our skills but in ourselves and each other as well. 

We would highly recommend Affton High School for future clinical placements because Becky is such a wonderful teacher and Affton is such an interesting place. It really makes for a wonderful overall experience. 

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 Make the Most of Their Clinical Opportunities at Affton HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

By: Brian Leach (SLU MAT Class of 2019) and Emma Yonkers (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

Affton High has certainly kept us on our toes. From shoulder dislocations to ruptured eardrums, it is never boring at Affton. Couple this with a very knowledgeable and helpful preceptor (Becky Stigen, MS, ATC), and you have one great clinical site. Becky’s style of leadership is to put you in the driver seat of your own education, but is never far away to answer any questions you might have. This is a perfect fit for Brian because, well, he likes being in the driver seat. Baptism by fire is kind of his thing. Being in the driver seat can be uncomfortable at times, but is a necessary piece of the academic pie. He enjoys being uncomfortable because he loves growing. And we can tell we are growing a great deal this year.

Our typical day at Affton begins in the athletic training room at 2:20 pm. At 2:30, the kids get out of class and the athletes storm the room for taping, treatments, rehabs, and general advice. Then we head up the hill to either practices or games depending on the day.

Before beginning at Affton, as with most places, our main goal is to be helpful. Over the summer, Brian earned his CSCS so that he could better facilitate that goal. This has come in particularly handy in the prevention and rehab side of things as he has been granted some reasonable level of autonomy when taking the athletes through exercises. One of his goals in the short term is to help eager athletes at Affton reach their performance goals in the off season

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 Program Advisory Board Plays an Important Role in Strategic Planning

The Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program has a Program Advisory Board of 12 external community stakeholders that has a valuable role in program improvement.  Currently the SLU Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, the Athletic Training Program and the Program in Physical Therapy are engaging in department and program level strategic planning facilitated by Dr. Jennifer Giancola.

On the evening of April 4, 2018, the AT Program Advisory Board participated in this process and provided valuable feedback through a SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) Analysis activity.

2017-2018 SLU AT Program Advisory Board

Matt Bayes, M.D. - Bluetail Medical Group (community & clinical partner)

Jonathan Burch, ATC - Saint Louis University - Department of Athletics (clinical partner)

Julie Davitz, MHS, PT, ATC  - SSM (alum & community partner)

Scott Kaar, M.D. - Saint Louis University - SSM/SLUCare Sports Medicine (community partner)

Rick Larsen, MS, ATC - Washington University (community & clinical partner)

Aaron McBride, MPT, ATC - Apex Network Physical Therapy (community partner)

Jason Muchow, MHA, ATC - Mercy Sports Medicine (community & clinical partner)

Paul Nativi, DMD - Nikodem Dental & Saint Louis University, Team Dentist  (community partner)

Laura O’Connor, MPT, OCS - Athletico (alum & community partner)

Mike Overturf, ATC, PES - Athletico (community & clinical partner)

Fred Shinn, MS, PT - ATI Physical Therapy (community & clinical partner)

Becky Stigen MS, ATC - Affton High School (community & clinical partner)

L. Tyler Wadsworth, M.D. - SLU Athletic Training Program Medical Director

SLU AT Students See Their Skills Progressing with the Busy Pace at Affton HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

By: Rory Cusack and Chase Long (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

At Affton High School, with our preceptor Becky Stigen ATC, we have been learning so much so fast!

Within the last 2 months, we have experienced many different types of injuries and have observed different sporting events at each level such as soccer, football, cross country, and more.

Within the last month, we have dealt with several situations in which we have had to send athletes to the hospital, for example, head laceration, fracture dislocation in the ankle, broken nose, and much more. As the semester as progressed, we have improved on our taping and evaluation skills. We are finally able to do real evaluations on the ankle and help figure out rehabilitation programs to help the athletes return to play.

Being at Affton is a great experience for us and we have been enjoying every minute of it. There is never a dull moment and we are continuously learning more and expanding our skill set.

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.

First and Second Year SLU AT Students Learn Together as a Team at Affton HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School
By: Ali Graham (SLU MAT Class of 2017) and Ben Wildman (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

The fall semester at Affton High School kicked off to a great start. We have been working with the football teams, soccer teams, volleyball teams and other fall sport athletes that frequent the athletic training room. Becky Stigen ATC, our preceptor, has allowed us to have a hands on experience at Affton High School. We have been working with athletes to overcome injuries and get back on to the field. Some of the treatments we have been performing are electrical stimulation, ultrasound, and muscle energy techniques. We have also have had the opportunity to formulate rehabilitation protocols and then implement these in the athletic training room.

Football this year has been very fun and exciting. We have been sharpening up our taping and first aid skills as the Cougars face their opponents each week. We have been able to perform on field assessment. Becky has allowed us to evaluate players, and then we collaborate on our thoughts and come to a possible diagnosis of each athlete. We have also been applying protective padding and splints for players in order to keep their extremities protected during competition.

Affton High School is great secondary school rotation for us. Each day we are learning and seeing new things, while improving on skills we already possess. It is nice to have both a PY1 and PY2 at Affton because we are able to help each other out and teach each other new skills and knowledge. The fall at Affton has been a great one so far and we are excited for what is to come this semester.

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 Inspired by Person-Centered Preceptor at Affton HS

New AT Student Blog Post -  Emily Mott (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

It’s one thing to learn about Athletic Training in a classroom, but the real learning starts with observation in the field.  Direct observation of different Athletic Training sites has been critical in my understanding of and grasp on the reality of the Athletic Training career.  One site in particular that I have continuously returned to, with good reason, is with preceptor Becky Stigen ATC at Afton High School.  This site in particular has taught me not only clinical concepts of evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of athletes, but further, about the non-physical interaction with the patient.  

Becky’s care for her patients goes far beyond any physical treatment or care she can provide.  Not only is she clinically skilled, but she is skilled in caring for her athletes even outside of the Athletic Training room.  She has patients that sustain injuries that need treatment beyond her continuing care, but nonetheless she checks up on the student, follows up on their continuing treatment elsewhere and genuinely cares for their well being.  She defines the necessary line between being professional yet supportive of her patients.  

I am confident that my clinical skills will improve over the next two years of my professional phase in the SLU Athletic Training program.  However, after my observation during this final semester of my pre-professional phase, sites like Becky’s have really taught me how to be a skilled, professional, yet supportive Athletic Trainer, who not only cares for the physical injury, but for the patient and the mentality of the injury that comes with it.  It is critical to form bonds with a patient to develop a trusting, caring environment in which they can always return, while also setting professional boundaries.  Becky is a perfect example of this and has set a great example as I continue on in my pursuit in the 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.

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.

SLU AT Student Feels Supported by Dedicated Preceptor at Affton HS

SLU Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

By: Mada Hauck (MAT Class of 2017)

    

The clinical experience at Affton provides students with the opportunity to work on skills, autonomy, and have some fun while you’re at it. The Athletic Trainer at Affton, Becky Stigen ATC, has been working there for 7 years. Her passion for the athletes and community at Affton is clear from the first day there. She allows her students to learn from experience while providing help where it is needed. 

In my time at Affton, I have been able to tape, apply modalities, rehabilitate, and perform many evaluations. It is nice to know that I can put my skills from class into action, but Becky is always there to help if I am unsure or make a mistake. I never feel pressure to do anything, but rather have plenty of opportunities to mature my clinical skills. 

Affton is truly the best combination of learning and experience. Becky’s upbeat attitude and love for the profession enhances the atmosphere and makes it very conducive to learning. I am thankful for Becky and my experience thus far at Affton.

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 Thrive in a Busy Clinical Site with a Team Atmosphere at Affton HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School
By: Katherine Love and Amelia Meigs (SLU MAT Class of 2017)

The Affton High School athletic training room may not be the most spacious of athletic training rooms, but it gets a lot of traffic. Each day after school, 10-30 athletes from various sports pile into the room to get treatment. This keeps us busy with taping, stretching, ultrasound, and therapeutic exercise. The past 11 weeks at Affton have been incredibly eventful—we have had a myriad of injuries from head to toe (literally). From the very first day, Becky Stigen ATC, our preceptor, has kept us busy putting our clinical skills to good use. Having someone put trust in our knowledge and skills is more than we ever could have asked for—Becky is an outstanding preceptor.

We attend home soccer, volleyball, and football games and travel with football each weekend. Through Becky’s guidance, the after-school athletic training room is an educational environment where we practice skills we learned in class on our athletes. Becky is dedicated to Affton and to ensuring that each athlete gets the care he or she deserves.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this semester has been the growing trust between the athletes and us (Katherine and Amelia). At the beginning of pre-season, the players did not know us, and would rush over calling, “Becky, Becky!” But now, we are “Becky 1” and “Becky 2” and respond to the name Becky as well. This level of trust has turned to athletes asking us for tape or rehabilitation assistance (and some even knowing our name isn’t really Becky!). Becky rules her athletic training room with a firm hand, but allows us to explore our knowledge and work together to come to solutions. The team atmosphere of the Affton athletic training room has allowed us to understand what it is like to work in athletic health care and how to effectively care for athletes as a team.

Go Cougars!

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.

Welcoming Community and Preceptor at Affton HS Creates a Rich Learning Experience for SLU AT Students

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

By:  Eldon Reid (MAT Class of 2015) and Brandi Burgett (MAT Class of 2016)

This semester, we have the honor to work with Becky Stigen ATC, the athletic trainer at Affton High School.  Affton High School is a mid size high school with a widely diverse population. The staff at Affton, are supportive of the athletic training team and understanding of the role of an athletic trainer. This has made helping athletes easier. They have also made us feel like we have become part  of the Affton family. Together we have been able to learn a multitude of knowledge including mobilizations and how to deal with the many personalities encountered in a high school setting.  We have been able to rehab many different types of injuries including AC sprains, hamstring strains, ankle sprains, lower back pain, and hip strains.  The hands-­‐on experience at Affton has prepared both of us for our future practice in the field of athletic training.

This winter we have had the opportunity to work with the wrestling team, and both boys and girls basketball.  The spring teams are just now starting to practice. They are girl’s soccer, men’s volleyball, baseball, and track and field. We have had a nice break between the fast pace fall football season but know that it will pick up again soon when the games start for all the spring teams around April.

We feel truly blessed being at Affton High School. We have been given a wonderful opportunity to learn from Becky. She makes the high school setting fun and a great place to learn. We get to have a very hands on opportunity and learn something everyday. We are growing as athletic training students and are becoming more confident. 

We know that this experience has truly prepared us to be a great AT one day.

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 Get Purple Pride from Cougar Nation at Affton High School

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School
By: Eldon Reid (MAT Class of 2015) and Haylie Dehm (MAT Class of 2016)

This semester has been a whirlwind of excitement! When we first came into the Athletic Training Room at Affton High School, you could tell that this was going to be an amazing experience. All the coaches were friendly and welcoming and the student athletes had a spunk of their own. We have had the chance to work with football, girls’ volleyball, boys’ soccer, co-ed cross country, boys’ swimming/diving, and the spirit teams. We have never seen a school so full of team spirit, or in this case, Purple Pride. It has been an interesting ride, this semester, as we have been relatively calm down in our cozy little Athletic Training Room. Besides the standard muscle strains and joint sprains that accompany being an athlete we have had experienced two broken fibulas and a fractured humerus.

Eldon Reid, Becky Stigen ATC and Haylie Dehm

From talking to past AT students that had a clinical rotations at Affton, we were prepared for an okay football season as in the past few years they have not been that great with records like 0-10, 1-9, and 5-6. Our preceptor, Becky Stigen ATC, even said that we’d be lucky to see a 5-5 season, based on the more recent history with the football team. Our football team made it to the MSHSAA Quarterfinals with an 11-1 record!

Haylie Dehm, observing a shoulder evaluation being performed by Eldon Reid

Cougar Nation is out with a vengeance this season and it has been amazing to be a part of it! We may freeze at some of the games with our Extreme Extremity Polar Challenge that was created at the MoATA Secondary Schools level, but the winning streak makes all the Goosebumps and shivering worth it! Affton is such a special place and we could not have asked for a better placement!

Homecoming game in the rain! We're still rocking the shorts!

We cannot wait to see what the winter sports at Affton will bring. Here’s hoping the rest of the sports can follow in the football team’s steps and have amazing and unexpected seasons!

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 "Flips" Over Experience with Gymnastics

By. Katie Schneebeck (MAT Class of 2013)

This year, I’ve had the opportunity to work at Affton High School with Becky Stigen. She is on her 20th year in her athletic training career.Congratulations Becky!

Becky Stigen ATC with SLU AT Student Katie Schneebeck

Along with her experience at Affton, Becky also works at the St. Louis Gymnastic Centre. It is a 21,000 square foot training center that provides instruction for approximately 800 gymnasts. Once a week, Becky and I see athletes and their coaches for injuries. Yes, coaches, who are flipping athletes all day get hurt. Because they do high-flying stunts on bouncy floors and hard beams, gymnasts are prone to many injuries. Every week, I work with a multitude of gymnasts from 5-17 years of age and injuries ranging from broken bones to wrist pain.

The first time I walked into the training center, a huge smile drew across my face. My sisters and I grew up watching the movie, Nadia, and doing cart-wheels on the front lawn. I’ve always wanted to be a gymnast! It is incredibly magical seeing these kids live their dream. While, the margin of gymnasts who make it to the Olympics is low, these athletes are learning very valuable life lessons within their teams. It is truly rewarding working with gymnasts.

The mentality in gymnastics is just like any other sport; they want to push through the pain.  Whether they are 5 or 13 years old, they are some of the toughest athletes with which I’ve ever worked. To give you a better perspective, a couple weeks ago, I prescribed 3 sets of 15 backwards lunges with a twist. The gymnast smiled at me and said with a grin, “We usually do 200 of those on each leg.” If you ever get the opportunity to work with Becky at the St. Louis Gymnastics Centre, take it! You’ll learn more than you can imagine.

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

Affton High School - Home of the Cougars!

By: Katie Schneebeck (SLU MAT Class of 2013) and Jay Maturan (SLU MAT Class of 2014)

It’s official! We bleed purple and yellow! Located just 15 minutes from SLU’s medical campus, Affton High School has become a home to us. Most students at Affton know our humble Athletic Training room as a safe haven surrounded by nutritional facts, handouts, and a place where “Becky’s Always Right.”

Becky Stigen is our fearless leader and preceptor, here at Affton .  She teaches us everything from taping ankles to her greatest life lessons. Becky is dedicated to her job as a teacher and friend. She cries at the end of almost every season. She is the mom of all the teams and treats each player as if they are her own kid. Parents know that their sons and daughters are taken good care of in her hands, and we’re happy to be under her wing as her students.

Katie Schneebeck (SLU MAT Class of 2013), Becky Stigen ATC and Jay Maturan (SLU MAT Class of 2014)

Affton has certainly become a place where students can gain a better perspective on how life will be after graduation. Becky provides a great deal of guidance, but she lets us take the reins, giving us a realistic look into our futures. We are in charge of several athletes’ rehabilitation programs and manage the flow of the Athletic Training Room after school. Some students even come to us to train before their sport even begins! Coaches have started asking us (Becky’s handy-dandy assistants) questions about their athletes. We are certainly treated with a great deal of respect, and coaches know that Saint Louis University has taught us well.

As graduate students in SLU’s Athletic Training Program, Affton is a mecca of information and serves to teach us the bigger picture in Athletic Training. We are included in every aspect of each sport. We see all the in’s and out’s of an athletic program, write proposals for modalities, and provide information for parents to take home for their sons and daughters. When people look at our teams and see us on the end of the bench, we hope they realize that Affton takes a lot of pride in their Athletic Training staff. We received free T-shirts and parents bring us food before every football game.

We look forward to basketball, women’s swimming, and wrestling this next season. GO COUGARS!

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 Clinical Site Spotlight - Affton High School

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Athletic Training students featuring their clinical site and their clinical instructor. The number, quality and diversity of clinical instruction is a major asset for the SLU AT education program.

Affton High School
By: Lizzy Kienstra (MAT Class of 2013)

It has been about 8 weeks since I started my clinical rotation at Affton High School, and it seems like yesterday I was getting anxious just thinking about what it would be like at Affton.  It’s exciting to think that I waited three years to finally have my own experience and a chance to work with athletes, using my knowledge from my ACI and from class to have the best skills and knowledge for my profession as an athletic trainer. 

As my ACI Becky shows me the ropes at Affton, she and I have a good time working with the athletes and getting to know the players. I am enjoying the experience of the team dynamic and inclusion, being a part of Affton when we are on the sidelines with the teams. Becky and I work with all of the sports offered at Affton this season and with the athletes that come in with injuries every day when school lets out. We attend home soccer, volleyball and football games at all high school grade levels, and I get a lot of athletic training experience under Becky’s talented and skillful guidance.

Becky Stigen ATC with SLU AT student Lizzy Kienstra at Affton HS.

In class we have learned about foot, ankle, and knee examinations, evaluations, and pathologies along with how and why to use modalities like electrical stimulation and ultrasound. At Affton, Becky and I have worked on many things from perfecting my ankle and wrist taping, evaluating and examining for an injury, and working with an athlete and their rehabilitation program as they recover from ACL reconstruction surgery, just to name a few.I am continue to learn so much at Affton and am so lucky to have such a wonderful opportunity to work with Becky and the Affton students. I am sure that these experiences will make me become a better Athletic Trainer and prepare me for my first real job as an athletic trainer.

Special care is needed around wild animals....good thing Lizzy is trained in first aid!