SLU AT Student Builds Clinical Skills and Professional Development with Washington University Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University Athletics

By: Mason Remeis (MAT Class of 2023)

This semester I have returned to Washington University in St. Louis primarily primarily with football responsibilities, but it looks much different than it did a year ago.  The Head Athletic Trainer from last season took a new position at a new university and we are currently in a transition, so there is currently not an athletic trainer on staff who is solely in charge of the football team.  On top of that, there is only one other student who is working with the team for the time being.  That being said, we have been able to make things work.  There are two ATs on staff that both help out the football team during practices, games, and treatments.  It was interesting to see how the players reacted to having to work with new ATs.  It seems like the players were able to get comfortable and gain an overall trust pretty quickly.  As for me personally, since I was there working with them last year, I already had a relationship with most of the players so the transition back was very easy.  I do find it beneficial though to get to work with the other ATs more now and see how they tend to treat certain injuries or how they run things.  

The typical day consists of coming in for treatments, setting up the field for practice or game, taping, being out on the field during the practice or game, and ending with post-practice treatments.  Now that I am in my second year in the graduate school program, and also due to there not being one designated AT for the football team, my overall responsibilities have increased.  I have continued to set up and assist with different modalities that I have already had a lot of experience with, but have also gotten to work with some other modalities that I haven’t necessarily worked with as much.  The most common treatments include e-stim, Game-Ready, and Graston.  I have gotten to work with the underwater treadmill, and set up other e-stim variants like Biowave or Marc Pro. I also have been able to evaluate injuries and then create rehab plans for the athletes.  

I have consistently seen my responsibilities increase each semester of clinicals up to this point.  A lot of it has to do with me being further down the line in school and experience, but also I have done a good job of gaining the trust from my preceptor and the players to where I am able to be fully hands on and be in control when an injury occurs or when an athlete comes into the training room.  I continue to learn more about what I need to work on and I have also seen growth in my overall skills.  This experience has been very beneficial so far and I expect that the semester will just continue to improve as the season moves forward.

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 Appreciate the Benefit of Experience at Multiple Clinical Sites

New PY1 AT Student Blog Post - Justin Epperly and Brandon Pavon (MAT Class of 2024)

Justin Epperly

This spring semester has been the beginning of our transition into the professional years of our Athletic training program. When we started observation hours it was equally exciting and nerve-racking, but after visiting John Burroughs, Washington University, and Fontbonne I realized there was much more to be excited about than nervous. It was very interesting to see the similarities across each clinical site and the minute differences such as scraping, taping techniques, and the use of cupping for examples. Not only were some of the therapeutic modalities different, but so were the spaces and overall environments. It was very interesting to see the part of being an AT that is not focused on as much. When I was not watching patient care, we spent our time talking with the athletic directors, coaches, and other athletes. This whole experience has really shed some light on the importance of the bond between the AT and those we work around. We truly are the connection from athlete to the school and sometimes the coaches.

During my observation hours I was fortunate to shadow Eldwin Neritani and Muharem Komic at Wash U; Lauren Swords and her preceptor Sammie Hochmuth ATC at Fontbonne; and Olivia Mani, Katie Wissing and their preceptor Dean Tiffany ATC at John Burroughs. I was also fortunate enough to have some of my fellow AT classmates shadow with me, shout out to Sha Jones, Brandon Pavon, and Marissa Uecker. However, one of my most memorable learning experiences came to me when I was shadowing at John Burroughs alone and one student dislocated his shoulder. I had never seen a dislocation or reduction of any kind so this was an amazing opportunity to witness something that one would not normally get to see. Luckily the student’s shoulder was reduced, and he was alright. Another memorable experience was also at John Burroughs with my fellow AT classmate, Brandon. Being our last day, we were able to try cupping…. Not on anyone else of course, but Olivia offered to cup our backs. This was a great learning experience because cupping, while it is not accepted everywhere, is a growing modality that many athletes enjoy. I think it was very beneficial to understand how cupping works and feels for my future as an AT, and for that matter, I think my time as a whole, at all the clinical sites I visited, were critical in my development as a future AT and have sparked excitement for my future!

Brandon Pavon

Starting this clinical observation process I was pretty nervous because this was the closest, I’ve been to seeing what it would be like to actually be an athletic trainer. Throughout my time at multiple different clinical sites, I was able to get a feel of how the different environments operate and how they vary from place to place. I mainly got to see the difference John Burroughs High School and DeSmet Jesuit high school. While the training rooms themselves vary drastically, the day to day very a lot too. At DeSmet, which is a all boys school, we mainly talked to the coaches before practices as well as watched the varsity volleyball team practice. At John Burroughs we saw a lot more students as they are required to take a sport along with it being a coed school. With the fall sports games starting around the time I went to John Burroughs I was also able to watch more games compared to my visit to DeSmet where the games had not started yet.

Justin and I have been to John Burroughs High School a couple of times now with Olivia, Katie, and Dean as the preceptor. Each time we went Dean has been super welcoming and helpful. There was one time Dean was taping an ankle and his technique was different than the one we learned from class so he was explaining to us why he does it the way he does. There was also some other times where Dean would be taping an arch or shin splint and he was explaining what happened to the person and why they needed this kind of taping job. It is experiences like these that lead to a further passion in this profession

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 Experience the Importance of Communication in Health Care at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University

By: Sydney Nash (MAT Class of 2022), Muharem Komic and Eldwin Neritani (MAT Class of 2023)

During this clinical experience at Washington University with preceptors Chris Schultheiss ATC, Amanda Luskey ATC and Jackee Hill ATC, we have already learned a lot. We have learned about how important the dynamic between athletic trainers in a collegiate setting like Wash U really is. Being able to properly communicate with and interact with your coworkers is a necessity to be able to establish any sort of proper dynamic and communication with the athletes. If none of the athletic trainers are on the same page, that makes giving proper healthcare to the athletes much more difficult than it needs to be.

The transition of care is also very important with there being a new hire and them being put in charge of a team that a previous athletic trainer oversaw. Seeing the transition of care was a learning experience because the new hire must build up trust with the athletes that the previous athletic trainer already had. Another characteristic picked up while at Wash U is trust. It is a very important aspect of the receival of care with an athlete. They tend to be more open about their healing process and how they are doing and be more honest with you. Overall, it has been a very educational experience and being exposed to a variety of modalities old and new to me was very intriguing. We have also experienced assisting in rehabilitation programs for injuries and just learning and picking up on all aspects of athletic training and adapting to it with what we already know.

Wash U provides many experiences in not only the medical side of Athletic Training but the administrative side as well. During my experience here we have been immersed into the documentation side of athletic training with not only learning how to use the record system but also learning techniques to keep track of treatments and best way to do so. We have gained so many new methods for recording treatment as well as injury updates. Wash U provides experiences in all aspects of Athletic Training and is preparing us to become adept Athletic Trainers.

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 Enjoy Numerous Clinical Learning Opportunities with Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis Athletics

By: Emily Haley, Anastasia Galo, Mason Remeis, Alex Smith (SLU MAT Class of 2023) and Sydney Nash (SLU MAT Class of 2022)

Our clinical experience at Washington University, with preceptors Chris Schultheiss ATC,  Jackee Hill ATC and  Amanda Lusky ATC,  we have primarily been caring for football and have had many opportunities to witness and take care of injuries including ACL tears, patellar subluxation, Achilles tendon rupture, AC joint separation, shoulder dislocation and many more. With the number of injuries from pre-season camp and now, we have had ample opportunity to either create rehab plans or assist in executing rehab with the players. 

This experience has given us many opportunities to use modalities that many places do not have like laser, an underwater treadmill, and Hiva mat. Since the sports medicine doctors are frequently at our site, we have also had the opportunity to sit in on and take notes on evaluations as well as the ability to observe suturing. 

The PY1’s have learned a lot from this first clinical experience so far and have been building up our skill sets. We have practiced a lot of taping, compression wrapping, wound care, taken histories, assisted with pre-season physicals, observed on field evaluations, and have just begun to practice evals on the foot and ankle. Wash U is a great learning environment for us as there is always something happening. 

Sydney, a PY2, has had the ability to practice her evaluation skills on athletes as well as learning the administration side of athletic training. She has had many opportunities to assist in physicals and paperwork regarding them which has been an amazing experience to prepare me for my future experience. Being able to be at this clinical site with all of the PY1’s has been an amazing and fun 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 Appreciate the Community's Contribution to their Clinical Growth at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis Athletics
By: Allison Stefan and Mitchell Buerck (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

This spring semester at Washington University, with basketball season and winter sports coming to an end and spring sports starting up, the athletic training room has kept us very busy. Our preceptors, Grant Rohrig MAT, ATC, Jim Anderson BS, ATC, and Mary Collins MAT, ATC, have given us way more responsibility in the athletic training room, as well as, some autonomy to make decisions regarding the care of the athletes.

Something we both have enjoyed this semester is helping the same athletes through-out their rehabilitation programs. Both of us have our own athletes that we see daily and have progressed toward the goal of returning the athlete to play. We have definitely seen major improvements in our rehabilitation skills and coming up with programs that coincide with which stage of the healing process the athlete is in. In addition, we have managed some pretty interesting injuries this semester, including an athlete fracturing three metacarpal bones from a direct blow of a thigh, a broken nose, and another torn ACL.

This semester has been very rewarding for the both of us because the athletes have seen us every day and now feel very comfortable coming to us for things. We have made a deeper connection with athletes from multiple teams and the trust they have in us is developing more and more each week.

We also have established a wholesome relationship with many of the coaches at WashU. With the tragedy of the passing of longtime WashU Head Athletic Trainer Rick Larsen ATC, the athletic department has really come together as a community. They have include us in the support and we both feel very appreciated at WashU. We are looking forward to getting back outside this spring and continuing helping the athletes through their injuries.

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 Enjoy Learning in Dynamic Clinical Environment with Washington University Athletics

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University Athletics
By: Mitchell Buerck, Maria Lingardo, Allison Stefan (MAT Class of 2020) and  
Maddie Bozych, Kaylla Juarez, Allison Stefan, Joey Wenzl (MAT Class of 2021)

At Washington University, we are fortunate to learn from four highly experienced athletic trainers while having access to amazing facilities and equipment. The semester there are three PY1’s, Maddie Bozych, Kaylla Juarez, and Joey Wenzl , and three PY2’s, Allison Stefan, Mitchell Buerck, and Maria Lingardo. The six of us have the opportunity to cover a well-respected Division 3 football program that is composed of great athletes who are appreciative of our help. Each day brings new learning opportunities in the fast paced world of football. Each week brings new injuries which we get to evaluate and treat with a multitude of modalities, and create rehab programs to get them back to play.

To prepare for practices and games, we use modalities such as electrical stim, laser, game ready, alter-G, and an underwater treadmill to treat and rehab our athletes to ensure they can play at their fullest potential. During games we are able to efficiently and effectively use the skills we have learned from Grant Rohrig, MAT, ATC, (our preceptor) and through our SLU AT program to help evaluate and treat our athletes to assist them to quickly get back to the game. During our clinical rotation we all get the opportunity to travel with the football team. During travel trips we get more exposure of what it may be like to have a career in a college or professional sports team setting. These trips present us a chance to use our skills in an environment that is different than our usual AT room that doesn’t have all the great modalities. It forces us to adapt to use what we have at our disposal.

As stated earlier, at WashU we get to learn and observe from four different certified athletic trainers who all come from unique backgrounds and levels of experience. Rick Larsen, MS, ATC, Jim Anderson, BS, ATC, Mary Collins, MAT, ATC and Grant Rohrig, MAT, ATC  give four perspectives on taping techniques, injury evaluations, and rehabilitation programs. There is a great balance between teaching by example, and letting us learn on our own. By letting us learn on our own, while they are overseeing, they challenge us to use the knowledge we’ve learned to make rehab and treatment decisions for our athletes. We all are looking forward to the rest of the semester and seeing how our skills improve.

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 Experience Team Approach to Athletic Health Care at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University Athletics
By: Paul Lamb and Jesse Schmitt (SLU MAT Class of 2019); Maria Lingardo, Courtney Nall and Allison Stefan (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

The 2018 Fall semester has been quite busy for the two 2nd year (PY2) students (Jesse Schmitt and Paul Lamb), and three 1st year (PY1) students (Allison Stefan, Maria Lingardo, and Courtney Nall) at Washington University. While primarily caring for the football team, we have all contributed to treating all athletes at WashU. Our everyday schedule is a mixture of treating athletes using therapeutic modalities, such as laser, game-ready, and underwater treadmill program; as well as an ample amount of taping and preparation before going out to practice. In addition, we help athletes go through their rehab programs.

From day one to now, we have learned how to work together as a team with our preceptors Rick Larsen MS, ATC and Grant Rohrig MAT, ATC. The PY1 students feel comfortable asking questions to the PY2s and the PY2s are always willing to help out the PY1s. We have established mutual trust within our team, and our preceptors have given us more responsibility as weeks go by. One of our favorite parts of the week is when we sit down as a group and discuss injury reports as well as things to improve on from the week before. Team meetings help to ensure everyone is on the same page and that there is not any miscommunication.

At WashU we all get the opportunity to take turns traveling with the football team. Travel trips have provided all of us a great insight to what traveling with a team entails. We have all enjoyed our clinical experience this far at Washington University because we have the opportunities to do things like travel. We all are looking forward to the rest of the semester here and seeing how we keep developing our own skill sets, as well as, how we keep growing as a team.

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 Sees Multiple Sides of the Profession Through a Variety of Experiences

New AT Student Blog Post - Rachel Wilhelm (SLU MAT Class of 2020)

Being a 3rd year undergraduate Athletic Training student, I am excited to be finishing up my pre-professional education so I can go on to the professional phase, do clinicals and take classes directly related to the job field. The excitement has been gradually building up over this last semester, due to our requirement of doing Directed Observation (DO) hours. In order to start acclimating into the mindset of being an Athletic Trainer, the 3rd years were all required to put in a certain number of hours joining the PY students at their clinical sites to do observation. I have completed hours at SLU club hockey, the MVC Basketball tournament, Webster Groves High School, Washington University, NCAA Bowling, NCAA Gymnastics, and John Burroughs School. 

Two of the sites that I believe I gained a lot from were the NCAA Gymnastics tournament and Washington University. I was able to experience the Gymnastics tournament with other DO students, PY students, and some certified Athletic Trainers. With high school gymnastics season being over and SLU not having a team, there weren’t many opportunities to observe the sport, so I was beyond excited to have this opportunity. Some of the certified ATs and PY students were even gymnasts in the past, so it was amazing to be able to get my questions answered by people who had direct experience with the sport. I was also able to observe the physicians and massage therapists that some teams brought with them. 

I went to do DO hours at Wash U with Jenna Ginsberg. She went out of her way to show me how everything there worked, from how to set the athletes up for stim to writing the reports for each athlete she interacted with. She also answered many of my questions regarding the curriculum in my upcoming PY years. It was a completely different experience from the NCAA Gymnastics tournament, so it was great to be able to see multiple sides of Athletic Training. I’m excited to see when it takes me in the future. 

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 Enjoy Learning in the Collaborative Environment at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis Athletics

By: Jenna Ginsberg and Mike Milek (SLU MAT Class of 2018) and Danielle Jabcyznski and Jesse Schmitt (SLU MAT Class of 2019)

Washington University has been a very impactful experience so far. Being able to work with such an experienced preceptor, Rick Larsen ATC, along with three other ATC’s, including recent SLU graduate Bailey Draheim MAT, ATC, has been great for our collaborative problem solving skills. The PY1’s developing skillset is challenged and growing everyday, and the PY2’s are held to very high standards of accountability in the day-to-day work of caring for the football team. 

Being with the football team provides constant opportunity for improvement in our ability to provide acute and emergency care, rehabilitation, and administrative/organizational skills. The university setting also allows us to practice with an abundance of great resources such as laser therapy and hydrotherapy in the form of an underwater treadmill. 

The sports medicine team at Washington University is vast, which allows us as students to witness great teamwork and interprofessional care between physicians, chiropractors, and other heath care professionals in addition to the athletic training staff. Rick Larsen and the rest of the athletic training team have created a very efficient system in which the coaches and athletes have great respect for what the AT’s do. Working in this environment as students has been and will continue to be great for our professional development.  

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 Enjoy Learning Through Collaboration at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University Athletics
By: Max Alander, Bailey Draheim and Brianna LaBarbera (SLU MAT Class of 2017); and Emily Mott, Patrick O'Neill and Wyatt Whitegoat (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

Thus far, Washington University (WashU) in Saint Louis has been an experiential and knowledgeable clinical site for both Saint Louis University’s Professional Year (PY) I and II students. At WashU, Athletic Training students are able to apply knowledge gained from a lecture based environment to a hands-on role, including wound care treatment, modality treatment, and injury assessment. In addition, PY I and II students are able to develop and guide a rehabilitation program that allows an athlete’s return to play getting the athlete back to play quickly but not before they are fully healed.

An athlete’s return to play is achieved with the collaboration of athletic training students and the interaction of certified athletic trainers. The certified staff at WashU includes Head Athletic Trainer, Rick Larsen ATC, and three assistant Athletic Trainers, Jim Anderson ATC, Jacob Blasingame ATC, and Mary Tarzon ATC. Working under and in collaboration with all four Athletic Trainers has definitely been one of the unique and beneficial aspects of being placed at Washington University for our clinical experience. For instance, certified athletic trainers allow PY II’s to refine and incorporate skills learned from previous clinical sites while learning new approaches for treatment. In addition, certified athletic trainers, with the assistance of PY II’s, allow PY I students to mold, obtain, and apply new methods of diagnosing, evaluating, and taping; so that, students are able to incorporate to future clinical sites and practice.

Furthermore, beyond the collaboration of students and certified athletic trainers, the sport (either Football or Soccer) that the Athletic Training students are assigned provides a variety of exposure to injuries, either acute or chronic. Thus, enhancing students immediate application of hands on experience to injuries gained from class and prior clinical sites. In addition, WashU’s brand new and innovative athletic training room obtained with a variety of equipment (LASER, AlterG, Underwater treadmill, and a rehabilitation area) allows students to apply and gain a variety of skills for future practice.

Overall, WashU is an incredible clinical site that aids in our growth and development as athletic training students by always teaching us new, yet diverse, ways to practice our skills.

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 Appreciates Insight of Experienced Students and Preceptors at Washington University

New AT Student Blog Post - Abby Klosterman (SLU MAT Class of 2018)

During my time spent at Washington University, I had the opportunity to observe Jim Anderson BS, ATC along with three of Saint Louis University’s Master’s Program students; Andrea Strebler (pictured), Jack Dunlap and Demeisha Crawford (not pictured).  Jim is not only an incredible mentor, but comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of Athletic Training. As the head Athletic Trainer of the St. Louis Rams for 27 years he offers an incredible perspective of the field of Sports Medicine, not to mention great stories. 

Washington University Athletic Trainers are kept busy with the caliber and intensity levels of their athletes, which provided me with a great opportunity to observe and ask questions regarding the various techniques and methods of care they provided. I was able to observe some of the therapeutic modalities, immediate injury care and first aid, and a variety of taping procedures. 

Jim, Andrea, Jack and Demeisha all possess a great skill set and were tremendously accommodating to my observing and inquiry of their practice. It was an enlightening experience being able to work with the Athletic Training team at Washington University and is inspiring to me as I move forward in my journey to become 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.

SLU AT Students Benefit from Great Environment for Learning at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University

By: Andrea Strebler, Jack Dunlap and Demeisha Crawford (MAT Class of 2016)

During the fall semester at Washington University we were assigned primarily with football and secondly men’s and women’s soccer. The combination of PY1’s and PY2’s was a great environment for learning and bouncing ideas off each other. The sheer amount of injuries was a perfect atmosphere for mentoring, learning new techniques and collaboration from the various health care providers. Our transition to winter season, mainly basketball was much needed.

Spring semester at Washington University kicked off full swing January 9th, 2016. Both basketball teams were in the beginning of regular season play and eager to succeed. With prestigious coaches on both the men and women’s sides the bears were excited and raring to go. The three of us were feeling the same way, well rested from our winter breaks and excited for this spring semester. As PY2’s at Washington University as our last semester of clinical practicum we were given much more responsibilities. Initial evaluations, reassessments, rehabilitations, documentation and overall care was to be PY2 responsibility thus forward. We were excited to take on these new responsibilities full go.

Low Level Laser Therapy - LLLT (therapeutic modality) was a new addition to the Washington University athletic training room. At first it was the new craze, after time we came to find obvious positive results that no other therapeutic modality had given before. Our primary uses have been for chronic injury (i.e. patellar tendinopathy), abrasions (i.e. turf burns), and chronic muscle strains (hamstring strains). One of the most telling examples was an athlete who had suffered a substantial turf abrasion with exudate and significant pain. We treated this athlete with low wattage and the large laser head over the area for two treatment cycles. After the treatments the athlete reported less pain and exudate and visibly we saw scar formation. Rick Larson says, “It is an effective modality for connective tissues, primarily for circulatory benefits”.

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.

Veteran Preceptors Create a Great Learning Experience for SLU AT Students at Washington University

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University Athletics

By: Demeisha Crawford, Andrea Strebler and Jack Dunlap (SLU MAT Class of 2016) and Ali Graham and Max Alander (SLU MAT Class of 2017)

“Da Bears” of Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) have welcomed SLU Athletic Training Students for years. We, Demeisha, Ali, Max, Jack and Andrea, are lucky to have such a unique experience for fall 2015 at WUSTL. August came with football preseason, physicals, new PY1’s, PY2’s, and Spain foreign exchange students.  Carlos and Javier are Sports Physiotherapists attending University of Camilo Jose Cela in Madrid. We were extremely lucky to have them for preseason August 2015. Both students were extremely intelligent and had this contagious love for sports. Javier in particular was a competitive swimmer and shared with us his capstone of aquatic rehabilitation in various stages of rehabilitation.  Even with English as there second language; they were able to communicate and teach us new valuable information in rehab especially. We were sad to see them go but wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Football at WUSTL started August 10th and has been full swing ever since. We have experienced many injuries over the past two months and have become familiar with the management and processes for return to play. Anything from anterior shoulder dislocation to turf toe have been assessed, evaluated and treated under the supervision of two very intelligent preceptors; Rick Larsen ATC and SLU Alum Jacob Blasingame ATC. Both of our preceptors try hard day after day to teach us proper techniques, normal management and skills of assessment for optimum health care for our athletes. They are committed to helping us grow into the Athletic Trainers we aspire to be.

Andrea Strebler pictured with her parents at WUSTL Soccer Match.

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.

Spanish Students from Madrid Reflect on their AT Clinical Experiences in St. Louis

International Field Experience  - SLU and Universidad Camilo Jose Cela
By Carlos Cachón Romero & Javier González Vázquez 

We are students in a Master’s program at University of Camilo Jose Cela in Spain, where we are physiotherapists.  For our internship experience for we chose to learn about Athletic Training in the United States, in the city of Saint Louis, Missouri at Saint Louis University (SLU). SLU has an affiliation agreement with Washington University where we learned at practices with their football team under the supervision of Rick Larsen ATC.

The goal of this experience was to learn more about Athletic Training, which is different that is seen as a sports physiotherapist + a sports rehab worker in Spain. It seemed important to get this experience, see how they work on another continent, see the profession of Athletic Training and improve our level of English.

Each day we started in the Athletic Training Room preparing players for the training or the match/game they had to play. In this room, the players came to tape both ankles and wrists, dress skin wounds or more substantial injuries such as fractures or muscle tears.

We also had the opportunity to learn how to teach with Rick Larsen with the other students in the SLU Athletic Training Program.  We were given the opportunity to provide a demonstration of aquatic therapy by Javier Gonzalez Vazquez or a myofascial technique on two players by Carlos Cachon Romero.

Once finalized the work in the Athletic Training Room , we went to the field to prepare everything for the players, water from carts , ice for players, CPR/AED case , even a mini weather station to monitor the time if a storm was coming (which happened and we had to stop training as a precaution).

We were also alert for any serious incident that may occur instantly and we were ready to act as quickly as possible to have the situation under control. Also we taped players (or re-taped since were released by sweat), we performed stretching to the players and some other tasks on the football field. You could say that this was a ''practical'' for game day where we worked to keep our athletes constantly hydrated, and be alert to any danger that might occur during the game.

In short, these practices have helped us to improve as professionals of tomorrow in our clinical practice, see how it works out of Spain and also learn different techniques to those already used to improve our English on everything and have a different view.

We appreciate this opportunity provided by both to Universidad Camilo José Cela (Program Director Alvaro Garcia Romero); Saint Louis University (Program Director Dr. Anthony Breitbach); and Washington University, especially our preceptor Rick Larsen, for hosting us here in the United States.

APRENDIENDO DE LOS AT: INTERCAMBIO CONTINENTAL
By Carlos Cachón Romero & Javier González Vázquez 

Para nuestra experiencia de prácticas del máster que estamos realizando en España como fisioterapeutas, hemos elegido realizar esta estancia de prácticas en los Estados Unidos de América, en el estado de San Luis en Saint Louis University, la cual tiene un convenio con Washington University donde realizamos las practicas con el equipo de futbol americano (Bears) bajo la supervisión de Rick Larsen.

Estas prácticas van encaminadas a la figura del Athletic Training que se ve como un fisioterapeuta deportivo + un readaptador deportivo por lo cual nos pareció importante realizar dichas prácticas para así ver cómo trabajan en otro continente, ver la figura del Athletic Training  y mejorar el nivel de inglés.

Cada día que íbamos estábamos en la habitación de Athletic Training tratando y preparando a los jugadores para el entreno ó el partido que tuviesen que disputar.

En esta habitación, venían los jugadores a vendarse tanto tobillos como muñecas, curarse heridas en la piel o alguna lesión más considerable como pudiesen ser fracturas o roturas musculares. Hemos tenido la oportunidad de aprender como de enseñar puesto que junto a Rick Larsen como a los demás alumnos del programa de Athletic training nos dieron la oportunidad de demostrar lo que valemos ya sea como una exposición del TFG por Javier González Vázquez o por realizar una técnica miofascial en los isquiotibiales a dos jugadores por Carlos Cachón Romero.

Una vez que finalizaba el trabajo en la sala de Athletic Training, salíamos al campo a preparar todo lo necesario para los jugadores, desde los carritos de agua, hielo para los jugadores, maletín de RCP, incluso una mini estación meteorológica para controlar el tiempo por si se acercaba alguna tormenta (cosa que sucedió y tuvimos que parar el entrenamiento por precaución).

Aparte también estábamos atentos por si ocurría algún incidente grave poder actuar al instante y en el menor tiempo posible tener la situación bajo control. También realizábamos ajustes de vendajes (ya que se soltaban por el sudor) o los cambiábamos, realizábamos estiramientos a los jugadores y algunas otras labores a pie de campo. Se podría decir que esto era una ''practica'' para el día del partido donde realizábamos labores de tener a nuestros deportistas hidratados constantemente, estar atentos a cualquier situación de peligro que se pudiera ocurrir durante el partido, realizar vendajes, estiramientos etc...

En resumen, estas prácticas nos han servido para mejorar como profesionales el día de mañana en nuestra práctica clínica, ver como se trabaja fuera de España y a la vez aprender técnicas distintas a las ya utilizadas, mejorar nuestro ingles sobre todo y tener otra visión diferente del jugador.

Muchísimas gracias por esta oportunidad tanto a la universidad Camilo José Cela (Álvaro García Romero), Saint Luis University (Anthony Breitbach), a Washington Univeristy y sobre todo a nuestro tutor en las practicas Rick Larsen por acogernos como uno más en su equipo.

Experienced Preceptors at Washington University Create Excellent Learning Experiences for SLU AT Students

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis

By:  Christian Ahlstrom and Andria Lampe (MAT Class of 2015), Audrey Block and David O'Loughlin (MAT Class of 2016)

At Washington University in St. Louis, we have the opportunity to experience the athletic training lifestyle of a Division III university. We are able to work with all of their sports programs this fall such as football, men's and women's soccer, cross country, tennis and swimming. Four of us SLU students are working with the football program and one SLU student is with the soccer teams. With football, we have the privilege to learn from four very knowledgeable certified athletic trainers, Rick Larsen, ATC, Jim Anderson, ATC, Jacob Blasingame, ATC and Mary Tarzon, ATC, who among one another have more than 70 years of experience in the field. We also have the opportunity to observe the team's orthopedic physicians and chiropractors while they work with our athletes in the athletic training room throughout the week. At Wash U, there is also a wide variety of therapeutic modalities that we are fortunate enough to utilize including Electric Stimulation, Ultrasound, a hydrocollator and GameReady units, just to name a few.

Andria Lampe and David O'Loughlin

Last week, Christian and Dave traveled to Memphis, Tennessee with the football team for a road game against Rhodes College. That is just one of five road trips we students will be going on. Traveling with the team was a great experience, because it pushed us out of our comfort zone. Without being in our usual athletic training room setting, we had to improvise and make use of what we had in an efficient manner. Also, we were recently asked to create a rehab program for one of the football players. This is just one example of the hands-­on opportunities that we get, and it shows that the athletic training staff has a lot of trust in us. The athletic training staff really allows us to enhance our skills by taking a step back and allowing us to be the first line of help.

Audrey Block and Christian Ahlstrom

Wash U is currently undergoing a massive two­ year renovation to their entire athletic facility which includes the athletic training room. This is great for us students because we get a first-­hand experience on how to design and organize an efficient athletic training room. With an amazing staff of athletic trainers and physicians to learn from, hands­-on experience with modalities, traveling opportunities with teams and a competitive collegiate setting to learn in, Wash U offers us a unique experience and a great learning environment that prepares us for our future careers.

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 Personal and Professional Growth During Summer Internship

Summer Internship Blog Post - Washington University
By: Brittany Koops (MAT Class of 2015)

When I transferred to SLU last summer as a post-baccalaureate student I had so many expectations, thoughts, and hopes for the upcoming year and even more so towards to summer internship. While my internship at Washington University in Saint Louis was nothing like I had dreamt, it was still more than I could ask for.

I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first. I didn’t know what to expect going into the internship, and I was somewhat saddened that I was staying in Saint Louis instead of returning home to be with my friends. While I was skeptical I went in with a positive attitude, and knew I’d give it nothing but my best. From the first day I walked in I felt welcomed and trusted as a student. The amount of freedom they gave me made me feel competent in my skills. The staff wasn’t over bearing and constantly hovering over me. I had space to work, and practice the skills that I had the past year to learn.

Brittany Koops with Washington Univ. AT Jacob Blasingame MAT, ATC (SLU MAT Class of 2011)

I’m the type of person who hates being wrong. When a professor or instructor hovers over me I feel nervous, incompetent and not trusted. This causes me to freeze up, and I’m not always able to practice or show my knowledge to my full potential. While I was allowed to take control, I was confident knowing that if I did need help that the staff would be right there to eagerly answer any questions or help me if I needed it. The athletic trainers at Wash U were all friendly, and open to helping me reach my full potential.

This past year has been a real struggle for me, It is the first time I’ve ever been away from my family and friends. This has caused me to feel out of place, and uncomfortable. When I don’t feel like I belong then I crawl back into my shell and hide. I sit back and watch more than try to stand out and show off how much I actually know. This past summer at Wash U has really helped me gain the confidence in myself that I will need this upcoming year, and even more so in my future. I felt welcomed by all the staff, and that made me feel like I was wanted and a part of the team this past summer. I wasn’t afraid to speak up, or communicate with the coaches. The compliments from the coaches at the soccer camp on how I went above and beyond when I could to help them made me feel like I finally wasn’t passing the years by in Saint Louis unnoticed. I realized the coaches could see my passion, and I just needed to show it more, and take that drive to allow myself to open up and not be afraid to be wrong and practice my skills. I need to not be hesitant to ask questions, or speak up about what I believe.

I was wrong in an initial assessment of an injury once during the summer, and the world didn’t end like I thought it would. The summer went on, and I learned from my mistake. I learned to be more careful, and to communicate better. I gained confidence in my assessment skills, and learned to trust my own knowledge. I learned different ways of taping and modifications to the special tests, that can help me improve my assessment skills even more. All in all, I feel that the confidence I gained these past few months is the most valuable thing I can take away. Without confidence I won’t be able to learn more. I need to carry this confidence with pride, and not be afraid to show off the skills that I have learned. By taking this new found confidence I will be happier, and it will be easier to find a place to belong here in Saint Louis. I will no longer be hiding back in the shadows just waiting for the semester to pass by. I now look forward to my upcoming clinical rotation year, and finding my place and confidence there, to really be able to practice and master the skills I’ve spent years of my life studying.

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 Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis - Home of the Bears!
By: Nick Gastorf, Angelo Bongiorno and Tyler Wood (MAT Class of 2014); Connor Doherty and Shannon Kane (MAT Class of 2015)

For the academic year of 2013-2014 PY2 students Nick Gastorf, Angelo Bongiorno and Tyler Wood have the privilege of working at Washington University - St. Louis.  For this fall semester, two PY1 students, Connor Doherty and Shannon Kane are also assigned to WashU.  At WashU, we are under the instruction of 4 certified athletics trainers. Head Athletic Trainer Rick Larsen ATC works with the football team. Assistant Athletic Trainer Jacob Blasingame ATC works with football as well and also covers men’s soccer.  Assistant Athletic Trainer Jim Anderson ATC covers women’s soccer and Assistant Athletic Trainer Mary Tarzon ATC covers volleyball and cross country.

SLU AT students Connor Doherty, Nick Gastorf, Angelo Bongiorno and Shannon Kane

To say that the fall has been busy would be an understatement.  We have had great success on the field in almost every sport.  At this point in time, our football team and women’s soccer team are still alive in their NCAA Division III tournaments. The football team has earned their first at large bid since 1999, their second such in school history!  While the athletic teams have had great success on the field, we, as athletic training students, have also had great learning experiences off and on the field. Unfortunately, we have had numerous injuries this fall semester to take care of.  While you never want to see an athlete get hurt, it does allow for us SLU students to enhance our athletic training skills.  Although these injuries have occurred, we are confident these are athletes will be back on the field in no time with the great care they are receiving from the WashU Athletic Training Staff.

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 Has a Fantastic Summer at Washington University

Washington University Summer Internship

By: Mary Rhatigan (MAT Class of 2014)

This summer I had the opportunity to work with some great people at Washington University Saint Louis covering athletic training for the Bear’s summer sports camps. I have always loved working with kids and this summer was a fantastic learning experience not only for practicing my athletic training skills but also for expanding my scope of practice to an entirely new range of ages.

           

After clinical rotations in both a high school and SLU, It was great to have a brief change of pace and see what it is like working with such a different age group. Throughout the weeks I worked with volleyball, basketball, baseball, soccer and football for 6-18 year olds. Some of the residential camps were really busy with a huge number of athletes playing the sport they love from morning til night. For the most part everyone stayed relatively healthy and we were able to manage things smoothly thanks to the wonderful staff and facilities at Wash U.

Rick Larsen ATC with SLU AT student Mary Rhatigan

Along with working with the different camps, I got the chance to help out with a few Wash U athletes’ rehabilitation programs. Head Athletic Trainer Rick Larsen ATC was excited to tell me I would probably have the opportunity to be exposed to some of their rehab cases and he did not disappoint. I was very impressed with their system for organizing the rehab charts and at how easy it was for the athletes to take on the responsibility of dedicated work to get healthy.

Overall this summer was great. I worked in a beautiful facility with a wonderful staff and not only learned a ton but also made some good friends. I wish them the best with their transition into a brand new Athletic Training Room next year.

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 Clinical Site Spotlight - Washington University

Washington University, Home of the Bears

By: Vince Di Renzo, Bridget Quirk and Ryan Vallo, SLU MAT Class of 2013

After a busy and exciting fall at Washington University, we’re back for another semester as we complete our final clinical rotation. Wash U is a NCAA Division III University known for its competitive athletics and prestigious academics. Wash U has four full time athletic trainers on staff who oversee our clinical experience: Rick Larsen, ATC, Jim Anderson, ATC, Mary Tarzon, ATC, and Saint Louis University Athletic Training Program alum, Jacob Blasingame, ATC. We are currently helping out with men and women’s basketball as both teams wrap up a great season.

Vince Di Renzo, Jim Anderson ATC, Bridget Quirk and Ryan Vallo

Wash U head athletic trainer Rick Larsen has a lot in store for us this spring. He has set up mini rotations to enhance our clinical experience. One mini rotation will be athletic training administration. We will have the opportunity to manage inventory of athletic training room supplies and assist in filing insurance claims. Another rotation will be with the Wash U team physicians. We will observe sports medicine physicians Dr. Mark Halstead and Dr. Matt Matava as they further evaluate our injured athletes. Lastly, we will be out on the field with baseball and softball attending to injuries when needed. We are really looking forward to refining our clinical skills set while learning new skills in these rotations.

Recently we implemented Functional Movement Screening (FMS) into our off-season conditioning program for football.  Within the next few weeks, we hope to screen all major sports that we feel can benefit from FMS.   FMS is designed to bring to light any asymmetries between limbs and identify any dysfunctional movement patterns that may increase the risk of injury.  We hope to solidify our athletes’ movement patterns as the foundation for further performance gains and the reduction of injury.

A Washington University football player preforming the hurdle test, one of seven tests administered during functional movement screening.

We feel over the past year that Wash U has been tremendous in helping us grow as future athletic trainers.  It has been a great environment for learning and our preceptors continue to encourage active learning.  As the end of the semester approaches, we hope to continue to build on the knowledge we've gained and continue to be advocates for the athletic training profession.

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.