SLU AT Students Appreciate the Learning Opportunities at Webster Groves HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Webster Groves High School

By: Alex Smith and Giovanna Charles (MAT Class of 2023)

Webster Groves High School has been an exciting experience for the both of us. We both enjoy learning from our preceptor, Sean Wright, ATC,  as well as our fellow Spanish students from Universidad Camilo Jose Cela, Blanca Muntaner and Ramon Morales. Each member in the group brings unique traits and expertise in the clinical site. The historic high school brings lots of unique experiences while also more common experiences as well. Experiences that include dislocated teeth, common ankle sprains, and lots of bloody noses or epistaxis. 

Upon our arrival at Webster Groves, we got right into the thick of it, covering wrestling and basketball games on our first days and weeks there. The plan for the rest of the year is to cover soccer and other sports that need our attention. We both get a chance to evaluate athletes, whether it be new material or old material from class, as well as tape athletes who need it. Then, once the after school rush ends, we help in the rehabilitation aspect for the athletes and provide on-field (or court) assistance to the team’s games. 

Each day has brought new experiences and memories for us to remember for our future. As we have gotten more comfortable at Webster Groves, more athletes and coaches understand our role. Even when we get stuck at times, Sean is always there to help us in order to guide our thought process with each athlete. The experience has been exciting since our arrival, and it's only going to get even better throughout the rest of the semester from here. 

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 Gains New Skills Through Clinical Experience at Webster Groves HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Webster Groves High School

By: Muharem Komic (SLU MAT Class of 2023)

At Webster Groves High School with my preceptor Sean Wright ATC and I have learned and experienced quite a lot from being there for about a month even though it feels like I have been doing it longer than that. Sean has been awesome with showing me how everything works in the High School setting. How students come into his office after school to engage in rehab or to get checked out if they feel something is bothering or limiting them from performing. I’ve learned new ways to tape ankles and thumbs compared to how we were taught at Saint Louis University. Now I am in the process of taking parts from each method and kind of combining them. Some experiences that I’ve seen are a couple ACL tears and learning there certain special tests to prove the injury, along with MCL, PCL, and LCL. 

Something that happened recently was a possible cardiac arrest or at least from what Sean and I were told a cardiac arrest. It was this past Saturday and there was a volleyball tournament going on along with two soccer games. We just finished a the first soccer game and went back inside to check on volleyball and eat some pizza that was ordered for the staff. We were eating and Sean gets a call from one of the soccer coaches and said cardiac arrest on the field. We ran out there and this elderly man was on the ground conscious and Sean took his BP and it was weak and rapid, the ambulance was already on the way and they came and took over about one minute after we arrived. Turns out he was dehydrated, his BP went from 150 to 100 just from him sitting up. Sean and I were told it was a cardiac arrest so we brought the AED, but it ended up not being that at all. This whole situation made evident that anything can happen at any given moment, even when you’re not the first person on site. It showed me that you have to be ready and expect the situation to be a lot worse when arriving and we did. 

Overall it's been a great experience for the month being there and I expect to be learning and experiencing more as time goes on. 

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 Collaborate Together with Preceptor for an Outstanding Clinical Experience at Webster Groves HS

SLU AT Clinical Site Spotlight - Webster Groves High School

By: Iris Herrera (MAT Class of 2021) and Michael Ryan (MAT Class of 2022)

Our clinical experience at Webster Groves High School has been an extremely valuable and unique one. We have been constantly adapting to school and sports in a pandemic. In some ways, the athletic training room has changed. We have set limits on how many athletes can be in the athletic training room at once, we have put down “X’s” six feet apart, and we have new COVID protocols we have to closely follow. 

Although things may be different, we are fortunate to have an environment where we can get hands-on experience. We have been evaluating, managing, and rehabilitating a variety of injuries daily. We have gained some experience with identifying and managing dermatological conditions. In addition, we have taken some time to go through pre-participation examinations and have learned about conditions like Aquagenic urticaria (allergic reaction to water). 

Throughout the semester we have become more and more confident with our skills. Our preceptor Sean Wright, ATC has created an environment where we have thrived as athletic training students. He provides constructive feedback along with prompting questions and useful things to try and consider. He is an incredible advocate for the Athletic Training profession through his work as a preceptor for the Saint Louis University Athletic Training program. We are incredibly lucky to have him as our preceptor at Webster Groves.

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.