Weekly Discoveries
On this page I talk about exciting stories and events that have occurred in clinical. I aim to document these, hoping to see growth as a clinician.
Throughout my rotations during my clinical experience, my favorite part has been doing a football game. Before the game numerous athlete came into the clinic to get treatment, tape, or to say hi. I think in that day I taped 20 ankles and stretched at least 10 athletes. I got to meet a lot more athletes that I did not know. Along with the pre-treatment I got plenty of water ready for the game. I did not realize how much water the team needed in one game. Once the game time started, the high tempo atmosphere erupted. It seemed like I was truly part of the team. Many players thanked me for taping them and I was happy being on water duty for the first half. This experience and atmosphere was special to me because it was the first game I clinically observed. This was the first time I was able to see how my taping and treatments changed the way an athlete plays. This was also a special moment to me because the thanks from the team was very uplifting after a long day.
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For my Little Clinical Question, I am partnered with another ATS, Joel Tidman. Our question is, what is the effect of a placebo ankle tape job on college athletes speed? Our question was inspired after two football players spoke to us during preseason. They asked if there is a tape job that helps with sprint speed. We had no idea what the answer was, therefor we constructed and recruited people to join our investigation team. Our AT Advisor is Kris Johnston, our faculty advisor is Dennis Cobler, our content expert is the MS,PT, and CSCS Ryan Lockwood, our Ampersand Center Rep is Joe Vess. Using our question, I am hoping to discover how taping assists in stability, prevention, and psychological benefits. Combining knowledge from my AT classes I have an idea to our question that involves combining anatomy and the gate theory.
After rotating through all the sports and preceptors, I must say there is no place like home! I am now back with my primary preceptor. Being with my primary preceptor makes me feel comfortable because I am going back to someone I’m comfortable with, along with my favorite sport, soccer. I am with the amazing and hilarious Chaypin Buchanan (ATC). Chaypin always furthers my AT knowledge giving me scenarios in which I would choose a treatment or perform certain actions. This helps me know what to do and what not to do in certain scenarios. After going through lots of material in Lower Extremities, Anatomy and Kinesiology, and Modalities, I feel a lot more comfortable in my clinical setting. Using these three classes allows me to reason through injuries, stretches, treatments, and patient care. Doing this shows me how far I have already grown in my journey to become an ATC, and shows me what I need to work on. Overall, I feel a lot more comfortable when I am gaining clinical experience. I know what to expect in each setting and how to care for each athlete and sport differently. This is my primary preceptor. Some people get confused when they find out this is my preceptor. I am often asked "How? That makes no sense! Really!?" I know it may be hard to believe, but Athletic Training is just that cool. It is just that simple!
In the fall 2016 semester, kinesiology has been my most challenging class. My struggles have occurred in remembering the origins and insertions of muscles. I have been fine learning the bones but for some reason the muscle get me. At first I would just use flashcards that came with the book. This study method worked, but did not meet to my standards. I had to change the way I was studying. I tried writing out the muscles with the flashcards and drawing the muscles on my body. The next test I had much more success as I could visualize the muscle’s origin and insertion on my body. Now I have continued using this study method and my grades on each test are increasing. This class has helped me as a student, because it shows me that sometime your normal study methods will not work for certain classes. You have to adapt and overcome before you are stuck in a hole. This will help me further along the road on my journey to becoming an ATC.
In Modalities we have had the privilege and opportunity to be able to learn and apply modalities. We have learned and applied different parameters and currents. DC has given us scenarios that differentiate the uses of different currents. These scenarios create a parallelism in which the classroom and clinic have no barrier. Using our knowledge, preceptors ask us which currents and parameters to use on injuries. One instance I was given the background of the injury, next I had to select which current should be used, I ended up choosing IFC to treat an athlete's pain. This opportunity allowed me to continue learning and practicing the usage and application of modalities.
Before a preseason football practice, an athlete arrived stating his problem. The athlete reported having a numbness and tingly feeling in his right hand and fingers. He said his arm was hit with a helmet at practice. As a sophomore, I currently knew nothing about the upper body, so I assumed I would not have to do his evaluation. I was somewhat wrong and somewhat right. Melissa paired me with an upperclassman. The upperclassmen already knew about the upper body so I felt a little better. I was still scared, for the first time to do an actual evaluation. I had to think and pull everything I learned last semester. Thankfully, Melissa and the other ATS said I did a great job. I filled everything out that I knew and the rest was left for the upperclassmen. After this I felt extremely smart and confident of what I just accomplished. Ever since then, in the clinic, I have always asked athletes about their injuries. Asking questions helps me get an understanding of their injury, making a mini SOAP note in my head, and helps me to fully understand why they are getting certain treatments.
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