#athletic training program

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Oregon State athletic training program is a step ahead

On June 16, eight graduating students were the first to receive a Master of Athletic Training degree from the College of Public Health and Human Sciences.

Seven of the graduates have already passed the national certification exam required to become a certified athletic trainer, and the other student recently took the exam and will learn the results in the next few weeks.

Although the accredited…

Finishing strong is always easier said than done. The stress levels get high, unexpected events occur, and everyone tries to get past the finish line with such intensity. I chose “Finish Strong” to be the title of this blog post because of many reasons. One, as there are less than two months left until I graduate, what other adage is there to remind myself to not give up? Second, I think of the program, trying to end the hectic year with an MS, ATC behind our names and reflecting is challenging with time flying fast. Third, the wrestling season is coming to an end, as Cal Baptist sent five of the wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Championships, and I am praying that the team finishes strong in South Dakota.

I realize how easy it is to become lackadaisical when the end is near. I look back to the month of February, and so many things were going on that month. From finishing our research posters, to attending the CATA and Hit the Hill Conference, figuring out how to finish all of these projects in a matter of weeks, February looked like an American Ninja Warrior challenge. But now that we survived and grinding into the first week of March, everything seems like a breeze. If we were able to get through February, which I thought was the busiest month of this semester, then the remainder of the semester should not be that bad. I remember telling Dr. Salley, how relaxed I feel this month and how surprising it was for me to feel that way. I guess at this point, I have developed a mindset that I will be prepared as I will ever be. Taking in a balance of academia and clinical experience has built my knowledge in athletic training and I hope it translates well into the BOC exam and my future career as an athletic trainer.

My professor, Dr. Salley brought up an interesting analogy when it came to figuring out an etiology that had no apparent mechanism or cause. We were discussing a particular patient case that involved an idiopathic pathology. The patient, who was a water polo player was complaining of medial arch pain for weeks. She does not remember a specific moment when she started noticing the pain. After digging as much information we could get as far as her activities outside of water polo for more specific history, it was bizarre to see that a water polo player would have medial arch pain.

The analogy was this, if someone was to hear pounding hooves in a town of Montana, what animals could you possibly look for in Montana? Horses? Bulls? Those seem realistic possibilities, but what about zebras? Not likely, but it is not impossible to find a zebra walking around in Montana. When Dr. Salley mentioned this analogy, I immediately reflected on how I evaluate injuries at my clinical rotations. I tend to connect the dots more quickly than surely and forget to rule out other possibilities. As I reflected on my clinical evaluation, I wonder what does it take to rule out everything else so efficiently? I also thought, were the interventions that I chose for the patient helpful at all?

We decided to apply kinesiotape the water polo player’s foot and I asked her to come into the clinic before or after practice to do therapeutic exercises. The kinesiotape intervention seemed to help with her pain as she was walking or performing flip turns in between swimming laps. Over the weekend, she comes in and describes her pain feeling much better. I do not know if she kept the kinesiotape on for the weekend, and it just became much more bizarre for me.

The first week of Spring Semester has finally passed. I never thought that I would have made it this far, but it sure is a different feeling compared to the past semesters. It is surreal knowing that I will be taking my BOC exam and graduating with a Master’s degree in April. Going into my last semester and the second half of my lead sport assignment, I know I have to be the most confident that I have ever been as a student and to carry a work ethic assimilating that of a seasoned athletic trainer. I hope to finish out my graduate school career strong and be ready for the professional world.

The last courses that we are taking allow us to apply everything that we have learned in past semesters in our clinical rotations. One course that I am excited about is our Therapeutic Interventions course, which introduces the development of clinical reasoning behind the interventions decided for the patient. From therapeutic modalities, to therapeutic exercises and manual therapies, we are able to formulate our choice of intervention using evidence in current literature, patient preference, and clinical experience. Dr. Salley and Professor Friesen have been instrumental in guiding us on how to tie all three aspects of evidence-based medicine into our growing clinical practice. While there is so much clinical resistance in taking patient-reported outcomes, figuring out a way to record the progress of our patient’s rehabilitation in the busy athletic training setting has been seen as a major challenge worth overcoming. I look forward to heeding more advice from my professors on how to hone my clinical rationale.

Another course that I look forward to as well is Management in Athletic Training. Dr. Dickert told us how there will be many controversies discussed in class and how there are a multiple facets of administration that we need to learn how to manage as athletic trainers. From designing a facility to enhancing professional development, there is not one topic that seems to be my least favorite. Everything is equally important and I do not feel forced to learn any of these topics. What I am looking forward to is the debates that we will have throughout the semester on pressing issues in the athletic training profession. While these issues are ongoing and controversial, I wonder me or my classmates will change their stances on certain issues.

Recently I was fortunate to travel with Charlie and the CBU wrestling team to Stanford this past weekend for their dual meet. What was awesome about this trip was seeing the athletic facilities on the Stanford campus. I met Eitan, the athletic trainer for the Stanford wrestling team and he gave us a tour of the athletic training clinic and the strength and conditioning room. The amenities in these facilities included a wet room with contrast baths and numerous treatment and taping tables. The athletic training clinic and the strength and conditioning room were also next together similar to what I saw at Northeastern University. The athletic training room also had a juice bar station with different energy and recovery bars arranged on the adjacent counter. It seemed as if Stanford Athletics was very serious in how they treat their athletes and making sure they get the best care possible.

The dual meet went well overall, considering that the guys faced against a very tough NCAA Division I team. Throughout the matches, I felt more comfortable with my role and did the best I could to assist Charlie. I made sure that I was punctual with the tasks at hand and attended to the wrestlers whenever they needed something after their match. Afterwards, everyone was excited to go home, albeit a 7 hour bus ride back to Riverside. Unfortunately, one of the bus tires popped and we were stuck in Bakersfield for nearly three hours. I remember someone asking me jokingly if I was reconsidering my career goals as we struggled patiently in our bus seats. I responded with a no and it reminded me of how not every situation is perfect the way everyone envisioned each situation to be. As cliche as it sounds, it takes a lot of patience and thought to get around unexpected obstacles. Returning to Riverside at three in the morning, I thoroughly enjoyed traveling with the team. All of the opportunities to get to know the patients I work with on a personal level and learning more about and from my preceptor have been great memories that I could never forget.

Having a first-year student for this rotation has also been very helpful. Anna keeps me humble as she continually asks Charlie and me questions. Anna and I also go over a lot of different techniques from joint mobilizations and specific therapeutic exercises and reviewing anatomy during practice. Her energy and strong work ethic also makes our days much more fun and productive. So far, it is safe to say that this rotation could only be much more exciting and memorable!

Two weeks ago, I went to my first wrestling tournament with Charlie and the team. It was the Cliff Keen Tournament, a major wrestling tournament where schools from all over the country compete in and held in Las Vegas. Forty teams participated in this tournament, with the majority of the teams being Division I teams. The tournament was full of physicality, and so many of the Division I wrestlers were very quick and accurate with their takedowns. Going into this tournament, I knew Charlie and I would have a long trip ahead of us and we had to be on our toes and prepared for anything our way. Luckily no one was severely injured, but the tournament served as a test of mental endurance for me as we jumped around from mat to mat as each CBU wrestler’s name was called. It was definitely a busy day for us and from the trip, I have learned so much.

We arrived in Las Vegas by bus, a three-hour bus ride to a local hotel 15 minutes away from the Cashman Center, where the tournament was held. After checking in and settling into our hotel rooms for about 15 minutes, we headed out to the Cashman Center for practice. Arriving to the Cashman Center, I was able to get a glimpse of what Division I wrestling looked like, as teams such as Wisconsin and Oklahoma, top wrestling programs, were warming up and drilling with each other. From that moment, I knew that it was going to be a long day tomorrow, yet for some reason, I was not nervous at all. I was very excited to see how other athletic trainers handle wrestling injuries on the mat and how other wrestlers wrestle at this huge tournament. After practice, we headed back to the hotel. I had some homework to do, but I only had a short amount of time to work on it since we had to wake up at 5 AM the next morning for skin checks and weigh-ins at 6 AM.

The next morning flew by so fast, maybe it was because I saw hundreds of wrestlers and the view of everyone on eight juxtaposed wrestling mats made everything move quickly. Everyone had different ways of warming up, from leap frogging over each other, to rolling around the mats. After warming up for about half an hour, the wrestlers had to go through skin checks and weigh-ins. The announcers gathered all of the athletic trainers to the front of the stage and went over the skin check protocols. The athletic trainers were paired up and checked two different teams. Witnessing this whole process made me sympathize for the athletes, and how much they have to go through to compete at their respective weight classes. They looked drained of energy, as they filed in line. After skin checks and weigh-ins all of the wrestlers rushed back to their respective team areas and wolfed down snacks from bagel sandwiches to fruits before the matches commenced at 9 AM. Charlie and I took a walk to the nearest mart and bought coffee and some breakfast.

Walking through Las Vegas made me think about how travel trips sound so exciting, but it does not involve a lot of sightseeing at the tourist-known places. Although it would have been nice to go to the Venetian or the MGM (I am somewhat kidding), sightseeing around the event location was also fun too. Outside of the strip, Las Vegas very similar to what you would find on the streets of Oakland or South Central LA. Even though we were not in the glamorous part of Las Vegas, I was appreciative of what else was out there. Seeing the impoverished side of Las Vegas made me more appreciative with what I had. Every opportunity that I have had in my life has been a unique and telling experience for me and without those opportunities, I would have never been the person I am today.

Once the wrestling matches started, it was time to go to work. I kept multiple pairs of gloves with me, a pack of gauze and some Vaseline. Although Charlie would be the first one to respond to any blood or other injury, I had to be prepared for my role of making sure the mat was clean and that no one else had any blood. I relished my role of assisting and to see what Charlie had to do throughout the day was eye-opening. He had to make very quick decisions from how to keep a scalp and facial laceration from bleeding and when should wrestlers be taped before their matches. A lot of time management was involved in the day and I had to learn by watching and doing. I had to make sure that the water bottles we brought were always filled throughout the day as more wrestlers were wrestling multiple matches. It did not help that the event staff was very inefficient on filling the coolers that they had on the tables, and how sometimes they would fill all four of the coolers with sports drinks when most of the wrestlers just wanted water. As much as I did not want to, I had to resort to filling the water bottles with the water fountains they had. Being able to work around obstacles was a great learning experience for me, especially at an event that was busy.

Although I barely got any of my academic work done, I could not have missed this opportunity to learn on the road. My trip with the team was also a memorable one. I felt that I was bonding closer with the team and coaches as well. Understanding what some athletes like and what some athletes do not like helped me do my job more efficiently and it is never a problem to crack jokes and play games with them on the bus either!

The team practicing the day before the tournament

So many wrestlers warming up!

Now that I have transitioned into my last rotation of the school year at the University of Redlands, I can at least write about it and give you an update on how things are going. What is ironic is that I will be going back home to San Jose for spring break this coming week and will be missing out on some clinical time, but there are a few items on my agenda that I need to take care of (I promise I will update on this blog). So far I have enjoyed my first few days at Redlands for the most part. Although it is not as busy in the clinic compared to UCR, I am definitely learning how to be efficient as a clinician when there are multiple patients to work with. I am also getting a greater understanding of how to hone in my implementation of therapeutic exercise to the patients I am working with and making sure the patients are doing exercises that are properly activating certain muscles as well as sport specific and functional.

What was tough was getting used to how the athletic trainers run their clinic. Janelle, the head athletic trainer and my preceptor, emphasized on how important it is to have a patient be responsible and self-sufficient during their rehabilitation session. She does encourage us to incorporate manual therapy, but when there are many patients waiting to be taken care of, she wants therapeutic exercises to be the main priority when the patient is ready for them. This has been a great opportunity for me to give clearer instructions to my patients as well as being able to manage my time efficiently and effectively. I have also been able to find what works better for me as a clinician as I mold my history, observation and palpation together and speeding up the evaluation process while getting all of the information I need to assess the patient. The pressure on me to be accurate and quick on my diagnosis has made me think analytically and not second guess myself.

There are also small details that I still need to clean up and be consistent with such as wrapping an ace bandage and wound management. I have learned now that there are so many different ways of approaching and it is up to me to take in what I like and consider the approaches that I do not like. I have seen myself become less frustrated when someone wants me to do something a different way. 

I will admit, I am itching to do an injury evaluation, or at least wrap an ice bag on someone, but like most itches (and in many of my recent entries), patience and an open mind relieve the itch for more. Throughout doing these chores for the past couple of days, I realized that maybe all of this work is preparing me for the better.

Today I helped Charlie with more paper work, updating the Men's Water Polo roster and their medical form checklist on the Athletic Trainer System database, and... more paper work. I spent nearly a third of my time watching Charlie format EAPs and itineraries from left to right. And all I hear when I get together with my classmates are all of the cool hands-on things that they are all doing at their respective clinical sites. Throughout the day, I helped with the cooldown tubs, and cleaned them after the athletes were done cooling down. And at the end of the day, I did some athletic training feng shui with Charlie while we figured out the best place to put a new refrigerator for ice cups.

I've done all of these chores today, but there is no reason to feel inferior, not at all! In fact, my optimistic self is helping me anticipate for the better and the worse! I am counting down the hours towards officially working with Men's Water Polo. Their physical exams start on Wednesday and their first double day is on Thursday. I actually do not feel nervous anymore and I am prepared to make mistakes for the next seven weeks of clinical rotations. Charlie has been very straight forward with me and I can't wait to pick his brain. I know what my mistakes were when I was at UC Davis and at Davis Senior High and it's time to show myself that I have learned from them and march forward on this journey.

Speaking of the reflection, Charlie and I went over our goals together and what we wanted to accomplish this rotation. It's funny as a student that I wanted to learn techniques, like a martial arts student wanting to kick ass, but to kick ass, I have to present myself as someone disciplined and capable of kicking ass. Aside from striving to be a better clinician, Charlie wanted me to be able to interact with coaches and athletes and understand that I am not an undergraduate student anymore. I should not shy away from communication as a budding health care professional. He then told me that no coach is going to care about the physiology and biomechanics behind the injury, but whether if their athlete will play in the upcoming game. I think that has now been my major goal, to study keenly on how athletic trainers interact with the people around them, and how to be a better professional.