The key to anything you do in life whether it be academics, sports, stopping a bad habit, whatever it may be; the key is to make progress every single day and attempt to be better than you were yesterday. And with one year of college in the bag, I definitely feel that I have accomplished this goal as an ATS. Clinical experience is a big part of any certified AT program. My first year I did clinical observations with Dustin Grooms and Erin Beckwith and despite the long hours that they both clocked daily, it reassured that I was indeed in the right major. Not only did I get a thrill from seeing the ATC’s run out on the field to treat injuries, but I also was very interested in the sports medicine related discussions we had during down time. For example Dustin Grooms heard us amateurs talking about Creatine one day and he schooled us by going in his office and getting a risk to benefit article on Creatine in a Strength and Conditioning journal. Moreover, many days during my rotation with volleyball, Erin Beckwith would inform me and my fellow ATS classmates with detail about different career paths we could pursue upon graduating from the Mount.
One aspect of the program that I really liked is how we have guest speakers come in to speak about Athletic Training, for instance when we had a high school, collegiate, and clinical athletic trainer come in to speak with us so that we could see the differences amongst those three different levels. Another example is when we had the kinesiology presentation at the Mount, even though freshmen were not allowed to attend. In addition, I like how we have the (optional) opportunities to attend various sports medicine related meetings off campus because anytime you get a chance to learn more about your craft is always a plus.
Despite Dr. Martin’s initial intimidating presence in the classroom, I have learned so much from her about research skills, how to become a great public speaker, and I have gained great advice that I know will help me prosper in the future. As far as research skills is concerned, Dr. Martin has exposed us to many credible websites that contain sports medicine related articles and she told us to look at the reference page of articles to see where the authors of that article got their information from. To continue, power points are a very common and effective visual aid. Therefore, Dr. Martin advised us to use power point slides as note cards when presenting so that we aren’t just reading off the slides. She also advised us to watch the use of “um” and to know our material well enough to answer rigorous questions that say Dustin Grooms might ask. In her class, we wrote many papers and she always gave us great feedback each time for us to progress and become great writers which is a very valuable aspect of an educated individual.
I am very excited about my future at the Mount as an ATS because based on my experiences this year I am sure that if I work hard, the Mount’s AT program will provide me with the right tools to succeed. Now I know that the days ahead of me will be rigorous, which is what makes this such a great program. Nonetheless, I am up for the challenge.