observations
Mackey athletic training room
Throughout my observation hours in the Mackey Athletic Training room, I was able to see some really awesome things that I hope will help to explain the profession of Athletic Training a little better. I saw a lot of athletes being taped by athletic trainers, whether it was their knee, ankle, shoulder, wrist, or hand. Each type of taping was slightly different, customized for the specific athlete and their specific injury. I also saw a lot of athletic trainer/athlete interactions. In one particular case, an athlete came in with knee pain and the athletic trainer made a thorough evaluation of the injury. The athletic trainer was extremely personable with the athlete and made her feel comfortable. The athletic trainer then began treatment of the athlete's knee injury, which included a detailed plan of rehabilitation exercises and ended with icing the knee. This was just one of the many examples of athletic trainer/athlete interaction that I observed. I also observed the overall atmosphere of the training room. There were over twenty tables for taping and treatment, and an entire area for rehabilitation. Overall, the training room was not at all cramped, and gave the athletes a comfortable and efficient place in which they could be treated.
physical therapy at PUSH
My observation experience with Physical Therapy was quite different than my other observations. This reason was none other than that most of the patients that came to be seen were not athletes. Many athletic trainers will work in doctors' offices, so that is why athletic training students are put into these clinical settings. While observing, I saw a lot of college students who needed therapy for long-term injuries. Most of the work that the athletic trainers did here was work with the patients on therapy exercises to help heal their injuries. The atmosphere of the Physical Therapy room was much like a doctors' office, with lots of treatment tables and exercise equipment for rehabilitation. This setting was much more cramped than the previously mentioned Mackey Athletic Training Room.
Corec athletic training room
The CoRec Athletic Training Room observation was almost a mix between the Mackey Training Room and Physical Therapy. There is one full-time Athletic Trainer that is always there, and the rest are student athletic trainers. Most of the people that came into the training room during my observation were students who were active in some sort of way, but not necessarily the most athletic. The injuries were mainly accidental occurrences, such as someone spraining an ankle while playing basketball or someone dropping a weight on their foot and having to stop the blood. The pace of action was much slower than that of the other two observation sites, as I only saw a few patients come into the training room in the two hours I was observing. The atmosphere of the training room was extremely cramped, as the tiny room struggled to hold so many people, along with a desk, two treatment tables, and the first-aid equipment.