Wellness Center
It is not easy getting up at 5:00am to make it to a location across campus by 6:00am, but it is possible. I know because I have done it before. It’s true. The simplicity of the Wellness Center is probably what I love most about it. Last semester (Fall 2008), it took a long time for me to see the relevance in all of this; it just felt like something was missing. But when it all comes down to it, the stuff they (strength coaches) do is just as equally important to what we (athletic trainers) do, but, in its own way. It became clear to me I don’t have to be as well-versed in the terminology or technique as the strength coaches, and vice versa, but it wouldn’t hurt to know a little bit, or give an effort to learn. So, I did.
The first thing I did was I took notice of which teams came in for workouts, and their beginning-to-end time, the intensity dynamics of their workouts, the specific body parts that were being focused on, and how well that translated into their success on their respective playing fields. This is a lot for 6:30am, and probably comes as no surprise why I found there to be no relation. But what I did find was athletes do not like to waste time, and they like to be challenged. How is that relevant to athletic training?
Well since I live on-campus and am in a position of authority in the residence halls, as a result, I talk to my residents, most of which happen to be athletes, and they like to know about their bodies. Most importantly, they want to know how they can tell if the treatment they are being prescribed is actually working. To hear the athletes’ thoughts were interesting because few actually questioned the effectiveness of the modalities treatments, while none questioned lifting weights. However, some noted their ability to exercise/practice/work out more efficiently was a result of the treatment they received from the Athletic Trainers. Go figure.
The bottom line is, you will not find the Wellness Center on many students’ lists of all-time favorite rotations, but there is a lot one can take from their two week stay. The tidbit of information I got may not seem significant, but in fact, it 1) gave me some valuable insight that will help me with an angle I’m taking in my Upper Extremity Evaluation course, and 2) provides another set of questions that is relevant when taking an injured athletes’ history.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Rotation VI
Student Health Clinic
The health clinic rotation was very beneficial in the sense that it allowed me to put my history-taking skills to test. My time was spent checking-in patients, most of whom were students, and taking vitals. From there, I would place them in designated doctor’s office depending on what they were there for; for example if they were there for female-related issues, physical examinations, blood work, or a simple check up.
What I liked from the very first moment is the nurses gave me an informal orientation about what to expect and what things I can do, and cannot do, and where to go if I had any concerns. There was no underestimation or condescending questioning about my abilities to perform, only expectations and offerings to help if needed. From that moment, I knew this would be a fantastic rotation. Everyone in the health clinic was fun to be around from the doctors, the nurses, office staff, and even the nursing students, unlike some other rotations where everyone seems to want to ‘one-up’ each other, which creates less cooperation and more competition. Here, no one had anything to prove, and I liked that.
Having McMichael there also added to the easiness, because, simply by chance, he dealt with more patients that required lab testing, blood work, etc. done, so when I would get a case, I could just ask him instead of asking the nurses. I like environments where we can use each other as resources instead of always asking the instructor/CI first. And besides, the nurses picked on him all the time haha
There were a variety of conditions I saw from a broken foot, to prescription refills, to what was the biggest abscess I have ever seen (picture or person) on a young woman’s axillary fold. Contrary to what most believe, I did not have one patient there for STD/STI related-reasons, unless they just were not comfortable telling that to me, in the two weeks I was there. The easiest patients to take history’s on were those who suffered orthopedic related injuries, which there were quite a few, and I gradually learned to ask really good questions with the cold/flu/sore-throat population. The hardest patients to take a history on were the three individuals who wanted consultation about the depressive symptoms they were experiencing. Being that is a sensitive subject, I tried to make those ones as quick as possible for the patient and myself.
Another unique aspect of this rotation was the fact I lived on-campus, and there were a good number of times when patients recognized me, and I recognized them. Being a Community Assistant in the residence halls, the most awkward moment came when one of my residents came in, and I tried to avoid bringing it up during the history, but she brought it up so I played along. I was just happy it didn’t make her uncomfortable.
This rotation was very socially and educationally pleasing. The time spent here was so long but it seemed brief because of the fun and interesting stuff to do. I am sure the women in the front office did have something to do with that, also.
The health clinic rotation was very beneficial in the sense that it allowed me to put my history-taking skills to test. My time was spent checking-in patients, most of whom were students, and taking vitals. From there, I would place them in designated doctor’s office depending on what they were there for; for example if they were there for female-related issues, physical examinations, blood work, or a simple check up.
What I liked from the very first moment is the nurses gave me an informal orientation about what to expect and what things I can do, and cannot do, and where to go if I had any concerns. There was no underestimation or condescending questioning about my abilities to perform, only expectations and offerings to help if needed. From that moment, I knew this would be a fantastic rotation. Everyone in the health clinic was fun to be around from the doctors, the nurses, office staff, and even the nursing students, unlike some other rotations where everyone seems to want to ‘one-up’ each other, which creates less cooperation and more competition. Here, no one had anything to prove, and I liked that.
Having McMichael there also added to the easiness, because, simply by chance, he dealt with more patients that required lab testing, blood work, etc. done, so when I would get a case, I could just ask him instead of asking the nurses. I like environments where we can use each other as resources instead of always asking the instructor/CI first. And besides, the nurses picked on him all the time haha
There were a variety of conditions I saw from a broken foot, to prescription refills, to what was the biggest abscess I have ever seen (picture or person) on a young woman’s axillary fold. Contrary to what most believe, I did not have one patient there for STD/STI related-reasons, unless they just were not comfortable telling that to me, in the two weeks I was there. The easiest patients to take history’s on were those who suffered orthopedic related injuries, which there were quite a few, and I gradually learned to ask really good questions with the cold/flu/sore-throat population. The hardest patients to take a history on were the three individuals who wanted consultation about the depressive symptoms they were experiencing. Being that is a sensitive subject, I tried to make those ones as quick as possible for the patient and myself.
Another unique aspect of this rotation was the fact I lived on-campus, and there were a good number of times when patients recognized me, and I recognized them. Being a Community Assistant in the residence halls, the most awkward moment came when one of my residents came in, and I tried to avoid bringing it up during the history, but she brought it up so I played along. I was just happy it didn’t make her uncomfortable.
This rotation was very socially and educationally pleasing. The time spent here was so long but it seemed brief because of the fun and interesting stuff to do. I am sure the women in the front office did have something to do with that, also.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
