Southern Utah University
Class of 2019
Elizabeth Pena
West Jordan, UT
Exercise Science
Leadership Engagement Track
Fifty Observational Hours with a Certified Athletic Trainer
My project occurred over Christmas break of 2018, where I had the wonderful opportunity to observe Athina, a certified athletic trainer, for fifty hours. These observational hours were completed at Rocky Mountain - Hunter Hollow, a rehabilitation center primarily for geriatric patients. This facility was beautiful with temporary and permanent resident sections, kind nurses. doctors, and CNAs, and a large rehabilitation room with a wide variety of modalities and equipment to strengthen the residents. Each week meetings were held with a specific resident, their family, speech, occupational, and physical therapists, an athletic trainer, head nurse, cook, and social worker. They would discuss the patient's progress, or lack of, with therapy and what could be done to get them home as quickly and safely as possible. Everything that they did at the facility was for the patients and their benefit.
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For my fifty hours I was able to spend the majority of each day with Athina, for a week and a half, visiting her patients and working with them in the rehabilitation center. A majority of this time was spent helping these patients walk in order to increase their endurance, strengthen their legs, and work their heart. I would roll a wheelchair behind most of them and/or carry their oxygen tanks. Once in the rehabilitation room, Athina would give these patients various exercises to complete in order to strength their arms, legs, or core so that once they went home, they would have a significantly reduced risk for falling and injuring themselves, as falling was the most common reason these people were at this facility in the first place. Some alternate activities we would do with the patients included hitting a balloon to them while they were standing with their walker to work on balance, putting them on a arm or leg ergometer for endurance, or helping them walk up and down the fake stairs to build strength. I loved each minute of my observation and would enjoy doing it again in the future because of the many relationships and friends that I created.
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The inspiration for this project came from a few different factors. First, I have always desired to work in the medical field and help people, and athletic training is a way to accomplish both of those desires. Second, I want to eventually work with athletes in a more competitive sporting environment. Although my project wasn't dealing with athletes, it allowed me to work with people, who will always be the primary focus of what I want to do. Third, in order to apply for the athletic training master's program at Weber State University, I need to have had completed fifty observational hours with a certified athletic trainer, and doing this for my project gave me that opportunity for progression.
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In all areas of life we will be faced with challenges that may test our patience or encourage us to work harder, and I did experience some challenges when working on my project. One of those was not being able to help the patients as much as I would have liked, due to not being an employee and liability risks. I wanted more hands-on experience, to help them with the exercises, and try some of the modalities; however, I could only watch Athina and carry equipment like wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, and walkers. Another challenge was maintaining a professional appearance and speech. I quickly caught on to the appropriate attire to wear, but had to make sure I was always speaking politely, positively, and that I was getting to know the patients without the conversations being unprofessional in nature. Other than these challenges, my time at Rocky Mountain - Hunter Hollow was extremely rewarding.
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I believe that my time with Athina impacted her in that she gained experience teaching and helping me, a student, understand her career, the pros and cons, and in the future she will most likely have another experience like this again. In working with the patients, our entire focus was on them, their progression, and the challenges they needed to overcome in order to return home. Athina and I were able to see three individuals return home after weeks of therapy, and it was amazing to watch their progress, even for just a week and a half, increase so much. These individuals were much more prepared to engage in normal, everyday activities with less fear of falling because they had worked diligently in their rehab program. In addition to physical benefits, I tried very hard to get to know all of the patients by name, learn details about their lives, and encourage them during their rehabilitation exercises. I am confident that these things helped these patients feel that someone cared about how they were doing, and motivated them to continue to work hard.
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This project was a huge blessing in my life and taught me important lessons that I will take into my future career as an athletic trainer. It helped me feel more confident in my ability to help others, and remind me how much I love that. Also, completing this project has opened up doors for me to further my education by allowing me to apply for a graduate program in athletic training. Furthermore, I was able to build friendships with individuals. like Athina, who will be valuable connections in a future professional atmosphere. The most important lesson that I learned was the importance of clear and honest communication, whether that be with your patients, colleagues, the physician, or even transportation agencies. This communication will lead to efficient work and getting a job done well. I am beyond grateful for my edge project.
" I learned that one of the most essential parts of a career in athletic training is communicating to the patients, letting them know what you are going to do to help them and why that is relevant. The care will be much more effective when they are put at ease and know each step of the rehabilitation process. Not only will they trust you with making reasonable decisions related to their care, but they will feel that you are truly trying to understand and empathize with them."
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"According to Athina, one of the best forms of rehabilitation is walking. It’s that simple! Walking gets your blood flowing, works all of your muscles, and is extremely beneficial for your heart."