Reflection

Stay tuned and read what I've learned

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When it came time to decide on my EDGE project, it was difficult to sort through the many ideas and interests that I had. I knew I wanted a project that would challenge me, allowing for personal growth and development to occur. A particularly exciting idea was training for a half marathon, a goal that I have always had; however, I realized my desire to help others to grow and expand their abilities. With this being said, the half marathon spark dimmed out. As I was searching for requirements to enter into graduate school for athletic training, it was brought to my attention that I would need to present with observation hours with a certified athletic trainer. Fifty hours to be exact. Initially feeling overwhelmed about this fact, it then dawned on me that I could use my EDGE project to complete these hours, and in doing so, accomplish all the other desires I had, such as helping others and personal growth. It seemed to me to be the perfect option! Unknown to me were all the challenges I would face in finding an athletic trainer that would take me over Christmas break.

The steps for my EDGE project were few. I contacted a couple athletic trainers: some in Cedar City, one at BYU, and one up in West Valley City. I followed up with them several times but the only AT that could work with my schedule was Athina in West Valley. For two weeks I commuted to the Hunter Hollow Center and I had to fill out paperwork to ensure that HIPPA requirements were met. Each day that I shadowed was fairly the same in structure. Athina and I visited 5-7 patients each day for a specified amount of time. We would walk with them, help them with exercises, fill out paperwork concerning them, and go to meeting to discuss their progress. A skill I developed was how to use wheelchairs and walkers. I talked to the patients and helped them feel cared for, loved, and that we were doing our best to help them recover. In addition, I further developed the skill of patience, because we were working with geriatric patients that have a hard time getting around, especially with injuries; therefore, everything went fairly slow. We had one home evaluation and that was an illuminating experience, where I had the opportunity to see the process it takes to return an individual home after they have gone through therapy. The shadowing lasted a week and a half, followed by Athina signing a paper stating that I’d completed the fifty hours.

I had a two specific goals that I wanted to accomplish over the course of my observation hours at Rocky Mountain - Hunter Hollow under the direction of Athina, the certified athletic trainer. The first goal was to observe Athina at the rehabilitation center for fifty hours to meet the requirements to apply for the athletic trainers master’s program at Weber State University. As being able to apply for the master’s program was my initial motivation, I was extremely excited to complete this goal, and I did. The amount of time I had between Fall and Spring semesters was very little and this left me with about a week and a half to finish my hours. This meant observing for 6 plus hours each day, which at first was awkward and tiring, but became interesting and something I looked forward to. I miss the time I spent with the patients, Athina, and the other occupational and physical therapists I came to know. The second goal dealt with learning the proper way to complete paperwork, a sometimes dull but extremely important aspect of any medical profession. Athina was diligent with filling out paperwork, populating them with the most accurate and relevant information concerning the patients. Unfortunately I was only partially able to complete this goal because there was only so much paperwork that the athletic trainer was not able to show me due to confidentiality reasons.

A great outcome of this experience was that I met amazing individuals with whom I observed grow and become healthier physically and mentally. The benefit of this outcome is that I learned that athletic training is the career for me, and that I love to help people improve their lives. Another outcome is that I made valuable friendships with professionals such as occupational therapists (OTs). These hours could lead to future opportunities for internships or work in this capacity.

Throughout the entirety of my EDGE project, I learned to be vocal and direct about my thoughts, concerns, and questions in relation to my observation hours. In my opinion, having clear and positive communication is extremely essential for leadership. In addition, I increased my ability to keep an organized schedule, and adapted to unanticipated changes that came up during the day. Leaders should be willing to stay behind and help complete a project to the best of their ability, even if inconvenient. Athina always stayed behind to complete work. I have always been one to consider others' feelings and be kind, but I was surprised at the depth those feelings reached when I had the opportunity to serve all of the individuals at the rehabilitation center. Although none of these leadership skills are new, I found a greater appreciation for them as they expanded during my project. I learned that despite what you feel you may know, it is important to listen to and humbly take criticism from others even when it is hard. Strong leaders take that time to counsel with others, and then change what they can based off of what they feel is right and beneficial for the community, project, and/or organization. When we talk about leaders, it seems as though we focus a great deal on the speaking aspect of leadership, such as giving speeches, motivating verbally, cooling down arguments, ect... From my observational hours with Athina, the athletic trainer, I noticed that she was a leader via her actions far more than her words, which was almost more valuable to me; thus, she was a great example of patience, love, diligence, and strong work ethic throughout each day.

I believe that the experiential learning requirement is effective in encouraging students to reach outside of their comfort zone and try something new, or become more proficient in certain skills or build character. The university gives us time to process and really think about a project of the best fit. One that will look great on a resume and provide us with interesting experience to share with potential employers. Through the leadership track I have learned what real leaders look like and do in a professional setting, and have developed personally some of those skills that I have seen. I really believe that what you get out of the EDGE project is dependent upon the effort you put in, and the attitude you express about it. My project was not easy, but I do not regret the things I have learned throughout this experience.