I completed my internship at Hampden Sydney College (HSC) during the fall semester of my senior year. My site supervisor was the head athletic trainer Alison Cameron, but I was also observing two other athletic trainers, Addie Lucci, and Jihanna Lane. At this internship I observed and learned the practices of the athletic trainers during football and soccer season. I attended every single football practice, games, and all of the home soccer games as well. I also observed pre-practice treatments while the athletic training clinic was open. This is where I learned how to properly do cupping, electrical stimulation (E-stim), ultrasound, scraping, and massage therapy. I also learned how to administer basic rehab exercises for ankle and knee rehabilitation throughout the season.
My special project included a presentation on achilles tendon (AT) rupture rehabilitation. The assistant athletic trainer, Addie, ruptured her AT in July while playing soccer. I decided to base my special project on making her a rehab program after her surgery. I utilized scholarly sources, the athletic trainers, and research papers to come up with the exercises within the program. I took detailed notes and used the sources to compile a twelve exercise program for Addie. While this was not the only rehab she completed, she told me that it had been very helpful in improving her range of motion (ROM) and strength within her affected leg. Both Alison and Addie loved the pictures I included within the presentation and told me that it was very easy to understand, which is helpful in the athletic training world. Many athletes do not want to go through their rehab programs, therefore, having a detailed plan at hand for them can be beneficial. I believe this presentation was overall successful and informational. I thoroughly enjoyed researching achilles tendon ruptures and learning what exercises are most beneficial in increasing strength and ROM.
Throughout the internship, I had many different experiences that could be considered “highlights”. The first highlight would have been during the first two weeks of football camp. I learned very quickly what it was like to live the life of an athletic trainer, simply by observing and helping the athletic training staff throughout the long days of camp. The best part of these two weeks was getting to know the staff, team, and coaches. I was also learning how to work my way around the athletic training room. This is what began my passion and drive to learn the most I possibly could throughout the internship. Another highlight was learning how to properly use the E-stim machine and ultrasound. These skills took less time to learn than I had expected. However, once I learned how to use them, I used each one at least 5 times every single day for rehab purposes. This allowed me to help the athletic trainers more throughout treatment hours, so they could get other things done. I think my most favorite highlight was just being a part of the team. Even though the football team did not win every game, each game was better than the one before. The one game I enjoyed the most was against Washington and Lee University. HSC and W&L were neck and neck the entire game. Luckily we did not have many major injuries during the game, but within the last two minutes, things got slightly hectic. Our quarterback got the wind knocked out of him running the ball into the end zone. However, we ended up winning the game. It was an incredible feeling watching the team, coaches, and athletic trainers light up with joy. I will remember that feeling for the rest of my life. This experience made me realize that I was exactly where I wanted to be for the rest of my life. I believe that these highlights will help me get through the hardships at grad school.
I believe I excelled in many different areas throughout the internship. As I stated before, I learned how to use the equipment in the athletic training room, which I believe is a huge improvement. I also believe I excelled with my communication skills with the athletic trainers and the coaches. I was always asking if they needed help while also wanting to learn as much as I could. After completing the internship, I do believe that I could still improve my knowledge on injuries within sports and what to do for each rehabilitation program. I also believe that my skills will be greatly improved when I attend athletic training school in 2024. However, while observing the athletic trainers, I believe I have gotten a better understanding of what athletic trainers do and all of the responsibilities they have during a sports season. I also have a better understanding of the different obstacles that athletic trainers have to conquer; weather, sickness, late nights and early mornings, and different personalities throughout the athletic teams. Furthermore, my relationship with the athletic training staff and coaching staff was kept very professional, but they always made it a fun and family environment for me.
This internship’s greatest strengths were being able to be with the athletic training staff during the actual football season. I think it was very beneficial to experience real life injuries during games and practices. Additionally, being in season meant we got to do rehab for the athletes who had surgical procedures during the season, which was also beneficial in helping me learn more. I honestly do not believe this internship could be enhanced or improved in any way. I truly believe that I learned the most I could throughout the internship, without being completely immersed as an actual athletic training student. Therefore, I would recommend this internship for any Longwood student who wants to go into the athletic training field. I have learned so many different things throughout this internship that I believe will be very helpful to me in my future career. I cannot wait to build my knowledge more throughout graduate school so I can become a great athletic trainer like Alison, Addie, and Jihanna.
I am attaching a link to my special project below!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Sdj65bnPCZIVpvNN94kivfzYnwf6y3UPiSdMC6jc48I/edit?usp=sharing