11/17 Assignment Essential Question

 

Essential Question

How do athletic trainers evaluate and conclude the symptoms of a concussion on an athlete?

 

Response

1. Why did you select this as your essential question?

    I chose this question because I wanted to learn more about the evaluation athletic trainers conduct to find a concussion.  I want to broaden my knowledge on the subject on concussions and how to diagnose one when an athlete is in that state.

 

2. What excites you most about finding the answer to this essential question?

    What excited me about finding the answer is that I will gain more knowledge about concussions and then use that knowledge to good use in my mentorship and in my collegiate career.  Also what excites me is that I will have a good understanding of what my mentor is talking about when she has a conversation about this topic.

 

3. Do you feel that this question accurately reflects a desire/need that you have to find out more about this topic?

    Yes, because I have wanted to gain a more further understanding about how to diagnose a concussion and how to carry out procedures for a concussion.  Also, I think concussions are a topic that is not touched on very much in everyday society and that there should be more awareness on how to stop athletes from having them.





9/22 Assigment

Emmanuel College, Franklin Springs,GA;  www.ec.edu/
Piedmont College, Demorest, GA; www.piedmont.edu/
University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA; www.ung.edu/

2. Biology, Chemistry, Human Anatomy & Physiology and other Exercise classes to fulfill Athletic Training degree.

3. Emmanuel College, Piedmont College, and University of North Georgia

4. Student must maintain 3.0 GPA and have taken all core classes before applying and entering Athletic Training program.

5. Size, Location, Tuition, Funding, Sports teams, Good Atmosphere, Diversity.

6. The ranking for this program is diverse between colleges but the three colleges I would like to attend weren't listed.  This is based on applicants into program and the success of the program.

7. David (DJ) Wright Davenport Scholarship, Tommy Aaron/Charlie Aaron Foundation Scholarship, and The Patrick Kelley Memorial Scholarship

11/10 Weekly Blog Assignment

In the past month at my mentorship, things have been going great.  I have learned many news facts and tasks for the field of athletic training. For instance, I learned how to properly wrap an ankle.  At first, it was very difficult to get all the steps in order and make sure that each step is performed well.  Also, now that football season is over, the trainer now focuses on basketball season and what is expected for that particular sport. This past Tuesday was North Hall's first scrimmage of the season and I attended that with the trainer.  Mainly for basketball, trainers have to be aware if any player rolls an ankle, strains a shoulder from shooting too much or even getting a concussion from hitting the floor too hard.  I am very excited to see a different side of athletic training when it comes to basketball.

One class I've had in high school that has helped me with my mentorship is Human Anatomy & Physiology.  That class has helped me because it taught me certain medical terminology and key terms that I will need not only in my mentorship but in my college classes and career in the future. This class has prepared me for what I am doing now because I can understand what the therapists and the athletic trainer is saying when they use certain medical terminology.

11/3 Weekly Assignment

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fgrowingleaders.com%2Fblog%2Ffirst-soft-skill-develop-students%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFMtJjDHCuM5SAyJyggvrk86y6x7w

When starting out a job/mentorship, young job candidates often face many challenges in the workplace. Some challenges include failing to show up on time, gossiping about other colleagues and never developing a good, strong work ethic.  Also, young workers often treat their workplace like its their home, by being sloppy and unclean.  After they do these actions for a certain period of time, they are embarassing themselves and it shows that they have a lack of work etiquette.

Social intelligence is “The capacity to effectively negotiate complex social relationships and environments.” By having social intelligence, this means that young workers need to have the ability to get along with their co-workers and work easily in their work-place.  It's mainly to develop healthy relationships.  Ways to propose social intelligence include empathy, attunement, social cognition, concern, self-presentation and influence.  Social intelligence is important because it helps to make a first impression with your boss in an interview and with co-workers in the work-place.  It also makes young workers more marketable and it differentiates them from their co-workers.

One thing that spoke to me about this article is that how insufficient young workers are.  I had no idea how they can be so sloppy and lazy. I hope when I start my job in the future, I won't be that bad.  I will try to gain more social intelligence and learn from others how to get along with my colleagues.

10/20 Write-Up Assignment: Megan

My profile: My name is Megan and I am a senior at North Hall High School. I used to play volleyball for North Hall, prior to my mentorship, for three years.  I am also involved in Chorus, All-State Chorus, National Beta Club, FCA, Yearbook, and Concord Baptist Church Student Ministry. Throughout high school, I have maintained mostly A's and a few B's, grade-wise.  I want to make sure that when I graduate from North Hall, I want to leave a positive mark with my peers and teachers.  I love spending time with my family and friends when I am not at school. I also love serving my community through my church by going on mission trips and serving with the student ministry. 
I chose the field(s) of physical therapy/athletic training for my mentorship. I chose those fields because I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field but I wasn't sure where in particular.  I am also a big sports fan and I loved attending University of Georgia sporting events.  When I saw the trainers on the sidelines and saw what they were doing, I knew I definitely wanted to pursue that career.

My Mentorship: I am interning at Atlanta Rehabilitation with the physical therapists and an athletic trainer.  With the physical therapist, I am in an office setting, working with all ages of patients.  There are patients that are high school athletes with injuries from playing sports up to elderly patients that have had a knee replacement surgery.  As a physical therapist, you work with mulitple patients at the same time and give them exercises and stretches that are fit for their own injury/rehabilitation.  Physical therapists get to know their patients on a personal level and they treat them as family.  With an athletic trainer, they work with athletes at their high school in different ways.  They prevent injuries, help athletes with they first get injured as the first responder, and post-injury with rehabilitation.  They also can wrap player's ankles, wrists, knee, etc.

My Future: I plan to attend either Emmanuel College or Piedmont College in pursuit to study athletic training or kinesiology with a physical therapy concentration.  I want to get a good quality education while having a full collegiate experience. 

10/14 Assignment

• My perception of my internship has changed drastically since I started because at first, I thought that being a physical therapist/athletic trainer was an easy job but its actually not.  There are a lot of little behind the scenes tasks they have to complete that people don't think they do.  They have to fill out reports on their patients/athletes that are important to their progress.  They also have to get to know their patients and treat them with the upmost respect. 
• The thing that surprised me about my mentorship is that there are a lot of parts of the body (bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc.) that you have to know to be an athletic trainer.  When I started my mentorship, I knew that trainers had to know a lot of medical terminology but I did not realize it was so much you had to know.
• I can improve my performance in my mentorship by being more hands-on and not stand in the background and be quiet.  I try to be as much hands-on as I can but there are other interns there. I want to  learn as much as I can and I will by speaking up and asking more questions. 

10/6 Assignment

Through partnerships with local businesses and non-profits, my internship site can address the lack of real world experiential learning opportunities that are necessary for me to remain engaged in school and motivated in achieving my future goals.  By being at my intership site, I can gain traits that will go towards my education and my collegiate career ahead. 

During my mentorship so far, I have learned about different careers in the field of Physical Therapy/Athletic Training.  The careers I have learned about is becoming a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Music Therapist, and an Athletic Trainer.  Going into my mentorship, I wanted to learn more about becoming an Athletic Trainer but I have gained more interest in becoming a Physical Therapist.  I want to be an Athletic Trainer because I wanted to have a career in the medical field and I also love sports.  With being an Athletic Trainer, you get help athletes become injury-prone, help them when they first are injured, and post-injury with rehabilitation.  Athleti Trainers travel with sports teams alot, so that would have to be one downside about that particular career.  With a Physical Therapist, they are mainly in an office setting, working with patients that range in age and conditions.  They can have patients as young as nine up to ninety with different levels of injuries.  The time they spend with their patients is amazing to see because each patient they see is like part of their family. They treat each one with the most respect and care I have ever seen.

I have made my mentor's life easier by helping them with little tasks that they need done. Like with the Athletic Trainer, when she asks me to wrap a player's wrist or get them some Tylenol, that gets some stress off of her while she is helping with someone else.  Those little things that I do for her not only helps her but it helps me gain experience for me for the future.

Week of 9/29 Post

Learning something new can be a scary experience.  One of the hardest thing I have had to learn is maintaining office politics, dress code and personal skills in my mentorship.  Trying to have all of those elements in mind while learning all I can is a hard process to keep.

With my athletic training mentorship, I am constantly learning new techniques that I will use for my college experience in the future.  My mentorship consists of me being in a physical therapy office and/or being on the sidelines during an athletic event.  My regulations/office politics change from place to place.  Say in the office, my mentor has strict rules that I have to follow, which is known as protocol.  For example, there is a certain time I have to be at the office.  If I do not follow these rules of protocol, I will have serious consequences for my actions.  Also, the idea of hierarchy comes into effect as I have to follow a higher authority's orders.  For instance, on the field, my mentor might ask me to wrap a player's ankle or stretch them.  The communication with other employees is a big part of how I will learn.  Many of my acquaintances are college students that are earning their hours for college classes.  They are in the same predicament as I am.  They ask questions and learn from their mentors as well as I do.  All of us work well together and we learn as much as we can.

Dress code at my mentorship is mostly the same in the office and on the field.  In the office, I wear a polo shirt, khakis and tennis shoes.  The dress code for the office is important because I have to look appropriate for my environment and co-workers.  On the field, I have to wear khakis and a North Hall shirt.  By wearing the right clothing that goes with the dress code, this makes me look professional and it makes the group look unified. 

Lastly, I have been able to put my personal skills towards my mentorship in certain ways.  My knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy terms had come in handy because if my mentor asks me what is this certain thing, I can give them the correct, specific answer.

Week 3 Assignment: Reflection on Blog

The following is a summary of a blog posted by Tim Elmore on his blog- Growing Leaders, which can be found at http://growingleaders.com/.

This blog written by Mr. Elmore gives readers an example of hsi friend having a bad experince working with interns.  This article shows that his friend thought his interns would be perfect for the job, but turns out the interns were not prepared for the "real" world.  Elmore states that, "An internship is a twelve-week interview."  An internship is not for you to be on your phone or not paying attention.  It is for you to practice what you'll need later in life.  Elmore gives his top qualities for what mentors look for in their interns: teachability, initiative, responsibility and energy.  He also stated that interns should have a great work ethic, great attitudes and a great passion for their jobs.  Mentors want their interns to enjoy what they are doing and not slack off. 

2. Some concrete things I can do to make sure I am making a good impression during my year-long interview include being intuitive and listen to everything my mentor tells me.  I need to gain all the information I need to retain for my college learning and career.  I can also show him/her that I can maintain the responsibility to handle multiple tasks and keep up with all they are telling me to do.

3. The most relevant thing I found in this article was when Elmore stated that interns should not only have the want to persue their career interest but mentors look for that in them.  They look for "giftedness"; the talents that match what they need in their organization.  Interns need to have the passion for their certain career field that want to persue.  They do not need to just do something they do not want to do. 

Week 1 Assignment: Reflection on Podcast and Handout

After reading the handout and listening to the podcast about making a positive first impression and getting to know my mentor, I learned many points that are listed below:

~You need to have a positive attitude when you meet your mentor and co-workers.
~Smile, keep eye contact, offer a firm hand-shake, and tell your mentor your name.
~Let your positive attitude shine throughout every interaction you come in contact with.
~Dress professionally
~You should always speak louder than your clothes or acessories.
~Tell your mentor that you are excited about the opportunity to work with him or her and confirm it to them.
~Get to know your mentor with some "conversation starters," like "how did you choose your career?" and "What do you think is the most important factor in success?"
~Prepare to answer questions such as, "What can you tell me about you?" and "What is your goal from this mentorship?"
~Give examples of your achievements, interests and personality.
~Be honest and willing to talk to your mentor.
~It is better to ask questions before you dedicate time to doing something incorrectly.
~Take time to understand your company's protocall and if they use email or face-to-face conversation.
~Take initative on your tasks. You start with small tasks then ask for big tasks when you are ready to take it.
~Always arrive on time to your job.
~Listen to your mentor and follow his or her directions.
~Don't get attached to the "gossip girl"; take time to realize who are the hardworkers and who are the slackers.
~ Talk 20%, listen 80%
~ Track your accomplishments and show your boss what you have completed.
~You will be in the 'real world' and using 'real world' rules.

I envision from my mentorship the training and real-world experince I need to take to college and succeed in my potential major.  I want to get my feet wet in the field of Athletic Training and see if that is the major I want to study in college. The actions I will take to get the most of my experience will be to intitive to my mentor and complete every task they give me on time and with my full ability. I will follow their lead and not slack off on the job as well. This mentorship will prepare me for college because it will get my feet wet, like I stated earlier, in the field and see if I will enjoy it in the future.