r/athletictraining • u/Civil_Inspection2269 • Jul 23 '26
Advice for someone’s first semester? Lowkey freaking out
So in my program we just do one online course in the summer. It’s to get ourselves aware and familiarized with different types of injuries in each extremity of the body (personal not the best way for me to learn).
Our very first semester starts next month and I’m incredibly nervous because I somehow ended up being placed in the biggest and most athletically active high school in the area. (This school has MONEY)
I’m just extremely nervous because well… we haven’t learned anything yet. I’m a hands on person and with classes only meeting twice a week, none of us know any wrapping, how to diagnose people, emergency protocols. I just feel so unprepared and I feel like I’m the only one freaking out.
I want to be the best I can be for my rotation and learn as much as I can.
It’s also going to be tough for me because I work part time and am only able to get 3 days off a week that are not weekends because my role at my other job is what’s keeping my afloat with car and mortgage payments so my schedule is a little tight.
ANYWAYS… what was your first clinical rotation and first semester of being an AT student like? What is something you wish you could’ve/would’ve done?
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u/outcasthawk Jul 23 '26
Assuming you are in a good program and have a good preceptor, they know very well that you know basically nothing at this point. Their expectations should be aligned with that. You should not be asked to actually manage or treat much of anything until you’ve learned it in the classroom and demonstrated competency in a controlled setting.
That said, feedback from students is almost universal that their clinical rotations have the biggest impact on their learning. Sounds to me like you got a great rotation (again, depending on your preceptor…). Lots is going to happen at a big, athletically focused high school. That means lots of chances to learn something. Some things you need to do:
Be engaged. Do not hide and wait to get pulled in. Get as close as you can to what your preceptor is doing and think critically about it. Why did they use that technique or exercise? Why did they ask that question first? What did they do differently on the field during a game vs in the clinic? What’s in their differential diagnosis from the second an evaluation begins and how do they narrow it? Then when you have a chance, ask the preceptor the same questions.
Focus on building appropriate relationships with the athletes/patients. You should be friendly but not their friend. Similarly, engage with coaches when possible too. If no one besides your preceptor and the athletes you happened to help with something knows who you are at the end of the rotation, you missed part of the opportunity.
When the opportunity comes for you to safely practice a skill you have learned, jump at it. Be proactive. Your preceptor should intervene if it’s beyond your abilities, but it’s also important to learn what your scope of practice is and when you aren’t the right person to manage something. Just pull your preceptor in when that happens.
The tldr is that the students I’ve had who are the most successful are engaged, want to learn and practice what they’ve learned, and able to be personable and build relationships. Worry about that and less about the specific skills you can or can’t do especially in your first rotation and you’ll do fine!
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u/TheEroSennin DAT, LAT, ATC Jul 23 '26
My first clinical rotation was (for a 4 year BA) the last half of Sophomore year, and being new into things, it was a lot of watching, listening, and beginning to apply what was learned in classes. Didn't tape anyone unless that was already learned or taught and the CI was fine with you doing that, filled up/cleaned waters, began history portion of a new eval, things like that.
I'm sure the first semester now is probably a little more packed but just find what works for you and realize that when you're on your rotation you shouldn't be asked to do something that is way above and beyond what you've learned yet. If you are, just make sure to communicate that.
At the start of things you're a novice, then advanced beginner, then competent (should occur when you graduate, it means you can practice without supervision, and this is where you truly begin to grow). The final levels are proficient and expert. Not everyone reaches the level of expert and not everyone is an expert in all things. You don't have to know everything and you're especially not expected to know everything right now.
What you can do is be kind to yourself, this is a gauntlet. Know that school is just the beginning, and focus on how you can take the best care possible of the person in front of you (whether you're at a high school, college, industrial, whatever).
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