A glimpse into High School Sites

I enjoy working in a high school environment as opposed to a college environment for many reasons.

In the athletic training program, six rotations must be completed. Fortunately, most of mine have been assigned to high schools. Athletic training in a high school environment provides the opportunity to interact with students and staff on both fun and professional levels.

When things are going well (i.e., when no one is injured), it almost doesn’t seem like work. However, when the injuries occur, life in the training room moves at a fast pace and requires me to utilize the knowledge I’ve gained over the years. The high school-level schedule is also more compatible with my personal schedule in terms of working and attending class. With high schools, the schedule is usually set in stone. This allows me to plan ahead with other appointments in my life.

In a usually small environment, I have the opportunity to get to know students in a variety of sports. Students will come over to the A. T. room after class to say hello, or to just hang out on a taping table.

Over the years, I have come to realize that I enjoy high school more than college because of the difference in the student populations. Although high school students are serious about their sports (with the possibility of an athletic scholarship in their future), they tend to be more fun-loving and jovial than college students. College students tend to be more serious in general because of the pressures of financial situations, big life decisions, heavy academic loads and trying to obtain stats within in their sports that allow them to progress to a professional level post-graduation.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my rotations and getting to know the athletes, their sports and, of course, their injuries. To me, high school is the perfect environment to gain experience in a variety of areas and get to know the people you work with. Personally, I enjoyed my high school rotations much more than my collegiate rotation.