March's Alumni Spotlight

Happy National Athletic Training Month everyone! What a great month it is to promote our profession and come together as advocates for our athletes and patients! NATA convention registration also just opened up so be sure to register for that and be on the lookout for the date/location of the USC Alumni night. Speaking of alumni; this month we would like to highlight Nick Thomas, graduating class of 2009! Nick is originally from Healdsburg, CA and did his undergrad at the University of Nevada,  Las Vegas. Not only does he have his AT credentials, but also maintains his CES, PES, and CAFS. Nick's journey as an AT has been very diverse and we are excited to learn more about it! Pictured above is Nick with former Gamecock player Emanuel Cook, Jasper Brinkley, and Jarrod Cook. 

What was your experience like in graduate school and what were your professional goals when graduating? I was assigned football for the Fall 2007 season and Spring 2008 along with Intramural sports for Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 season. During the summer of 2008 Dr. Toni Torres-McGehee helped me, along with 2 others, get summer internships with the Arizona Cardinals. My research was detecting MRSA in collegiate football players and examining if there was a colonization correlation in the equipment (helmets and shoulder pads). At the time of graduation my goals were to first of all find a job, but my ideal job was working -in some capacity- in the NFL.    

What was your experience like getting a job after graduate school and what was your first job? My work experience after grad school was very interesting. At first it seemed easy to find a job as I was offered a position as a seasonal intern with the Arizona Cardinals. When I moved out to AZ we got into training camp and I was told that the position was just going to be a summer position. Luckily, the staff then helped me find the United Football League (UFL) position as an assistant AT with the Las Vegas team. During the off-season through I had difficulty finding work so I would move back home and work construction and apply for jobs but had significant difficulty getting interviews. This happened for the next 3 years until I was networking at NATA in 2012 where I ran into the head AT for the Cardinals and told him about my situation and he then told his PT, Mr. Fischer of my situation. Right after this encounter I received a call for a job by Mr. Fischer (of Fischer Institute of Physical Therapy and Performance) all while I was sitting on a back hoe digging a foundation for a winery back in Northern CA. I still work at Fischer Institute and prior to this I spent some time at Sonoma State University with their Lacrosse team.  

In what ways do you feel the masters program prepared you for the future, or helped you become a confident clinician? Between networking and the clinical experience I gained, I was very well prepared as I graduated from USC. I also learned how to think and problem solve.  

What are your professional goals at this point in your career?
I want to continue to progress in my ability to work with patients and athletes in their progression towards return-to-activity, or -play. Whether it is through continuing education or new skills learned or old skills that I am reintroduced to.  

What advice would you give a newly graduated masters student looking for their first professional AT position? As a newly graduated masters student the most important thing is to get your foot in the door and get experience that will lead you in the career path of where you want to go. It may not be the job you want, but you have to ask yourself: will this set me up for my future? Have a plan. As with me, things may change along the way so adjust your route or your goal if necessary. But be open to change. Network as much as you can.  

Is there an AT that you would identify as being influential in your career thus far?I have been lucky to be influenced at every stage of my journey by successful and professional individuals. I had an amazing AT at my community college, Bryon Craighead that allowed me to work and learn and was probably sick of me spending so much time with him! My program director at UNLV, Mack Rubely; my clinical instructors Todd Hamburg and Mary Rock; Toni Torres-McGehee; Danny Cobble at USC; Tom Reed for the Arizona Cardinals; and my current boss Brett Fischer. All of these people have taken a chance and put their names out there for me and helped me get to where I am now. I consider all of these people, and many more, influential when I look at any success that I have in our profession. I am a big proponent that everybody that you meet in life can have a positive effect on you in some way if you can learn and listen to what they have to teach you.  

Last but not least! Do you have a favorite memory of your time as a Gamecock?
It is hard to decide of one great memory that I have from my time at USC. Our GA group was so close there are so many memories of us together. The amount of support and guidance that I received from the staff in my growth towards being a confident clinician is something that stands out. Also, beating a top 5 ranked Kentucky team on a Thursday night game, which raised ourselves into the top 10 in the country, that was a special atmosphere. It is so hard to pick just one!

Thank you Nick for answering our questions and being so real with us! We wish you the best in your future endeavors! Here is a link to check out the Fischer Institute of Physical Therapy and Performance where Nick works.
-GSCATA Alumni Committee

February's Alumni Spotlight

Welcome to this month's edition of Alumni Spotlight! I hope everyone had a great valentine's day, and that everyone is getting excited for national athletic training month next month! Before we jump ahead to March, take a moment to gain some wisdom and insight from our February alumni spotlight Caleb Lott! Caleb is originally from Lenior, NC and is from the graduating masters class of 2012. He obtained his undergraduate AT degree at Mars Hill University and additionally holds his CES and K-12 teaching certification. Along with his wife and son, he currently resides and works in China! Fun fact: the Chinese new year was celebrated this past month and it was the year of the rooster. In Caleb's own words this basically means, "the year of the gamecock!"

What was your experience like in graduate school (i.e. balancing working and being a student, which two assignments you had, what your research project was, etc.) and what were your professional goals when graduating? 

I was at USC for 3 years: Campus Recreation- Year 1, Football- Year 2 (internship only), Mid-Carolina High School- Year 3. My professional goals when graduating were to place myself in a competitive position to obtain job opportunities in the secondary school setting. That is why I chose the MAT route over the MS route and that is why USC was a great fit for me. The work demands for the MAT program are very rigorous because you are basically taking a 4-year degree and compressing it into 2 and ½ years and on top of that it is at a graduate level in a lot of the courses. This means graduate students have another layer of expectations and projects along the way. 

What was your experience like getting a job after grad school; what was your first job?

After leaving USC in 2012, I pursued an internship opportunity to work as an outreach athletic trainer for the Institute for Western Surgery based in Shanghai, China. A very untraditional and emerging setting for athletic trainers. My main responsibility was working at a western international k-12 school. This community was very unfamiliar with the benefits of having an athletic trainer. From my understanding at the time, there were only 5 athletic trainers in the whole country of China, so it was a very humbling and exciting experience to advocate awareness of the profession. Now, there are 10 athletic trainers that work in various settings around China and 2 in Hong Kong.  

What jobs have you had thus far and what is your current job?

After the internship opportunity ended, I repatriated back to the states to somewhere that was ‘famously hot’ and familiar—West Columbia to work as an athletic trainer at White Knoll High School. While only being at WKHS for 1 year, it was a very valuable and teaching experience. I learned a lot while working with Sheila Gordon, and even though my time there was brief, it was very memorable. Just a year later, an opportunity came to move back overseas and work as a full-time athletic trainer for Shanghai American School.  *Check out this video to see what a day looks like at SAS! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jh-_F6qf0c&t=8s

What are some of the pros and cons to being an AT working internationally?

Pros:

• Advocating and raising global awareness for the profession. 

• Working in a diverse multicultural setting.

• Having opportunities to travel with our sports teams as they compete around Asia at other international schools and also traveling with my family to experience different cultures. Cambodia has been my favorite!

Cons: 

• Inside the school everyone speaks English, outside the school everyone speaks Mandarin, so the language barrier poses challenges at times but also creates opportunities to learn the language which may affect your experience in a different way. Often, the student athletes are the only English speakers in their family, so speaking to parents about injuries can be difficult.

• Being so far from family is tough, especially now with having an 11 month old. But, my wife and I are enjoying raising our son abroad and taking advantage of those opportunities. 

In what ways do you feel that the masters program prepared you for the future, or helped you become a confident clinician? 

From an academic lens-the MAT program in PE is a top tier program in higher education that is a cutting edge, innovative, and holistic. The competency that is reached through the laborious academics in the MAT program makes post graduates confident to go anywhere in the world and implement a sustainable physical education curriculum. From an athletic training lens- I am very grateful for the various experiences that USC provided and those opportunities continue to impact my current athletic training career. Looking back, I was fortunate to receive some opportunities to work with great people. I view the annual rotations at various clinical sites an opportunity to start new beginnings, cultivate relationships, and build rapport within those communities.

 What are your current professional goals within the field of athletic training?

To grow awareness to other international secondary schools about the benefits of athletic trainers for their communities in aim to create more job opportunities for athletic trainers internationally. Also to pursue a Wilderness Emergency Medicine Technician (WEMT) certification.

What advice would you give newly graduated masters students looking for their first professional AT position? 

Your first job isn’t your last job! Think about employing yourself in the right setting that sustains a high quality of work life and also places you in better positions to meet your long-term goals.  If you are considering athletic training in the secondary school setting, definitely look into the Master of Arts in Teaching route as an option through the GA program @ USC. I believe it creates more job opportunities because you exit the program with a myriad of athletic training experiences, in addition to initial teacher certification K-12 in physical education. This makes you a competitive candidate when investigating secondary school work opportunities.

Is there an AT that you would identify as being influential in your career thus far? 

Allen Shelley, Head Athletic Trainer from Mars Hill University. He mentored me in and out of the classroom during undergraduate studies. One of the strongest clinical skill he taught was empathy. He embodies professionalism that is guided by his moral compass. 

Thank you to Caleb for taking the time to share some insight on AT's working nationally! Gamecocks are all over the world, doing great things, and advocating for our profession! Keep a look out for March's spotlight! - GSCATA Alumni Committee