SLU PT Student Emily Gier is Thankful for the Positive Experience she had at Athletico in O'Fallon, Missouri

SLU PT Clinical Site Spotlight - Athletico O'Fallon-South, Missouri

By Emily Gier (Class of 2022)

I am so grateful for my experience at Athletico O’Fallon South with my Clinical Instructor and Alumni, Michaela Ward, PT, DPT, COMT. Every day I walked into a welcoming and positive learning environment in which I was able to grow in my skills as a clinician. Each day I was excited to take what I learned in the classroom over the past couple of years and apply it working with real patients.  The patients and other staff at the clinic were incredibly kind and welcoming and I enjoyed getting to build relationships with them over the course of my 10 weeks there. Over the course of my time at Athletico, I learned so much about various treatments and interventions. However, I would say the number one thing my CI taught me was the importance of building strong relationships with your patients. It was clear how much each patient respected Michaela and enjoyed working with her in the clinic.

Michaela, Thank you so much for being such an amazing CI. You helped give me the confidence to exceed during my time at Athletico as well as on my future clinical experiences. Additionally, thank you for creating such a fun experience in which each day I was excited to come to the clinic.

This is one of a series of posts by the Saint Louis University Program in Physical Therapy students featuring their clinical site and their clinical instructors. The number, quality, and diversity of clinical instruction are major assets for the SLU PT Program.