If I’m being honest, the first work day I had was slightly overwhelming. Looking back now however, I’m grateful that I was pushed beyond my comfort zone because it refocused my mindset about the internship as a whole. Prior to the first Tuesday, I’d had limited experience with PPEs or the FMS protocols, and had never actually seen them administered. So when we were asked to immediately jump in and aid in the screening of the entire student-athlete population, I was skeptical as to how much assistance I could actually provide with my limited knowledge. However, the experience ended up being enjoyable and educational, and changed my entire outlook on the internship. I had so little time to process exactly what was happening, that I couldn’t question my abilities or my judgment, I simply acted. And since that day I realized that the more I place myself in the “line of fire” so to speak, the more I will take away from the internship as a whole, and the more I will learn about myself and my capabilities as well.
In terms of the actual testing that occurred that Tuesday, I think that the approach they take here at Northeastern is extremely beneficial for the athletes. The connection between the strength and conditioning department and the sports medicine department, and the emphasis on injury prevention is great. I wasn’t aware that such extensive testing for movement deficiencies and instabilities occurred at the collegiate level, and instead assumed it was saved for the professionals. Being able to aid in its instrumentation and seeing the result of the testing in small alterations to the athletes programs and in the work done by the athletic trainers proves that the testing is worth it. Injuries are an inevitable consequence of the daily abuse that the athletes place on their bodies. However, the emphasis the sports performance department as a whole places on keeping them healthy, and bringing them back to full form when they do sustain injuries is amazing and also new to me. In the few short weeks that I’ve been here, starting with the PPEs, I’ve progressively become more aware of minute details regarding each athlete’s movement patterns. I understand now why it is so crucial to take the time to address small issues with form during lifts, and how detrimental inefficient body mechanics and movement patterns can become.
As a whole the first few weeks have been an awesome experience, and my expectations and assumptions about the job have most definitely changed. I had never before performed any FMS testing, and now I feel comfortable with many of the tests involved in the screening process. Not only that but I have a new appreciation for the screening process as a whole, and why it’s conducted and how it benefits the athletes. Moving forward, no matter where my career takes me, I will always consider PPEs and FMS testing a necessity, and I appreciate having had the learning experience.