Note: This is the third in a series of blog posts related to transition to practice. These posts focus on our Post-Professional students own experiences as they transition from an athletic training student to a practicing clinician.
The transition from an undergraduate athletic training student to an athletic trainer can strike anxiety in even the most confident person. The responsibility that an athletic trainer has over the health and safety of an athletic team and patients can be overwhelming. This is only exacerbated with the addition of being a graduate student. So how do we solve this predicament? With time management.
Time Management is one of the best qualities an athletic trainer can possess. The ability to balance work, school, and life can be very difficult for young athletic trainers transitioning into the practice as both athletic trainers and graduate students. With so many responsibilities and activities going on at one time, it is difficult for young professionals to give one hundred percent of themselves toward any given task.
Personally, the biggest struggle that I faced in my transition was how to balance my time. Jumping into being a graduate assistant athletic trainer working with football, in addition to classes and other graduate school duties, was a lot to take on. I struggled with balancing all these activities in the beginning and still struggle with this some days. Working thirteen hours, six day a week, as well as trying to be a student at the same time, is a constant struggle. However, after finding a rhythm to this new and busy routine, I have gotten better at understanding my role as a graduate student and using my time in an efficient manner in order to complete my duties without so much anxiety. I am now able to balance my time and plan ahead, which even leaves enough time to have a social life.
I would say that I have definitely learned from my past experiences. As an undergraduate student I learned the hard way what having poor time management skills can do to a student. It can create unnecessary stress and doesn’t help students be the best that they can be. The biggest change that I have made in my organization of time has been making lists of tasks. This helps me to plan ahead and accomplish the goals I have for the day. It is also very reinforcing to cross off an item on my to-do list and even more motivating when I have finished all my tasks for the week, which creates availability for entertainment on the weekend.
Ethan Roberts LAT, ATC
Time Management is one of the best qualities an athletic trainer can possess. The ability to balance work, school, and life can be very difficult for young athletic trainers transitioning into the practice as both athletic trainers and graduate students. With so many responsibilities and activities going on at one time, it is difficult for young professionals to give one hundred percent of themselves toward any given task.
Personally, the biggest struggle that I faced in my transition was how to balance my time. Jumping into being a graduate assistant athletic trainer working with football, in addition to classes and other graduate school duties, was a lot to take on. I struggled with balancing all these activities in the beginning and still struggle with this some days. Working thirteen hours, six day a week, as well as trying to be a student at the same time, is a constant struggle. However, after finding a rhythm to this new and busy routine, I have gotten better at understanding my role as a graduate student and using my time in an efficient manner in order to complete my duties without so much anxiety. I am now able to balance my time and plan ahead, which even leaves enough time to have a social life.
I would say that I have definitely learned from my past experiences. As an undergraduate student I learned the hard way what having poor time management skills can do to a student. It can create unnecessary stress and doesn’t help students be the best that they can be. The biggest change that I have made in my organization of time has been making lists of tasks. This helps me to plan ahead and accomplish the goals I have for the day. It is also very reinforcing to cross off an item on my to-do list and even more motivating when I have finished all my tasks for the week, which creates availability for entertainment on the weekend.
Ethan Roberts LAT, ATC
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