AT Spotlight: Andrew Shadel

Alma Mater: Lee University

First AT Job: Outreach AT/PT Tech for Meigs County HS in TN

Most Important Thing in Your Bag: Right now, face masks and gloves!

Gameday Snack: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, can never go wrong with a classic.

Best AT Moment: So many to choose from!  Having an athlete who was post-op lateral ankle repair coming back after a long road of rehab to score the go-ahead goal on a header against a big rival.  The first people he hugged were the AT’s on the sidelines.  That was a great feeling to see all the hard work pay off.

Quote/Lyric/Line that sums up Athletic Training For You: “People are rewarded in public for what they practice for years in private” – Tony Robbins

Working Temperature Checks:

State/Location You are working in for Temperature Shifts: Bridgeview, IL

Has anything surprised you about the temp screen gig?  I would say the mixed reactions, some employees are happy we are here while others are angry they have to do it, even though the screening takes less than 30 seconds.

What is the biggest difference between working with this patient population vs working with athletes? Most of my experience the past few years has been in the industrial setting so this is pretty normal for me, but having to explain why this is important has been a regular occurrence over the past few weeks.

Are there any similarities working with this patient population and working with the athletes?  It is not very different than being PRN on the sidelines, once you put the time into setting up the station and making sure all of the supplies are in order, you are just waiting for employees to test.  Once you find a positive you run through the “injury response cascade” it’s the same…just different.

Can you share one moment/story/anecdote/from this gig?  I had an employee that reported symptoms that are on our red flag list and was going to be removed from the workplace for the day.  They had a lot of anxiety about not being able to work and what to do if they were sick.  I was able to sit down with them in our containment area and explain that the company was going to pay for the time off and give them the prepared information on exactly what steps were required and the options they had.  They were very relieved and thankful and I was appreciative of the support the company was providing for both myself and the employees.