Early Professionals AT Community

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  • 1.  Surviving Your First Fall Season as an Early Career AT – How's It Going?

    Posted 09-10-2025 12:06 PM

    For those of us fresh out of school, this first fall season feels like trial by fire. Between two-a-days, nonstop practices/games, and trying to keep up with documentation, it can be hard to keep up!

    For other early professional ATs – how are you surviving your first fall?

    • What's been the toughest adjustment so far?

    • Any hacks for keeping your energy up or staying organized during crazy weeks?

    • Have you found ways to carve out any personal time, or is that wishful thinking?

    • What's one thing you wish someone had told you before fall started?

    Figured it'd be good to start a thread where we can share wins, struggles, and maybe some survival tips.



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    Colby Tegt
    Ferndale High School
    colbytegt@gmail.com
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  • 2.  RE: Surviving Your First Fall Season as an Early Career AT – How's It Going?

    Posted 09-12-2025 02:42 PM

    Hey Colby! Not in my first year out, but as an early professional I related to the adjustment to full-time work after school and the craziness of preseason.

    I try to streamline as many things as possible to conserve energy -- meal prep so I'm only cooking and washing dishes once a week, using Siri reminders to make sure I'm taking care of the things I tell myself I'll do later, time blocking time to do documentation so I can get into a flow state and focus on it.

    For me, carving out personal time is essential to functioning at my best. For me this looks like waking up early to get in a workout or spend some time reading my bible and going to bed as early as possible to maximize my sleep.

    In my first year, and every year since, I always need to remind myself that the best way to stay on top of documentation is to prioritize time for it daily. As soon as I put it off I find myself putting it off forever.

    Hope this helps and would love to know what things you implement and what works best for you!

    Emma Stratmoen

    EPC Chair



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    Emma Stratmoen MAT, LAT, ATC
    USA Volleyball
    Stillwater MN
    (651) 491-5246
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Surviving Your First Fall Season as an Early Career AT – How's It Going?

    Posted 10-28-2025 08:28 AM

    Hi Colby! I'm a few months into my second year certified, and though we're towards the 'end' of fall I think this can still be applicable, especially in transition seasons when everything is happening at once.

    -I've found that I MUST meal prep on a 'slower' day if I want to eat semi-well for that week. But, it's also helpful to keep some quick/easy food if I'm tired/don't want what I've made.

    -For documentation, I try to write brief notes in the moment on a sticky note, so even if I can't upload to an EMR immediately, I'll still remember the details later on. 



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    Lea Moose MAT, LAT, ATC
    Helena Orthopaedic Clinic
    Helena MT
    (913) 777-1369
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    Original Message