I am not talking about your in-laws being challenging parents. We are not even discussing the relationship you have with your own parents.
Challenging parents and family members of patients can ruin your day and cause some serious headaches for Athletic Trainers.
Charlotte Koenig works for Memorial Hermann in risk management and knows a few things about dealing with challenging patients and family members. Today on the podcast she gives us some great steps to follow when dealing with a challenging athlete, parent or coach and also helps us set and follow through with boundaries.
Are you someone who says, “I’m sorry,” often?
Charlotte believes that is a phrase that is empty and doesn’t have much substance She recommends changing the “I’m sorry,” to “I apologize.”
Use the 5-minute rule speaking with a challenging parent?
When Charlotte is engaged in a face to face or phone conversation with someone who is challenging she makes sure to wrap things up in about 5 minutes.
Active listening and repeating back to them what you think they are saying can diffuse situations.
One phrase she uses often is, “What I hear you saying is...”
When do you ditch email and talk to someone face to face?
“Compassion can’t come through text or email.” Every person can insert there own emotion when reading a text or email so Charlotte believes that it is always best to communicate verbally when you are dealing with someone who might be upset.
How do you de-escalate a situation that has gotten heightened?
“Don’t throw fuel to the fire,” when dealing with someone that is challenging. Remain calm, meet them where they are and see the whole person not just this incident.
Dr. Sarah Duvall Joins the Sports Medicine Broadcast to discuss Incontinence in Female Athletes from her years of experience training medical professionals in assessing and treating incontinence.
What is incontinence?
An intimidating word… Dr. Sarah Duvall likes to use leakage instead of incontinence to help break down barriers.
Simply put it is leaking urine or feces, but most commonly it is urine.
What does incontinence look like in the young healthy female athlete?
1 in 4 or 25% or 4 of your 12 volleyball players likely experiences urinary leakage.
You as a health care provider may be able to help them perform better without concern of incontinence.
Dr. Duvall treated a 14-year-old runner who experienced leakage while competing in races.
What are some causes?
Pregnancy is a major contributor and multiple pregnancies increase the chance.
Today we discuss two main types:
Urge – Psychological urgent need to urinate that may be triggered by location or proximity to the bathroom.
Stress-related – emotional or physical stress. This may be due to stretched out bladder or lack of regular urination.
How can athletes figure out the source without seeing a healthcare provider?
Treatments for incontinence:
In normal healthy non-traumatized women retraining your bladder should take about 3 days.
What should ATs know?
With nearly 25% of your high school and college-age female athletes experiencing leakage, ATs need to be comfortable discussing the issue.
The more knowledge we have the better we can treat and refer our patients on to the next qualified provider.
If you are uncomfortable discussing the topic think about it like a shoulder or another body part that is less intimidating.
Lots of things can cause incontinence in either gender. Female athletes seem to deal with this more foten and many males do not know or understand how to help.Dr. Sarah Duvall is here to help bridge the gap and encourage all medical providers to grow their understandding and help provide more comprenehensive care and education to your patients.
What does “Own Your Impact” look like for leadership
Tory Lindley hit the ground running when he was elected president of the NATA in June of 2018. During the NATA symposium in June 2019, Alisha M Pennington caught up with him to talk about his vision for athletic trainers to Own Their Impact, what we can do as individuals to advocate for the profession and what the NATA board of directors and 29 committees have been working on to continue to elevate the profession in every setting.
Tory's biggest accomplishment since taking office?
The collaborative agreement between the NATA and APTA. There is now a door open and expectation that the national level of collaboration will have some effect on the ways that AT’s are practicing at the state level.
What can we do on a daily basis to Own Your Impact and advocate for the profession?
Every athletic trainer has an individual responsibility to advocate for the profession and to advocate for ourselves.
“If you look like health care individually then the advocacy thing happens because people are paying attention.” Tory Lindley
Every AT needs to get their NPI.
Even if you aren’t going to be billing at the third party level, you need to register because it is how we are counted as health care professionals.
What initiatives will Tory investigate and pursue?
CMS recognition will help with not only billing but also for recognition and acceptance as a health care profession.
Salary initiatives for increases in a variety of settings and also ensure that we close the gender gap.
What does Own Your Impact look like to Tory?
“We are super humble as health care providers. We like to work behind the scenes, and yet we can still be humble and be bold enough to tell our story when it makes sense to have our story told.”
All AT’s have an opportunity through social media to write their narrative. To talk about things that they are doing and educating people on a daily basis of what we do.
How will we continue to see great things continue to happen?
“When the AT is given the opportunity to practice at the top of their skill set, great things will always happen. We need to make sure that is something every AT can do.”
Ever wondered what Firefly Recovery is?
Jeremy closes out the podcast today by talking to Anthony Kjenstad from Firefly Recovery about the products from Firefly that can help with increasing blood flow to decrease recovery time and help with delayed onset muscle soreness.
The product is being promoted by athletic trainers who have been using the tool in their training rooms and have had success.
You can find more information on Firefly Recovery here or catch them on Instagram @fireflyrecovery
John and Jeremy have no connections 4 years ago. Just social media friends.
We have grown to be trusted friends. I would let John stay at my house for a week if he was in Houston.
I have begun texting a group of guys each week so that I am being intentional about building relationships. I schedule that text early in the week so that I know it is going out.
“Look for beauty wherever you are, and keep the memory of it with you.”
For John, this page of Only One You reminds me to keep the memory of the good moments or wins or championships for when times are tough (tough teams, injuries, coaches, etc.)
This line speaks to me to not take pictures of everything, but be in the moment and take a picture in my head. create the moment instead of focusing on the perfect shot
“Blend in when you need to. Stand out when you have the chance.”
John: Leadership Capital – Know when to speak up but know when you sit back and listen. For me, those that stand out have egos. This never helps with relationship building.
“Let others speak your praise” – Kevin Parker
“Find your own way. You don’t have to follow the crowd.”
Jeremy: When I started in 2012 there was maybe one other sports medicine podcast focused on Athletic Trainers. I did not sit back and wait for someone else to start one. From October 2013 through October 2019 there have been over 524,00 downloads of the Sports Medicine Broadcast.
Blaze a path as an athletic trainer. Get unique certifications, specialize and set yourself apart.
“Personal development as professional development.” – Kent Games
“Know when to speak; know when to listen.”
This goes back to “blending in” Speaking is important but only after you have all the information. Listening is the most important aspect of leadership.
Mark Knoblauch told me: “The ATs who get angry and get into arguments are the ones who are usually inexperienced and have a need to prove themselves.”
Or there is the Fight Club quote: “Most people do not really listen they only wait for their turn to speak.”
“No matter how you look at it, there is so much to discover.”
Both John and Jeremy agree “One of the things I’ve learned doing this podcast is that; there is always more to learn. Every time I think I've figured things out, I realize there’s something else I need to know.
“If you make a wrong turn, circle back.”
John likes this quote from Only One You. He knows mistakes happen in our daily and professional life. Leat's learn from them and “circle back.”
Repeat podcast guest Brandy Currie says reflection is key and she does it daily.
Then there was the time my son dropped a googly eye into his ear…our circling back was to buy an otoscope.
“If something gets in your way, move around it.”
Jeremy: Usually when I am given a rule my first thought is how can I get around this… not always the best way of thinking, but I tend to look for other options.
John: Realize things change, schedules change, obstacles will occur but relax, detach, adapt and overcome.
This is another opportunity to reflect and circle back on how things can change and listen to all of the details before speaking.
“Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect every day.”
John: This is one of the most important things to me in that every day I get time to myself. Most of the time I have to make it whether that’s getting up at 4am to work out or scheduling time on my calendar to actually sit and read. We also covered this with “Learn to Say No” and Prioritize and Execute.
John LOVES to read, so sometimes he wakes up early, goes to the gym and rides the bike so he can sit and read
“Appreciate art. It’s all around you!”
Have fun during games, enjoy the small things and enjoy when your athletes achieve their goals.
“Make wishes on the stars in the nighttime sky.”
John: Have a vision, set goals create your value.
Jeremy: Take time to look up and see the stars. The small things that are always there. Do not look past what is in front of you.
My wife does this with our youngest…just sits back and watches.
I often ask my family to not say I can not wait until “_______” is over. there is way too much to miss.
Closing out Only One You
“‘Thanks for listening,” mama said.
“We hope you will remember.” Papa winked and whispered, “We know this is a lot for you to think about.”
Adri did a backward somersault and smile. He was excited to go out into the world with what he had just learned. “‘Wait for me!” he shouted to his friends.
Before he swam away, he turned back to his parents and said, “I will remember.”
Mama kissed Adri on the top of his head. “There is only one you in this great big world,” she said. “Make it a better place.”
Leadership Myths and Reality has been the cornerstone for this series.But the children's book "Only One You" by Linda Kranz is the closerJoin with us in sharing the simplicity of wisdom in a book for kids
Have questions about infections??? Joins as we discuss Skin with Kathy Nguyen
Who is Dr. Kathy Nguyen?
Dr. Kathy Nguyen is a primary care/sports medicine physician. She is a team physician for multiple high schools, helps with colleges in the Houston area and is the team physician for the Houston Dash soccer team.
Do you know what is considered best practice and recommended by research?
As athletic trainers, we routinely see a variety of skin issues happening with our athletes.
Blisters: do you pop it or not?
Today on the podcast Dr. Nguyen relays to us the best practice in issues as common as blisters and as serious as tinea issues that may be resistant to topical antibiotics.
For example
At minute 2:10 on the podcast, Dr. Nguyen says she always recommends leaving the blister if possible.
Around 4 minutes on “Skin with Kathy Nguyen”, she discusses wound care specialist opinion on new skin growth and scarring.
What are truths and what are myths?
Through research and discussion with other wound care specialists, she helps us sift through what are considered old wives tales and gives us concrete reasons to refer a skin issue or lesion to a doctor.
“Today, when leadership is discussed, we usually purport to be discussing what leaders do, rather than what they say, as if this were a more clear-eyed approach. The truth is that when we look closely, we see leadership as much in what our leaders symbolize as in what they accomplish.
Whatever the case, our obsession with leadership seems to be constant, if not growing.
The mythology of leadership, however, will be a growing source of frustration if we don’t come to some more clear-eyed sense about why this is so and why it matters to us.”
A quote from ‘Leaders; Myth and Reality’ a cornerstone as we discuss Leadership Myths.
What about Leadership Myths?
We wrongly believe that what happened in one leadership instance can be replicated in another. This leads to the three myths, which helps us navigate the understanding of leadership.
The first of the three is the “Formulaic Myth.”
Ignoring the reality that leadership is contextual, we feel that leaders stick to a strict checklist, leading to success.
The Second is The “Attribution Myth”
When we view leaders in hindsight we see that their vision or mission can far outweigh those that surround the leader themselves.
Third Leadership Myth: Results Myth
Delivering results is all that's required for positions of power and accolades
Tory and his wife Beth have three children: Jonah, Evan and Genevieve and a dog, Myles (Tory’s morning running partner).
Is the “Formulaic Myth” is effective in leading others?
Neither John nor Tory believes this method produces good consistent leadership. Tory feels the opposite is true for him.
Leadership needs to be based on the people group and the topic.
Knowing your audience or followers is critical to the success of leaders. The leader is believed to be only marginally more important than the quality of the followers.
What is Leadership Culture?
Tory does not like to use the word “culture” because it is often not clearly defined. Instead, he talks about the environment you create around you.
It is essentially the same concept but with clearly defined actionable steps to improve and grow the team.
Define What You Value
Does your “culture” define what you value?
Does it reward and celebrate achievement?
Is it clear?
Is it scalable or reproducible?
Do the actions of your community continually remind you of your expectations and the environment you are creating?
Leadership Myths and Reality has been the cornerstone for this series.Tory Lindley joins John and I to discussing how we can address Leadership Myths and RESHAPE leadrship in Athletic Training.Join the conversation live and get your questions answered.
Today on the podcast we have Sue Falsone PT, MS, SCS, ATC, CSCS, COMT, owner of Structure and Function and author of, “Bridging the Gap From Rehab to Performance.” Click on her name to learn more about her and her business.
Similar to Jackie Robinson?
Sue broke the barrier of women head athletic trainer’s in the major 4 professional sports in 2012 when she was hired by the LA Dodgers.
But on today’s podcast, we focus less on being someone who breaks barriers and more about being really good at our craft, athletic training.
Are you as good as Sue Falsone?
Sue has many initials after her name and has spent time in a variety of settings including running a cash-based treatment business.
During the episode, she shares why she believes being multidisciplinary is to her and the patients she treats advantage.
A one-liner take home from Sue Falsone
“There are plenty of jobs I didn’t get because I was a female. I don’t choose to focus on that.”
Want to get started?
If you are a female AT business owner, an AT interested in starting your own cash-based practice, or need to change what you are focusing on, this episode is the perfect listen.
John Ciecko says this is one of the hardest questions he has asked in the series.
Ultimately his parents and Tom Ford were the final answers.
So who are your heroes? After showing them your gratitude tweet John Ciecko
Are they real people?
This is a really hard question because nobody is perfect and to call them a hero we often have to overlook flaws.
One of my heroes in Athletic Training is Bob Marley. I have told him this more than once and he has joined me on the podcast multiple times.
Bob is kind and helpful, patient and well respected, well-connected and humble.
Then there was John Lineberger in college…there was always an adventure or story to be told with John. I made reference to this video clip during the podcast.
About Kevin Parker
Kevin Parker is a real-life Caddy Shack…He literally got a scholarship to go to college to carry golf clubs.
He got some NATA and GLATA awards too along the way
Kevin Parker was featured in a Gatorade Performance Partners video sharing his story of using life saving skills for one of his athletes.Join the conversation as we continue to learn about Heroes as leaders.
Robespierre – Lead a revolution from the solitude of his own apartment by way of the pen – (the leader who never steps out of their office)
Al-Zarqawi – Fanatic who ruled through fear – (the authoritarian leader who only judges and yells)
About Dr. Rene Shingels
NATA Hall-of-Famer, Dr. Shingles has plenty of accomplishments behind her name.
You can check out her full university bio but she mentioned being the program director at Central Michigan, serving on the EDAC, and as a BOC Director.
How to spot Leadership Failures
Micromanaging
Old school – “That is the way it has always been done”
Not asking why things are done, just changing them to change them
Charging ahead with plans that seem to be flawed from the start
What do Leadership Failures teach us?
Obviously they can teach us what not to do.
With Zealots like Hitler, Robespierre, Al-Zarqawi bad things can happen very quickly. Like a very hot flame the quickly sucks up all of the oxygen in the room, burns really hot and then burns itself off quickly, zealots can cause a lot of damage quickly.
When we do not evaluate the whole picture and stop to think “Am I getting all of the information?” we put ourselves at risk of repeating these terrible leaders.
John shared this quote:
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
-Leaders Myth and Reality
If we do not take ownership we can easily be lead into some really dark places.
Who are you responsible to?
Parents
Family
Spouse / Children
Supervisors
Patients
Clients
Friends
Society
How do we weather those times of bad leaders?
“if you do not know what you stand for, then you will fall for anything”
It all comes back to knowing WHY you are here at this place at this time with these current abilities.
Know your resources available to you.
Escalated situations typically show more about the aggressor than about you. There is always something under the surface.
Quote to end on
Professional development IS personal development – Dr. Kent Games
John Ciecko brings Dr. Rene Shingles to the podcast to discuss the Bad Leaders and Leadership FailuresShare your bad leadership experiences (preferably without names / identifying info)
