Running Head: PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Professional Philosophy
Stephanie Hollander
Wayne State University

Running Head: PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Professional Philosophy

As an athletic trainer, I take ethics very seriously. There is a Code of Ethics by the
National Athletic Trainers Association, which we are required to follow by law. This alone,
does not make me more ethical than I would have been, regardless of the legal aspect. I feel
strongly about the equality of all people. Not only do I consider myself a true advocate for the
well being of athletes, but I also try and stand up for the many things that can effect athletics in
general. In my opinion, discrimination should never be tolerated or involved in athletics, or
sports medicine in specific. Discrimination can come in many forms, from racism, to the
mistreatment of someone based on what type of health insurance they have. In the past 3 years, I
have worked in an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinic in Detroit. During my time in
this environment, I have learned that you need patience and compassion for others. This can help
you realize that other people are going through many struggles in daily life, that you cannot even
imagine going through. I have treated patients with a variety of backgrounds including prisoners,
homeless people, and CEOs of companies. I try my hardest to treat every single patient of mine
with respect and do my best to give the best rehabilitation possible.
As it has now been about 5 years since I received my undergraduate degree, I feel
comfortable supervising interns and students as a Clinical Instructor. While I am considered a
leader in this capacity, I make sure that I never let my students feel as if they are being looked
down upon. These students are eager to learn and should be provided with as many opportunities
as possible. It has been interesting being a Clinical Instructor to students wanting to join my field
of work. One of my students was actually one year older than I was. I was apprehensive about
this at first because I thought that she would think I am not qualified to teach her about my
profession. It was completely the opposite. We both learned from each other and I enjoyed

Running Head: PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

showing her how things would be if she were to pursue other aspects of the sports medicine field.
My style of leadership tends to be very subtle. I like to try and connect with my students on a
personal and informal manner. If people who work for you see you as an individual with
thoughts and emotions, they will respect you for every decision that you make. I have had
managers who try and be very tough and strict, but it ends up hurting them in the long run.
Employees do not always respond well to demands without feeling appreciated. Always saying
thank you and sending out special shout-outs will change the morale of the staff.
My first job directly after graduating college was at a small Division I university. I was
22 years old and was working as an athletic trainer with the mens and womens soccer and
lacrosse teams. Although I was basically the same age as most of my athletes, they still saw me
as a role model because I was able to pursue my dream of working in collegiate athletics, right
out of college. I stayed professional and conducted business as usual in the athletic training room
when my athletes were in for treatment. Although we did our fair share of joking around, they
knew they needed to respect me if they wanted a good report to their coaches. I would not put up
with my athletes breaking the athletic training room rules. Rules are in place for a reason, but can
sometimes be bent in certain situations. You need to trust your judgment in every individual
case.
Recently, I have had the pleasure of interviewing Western Michigan Universitys
Director of Athletics, Kathy Beauregard. This interview gave me a new perspective on how to
conduct yourself in an instance where you disagree with someone. Kathy spoke about always
keeping true to your word. This is something I have always thought was important. Not only do
you need to stay consistent for your own beliefs, but people will respect you even more and
possibly change their own opinions. Kathy spoke about how you need to choose your battles

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wisely. We must not focus on petty things. We should look at the full picture and see what is
worth fighting for (K. Beauregard, personal communication, October 7, 2014). The well being of
student-athletes and patients should be the number one priority to someone in my field of work.
If you are fighting for something that will only benefit yourself, you should probably take a step
back and figure out how this would affect someone you are currently mentoring.
I am only willing to provide services and use tools that are under the scope of my
professional practice. Under no circumstance will I ever be forced or talked into doing something
illegal or unethical when it comes to my field of work. Athletic training encompasses a very
broad range of topics and we are trained in a big variety of subjects, including rehabilitation of
injuries, taping, bracing, first aid, among other things. Because of this, if I feel that I am not
proficient enough on a certain subject; I am unwilling to provide that service until I complete a
course or other form of education to learn about that topic. Continuing education courses are
very important to me. I regularly attend lectures, seminars and symposiums which relate to many
subject matters involved in my profession. It is my dedication to education which helps me
provide the best treatment to student-athletes and patients possible.
There have been times where people will misunderstand what the profession of athletic
training actually is. I have been called a personal trainer countless times. At first, it would annoy
and offend me. After some thought, I realized that it is my duty to inform everyone who has not
heard of my line of work, about what we do. I should never be offended when someone just
simply does not know what an athletic trainer is. This also comes down to discrimination. Many
lower-income areas cannot afford to have athletic trainers at their local high schools. It is simply
too expensive when those funds can be used to purchase new books or teacher salaries. High
school would be the first place someone could potentially learn about the profession that I am

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currently in. Now that I realize how I need to give everyone a chance and educate the community
about the importance of my profession, I feel much more proud to be doing what I spent four and
a half long years in college studying.