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Living in the Moment - MSAT Graduate Shares Her Journey
Congratulations to recent Spring 2022 graduate, Claire Oliver-DeHaven! Overcoming significant obstacles, she was able to work hard and graduate with her Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) degree.
In the fall of 2020, Oliver-DeHaven was hospitalized with COVID-19, which significantly impacted her classes and clinical experiences. Despite that hurdle, she was able to make up for the missed time and graduate with her class, even while still struggling with lingering effects due to COVID-19.
“It may sound cliché, but I would have to say my clinical experiences have been the highest point of my MSAT career. I have learned so many things from my incredible preceptors and have had invaluable hands-on experiences that I may never get to have again,” Oliver-DeHaven shared. “I have been challenged and pushed but also encouraged in ways that I never expected. I built life-long friendships with my preceptors who are now my mentors, and those relationships will continue to grow beyond the program.”
Oliver-DeHaven hopes to start her professional journey by working in an orthopedic clinic or rehabilitation center and then building her way up to the US Paralympic Committee. Alongside building her career she plans to continue with rehabilitation, “so that one day I will no longer be limited by the long-lasting effects that COVID left on me. I will beat this thing completely one day,” she said.
She expressed how surprised she was about the pure quality of knowledge that is required of Athletic Trainers and the depth of understanding to be able to graduate from the UTA MSAT program. “I continued to be amazed by how much we were required to not just memorize, but truly comprehend. I honestly loved the challenge of it all.”
The course Head & Spine Assessment and Rehabilitation happened to be Oliver-DeHaven’s favorite course. She developed an interest in Head & Spine because it is a musculoskeletal problem that occurs in both athletes and the general population.
Oliver-DeHaven’s advice to current students, “Live in the moment, every moment. This whole journey is stressful and exhausting and incredibly challenging, but through it all, do not forget to stop for a minute or two and remember how incredibly rewarding it will be to help people live their happiest, healthiest lives.”
-Written by Precious Olowokere, College of Nursing and Health Innovation