AT SPOTLIGHT
Harriet Elmore
Written and Submitted by: Lori Moss
Years Certified: 15 years
Current Position: Athletic Trainer at Signal Mountain High School Favorite Quote: “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
Favorite Aspect of Athletic Training: “It will always be the people and characters you meet along the way, but also the free tickets to watch sports from ‘the good seats’; it’s a great perk of the job!”
Education: B.S. Exercise Science, Mississippi University for Women; M.S. Health and Human Performance, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mentors: Dr. Colston, Dr. Wilkerson. All of my coaches, parents, and students - they have all left an impression on me and that is what pushes me to be a better athletic trainer every day.
Journey to Becoming an Athletic Trainer
It all started on one particular day when Harriet went to see her high school athletic trainer who was located across campus in a stinky side office inside the football locker room. This is where the novel concept of Sports Medicine began and the academic mud of figuring out her professional path in athletic training. Harriet knew she wanted to serve in the healthcare profession and started with a nursing program. After just one semester at the “W”, also known as Mississippi University for Women, she observed that health care professionals could have some of the best seats in the house at sporting events. She found a profession that could combine her desire to be a healthcare professional and her passion for sports. Harriet then knew she needed the ticket to those seats and started shadowing the athletic trainers at the “W”, even though the internship route was being phased out in Columbus, MS. At that time, there were only 10 Entry-Level MS programs in the country. Harriet was accepted in to the Graduate Athletic Training Program at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.
After graduation, Harriet was originally hired to a pilot program through Greenville Hospital. Here, she started working at Wade Hampton High School, home of the Generals, as a full-time athletic trainer. After just a year, Harriet moved closer to home with taking a position at Marist, a Private Catholic School in Atlanta, GA. Twelve years of gaining experience being the Assistant Athletic Trainer and interim Head Athletic Trainer, Harriet decided for a return to the scenic city of Chattanooga and take a Head Athletic Trainer’s position through Erlanger Medical Center at Signal Mountain High School.
Most Memorable Moments
Harriet says it best:
“Aren’t they all memories...from the first moment of having to run out on a football field to make an assessment, to the first time you make the decision to spine board, or call 911. The injuries I have cared for from start to return to play are all moments I cherish and remember; [to] finally getting my chance to sit in the “good seat”, especially when those seats are on the field at the 50 yard line of the Georgia dome or court-side of Phillips arena. But the most memorable are the personal moments, those moments where your connection to your athletes brings emotion whether through joy and excitement of winning or returning to the sport you love after months of rehab or through the pain of defeat or injury. The most recent moment that can describe what I am referring to is when one of my football athletes knowing he just ended his season with a significant knee injury, while battling through the emotions of loss and pain, looked at me and said with a smile “does this mean I get to spend more time with you?”
In the Hot Seat with Harriet
What lessons did you learn as an Assistant? The biggest difference in Assistant and Head position? The biggest difference was transitioning from a well-established school and their supportive network community to establishing my own supportive network within a new Sports Medicine Program. Working with a seasoned athletic trainer and having access to an outstanding team physician and network, I suppose shaped me into someone comfortable with collaborating, but also helped me grow into, what I hope, is someone comfortable making independent and important decisions. I guess you could equate it to jumping into a large swimming pool — I could swim with the safety net knowing there were lifeguards nearby to throw a rope if needed, but my first job felt very much like barely treading water during a rip tide at times.
Mentorship: How did it play a role in your professional growth? Does a mentorship play an important role in the AT profession? One of my professors at UTC, Dr. Colston, showed me the profession of athletic training and instilled in me the confidence to do the work and remember to take each day as a new learning experience. I was able to learn from top professionals in their field and given the opportunity to learn and grow as an athletic trainer and teacher within their established framework while having the freedom to set my own routine within that support. Being able to collaborate and learn from those around me and having them invested in me as well made all the difference.
Finding and having mentors helped keep me from the being overwhelmed and possibly moving onto a different career. And having those mentors be flexible and willing to collaborate and learn alongside me was refreshing which kept my career from feeling stagnate. One of the huge attractions to moving back to Chattanooga for me was being able to return the favor and become a mentor for the same graduate program that gave me my career start. I love my time serving as a preceptor for UTC’s graduate athletic training program.
Where do you see Athletic Training as a profession going or what are the needs of the profession? I see the need for all schools to recognize the importance of an athletic trainer dedicated to the athletes at one facility. I continue to hope for recognition from traditional healthcare practitioners to recognize just how versatile an athletic trainer is. I hope they continue to find nontraditional roles for athletic trainers so that we as a profession are no longer seen as a luxury, but a necessity in whatever role we may be filling as a Healthcare Provider.
Impact on the Community
“When I see Harriet in her element, it’s clear she loves caring for her athletes or anyone in need. She has a true empathy and passion for the profession, and it shines through her daily commitment to her community.”
“Harriet is a consummate professional. She works well with all of our coaches, parents, administration, and athletes. She is a vital part to our success as a top performing athletic school in the area. She is truly a part of our family, school, community, and team!”
“Harriet is one of the most incredible mentors I have ever had on my journey to becoming an athletic trainer. From an athletic training graduate student to colleague, she continually inspires and motivates me. I am grateful for all of her guidance and wisdom, not only within athletic training, but in life. ”