We congratulate Alyson Grimshaw, LAT, ATC, athletic trainer for UCF Athletics, on earning the March Preceptor of the Month award!
Praise for Grimshaw
Alyson Grimshaw made quite an impression on athletic training student Zya’Nel Moorhead-McKie during her junior year. McKie, who nominated Grimshaw for the award, said she was patient and easygoing with the students but never condoned mediocrity. Grimshaw would spend extra time with McKie every day performing wrist taping over and over until perfect. McKie said that every preceptor she has worked with since has complimented her technique. Emily Dwyer, also a student in the program, echoes those sentiments.
Aly is very encouraging, and when she knows you can do better, she strives to make you work to the best of your potential,” – Emily Dwyer
“Grimshaw’s motto was ‘practice makes perfect,’ and she would spend all the time needed to make sure we were able to do the skills correctly,” Dwyer said. Behind her easygoing demeanor was a preceptor who never accepted things as simply good enough, said student Kobe Johnson. “She was tough, but she challenged us think and learn, and we are better off for that.”
According to junior student Adil Haddad, Grimshaw is always professional and hardworking, and she represents the profession well. She is also known to go above and beyond. She has presented at Student Athletic Trainers’ Organization meetings about the psychosocial side of athletic training, she helps students even if they are not assigned to her and she is willing to share everything she has learned with her students. According to Dwyer, she likes to demonstrate multiple ways to do the same skill, including the best tips and tricks she has learned.
McKie is back with Grimshaw for her final semester. “Grimshaw is a truly an exceptional clinician who thrives to give her athletes the best care possible. I am fortunate to have learned from her,” McKie said.
Grimshaw earned her B.S. in athletic training from Florida Southern College and was hired as an assistant athletic trainer for Men’s and Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country at the University of Maryland. She is currently an assistant athletic trainer for Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field at UCF. Grimshaw will graduate with her M.S. in sport and exercise science from UCF in May 2019.
Did you know?
Alyson refuses to watch the last episode of The Office in fear it will end, she will only eat honeycrisp apples and she will be working the World Jump Rope Championship in Norway this July!
What is a preceptor?
Teaching students to be athletic trainers takes many hours of classroom and lab time and many hours of hands-on education in the field. Preceptors are instructors in the field who reinforce what students learn in the classroom and demonstrate, in real-life scenarios, what it takes to be a vital and trusted part of a healthcare team.
