We congratulate Samuel Wichael, assistant athletic trainer for UCF Athletics, on earning the Preceptor of the Month award for April 2019.
Praise for Wichael
According to his students, Wichael is an excellent preceptor with a nice, calm demeanor. He is a committed athletic trainer totally focused on ensuring that his students learn how to provide quality care to patients while having a great clinical education experience. His positive attitude and willingness to teach make him stand out as a preceptor. “He is very knowledgeable and has a great teaching style,” said student Alaina Locus. “He truly cares about you and is very understanding when it comes to school work.”
Even though she was not under his direct supervision, senior student Micaela Ward also has high praise and appreciation for Wichael. According to Ward, he was always willing to take the time to make sure she was prepared and confident in her knowledge. If she did not understand a competency, Wichael would work with her, breaking it down step-by-step if necessary, until she knew the process from every perspective. Ward is grateful that she had the opportunity to learn from him.
I have learned so much from him and I truly have been given so many opportunities to grow as a senior athletic training student – Alaina Locus
Wichael earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Cedarville University in 2011. He went on to complete his master’s degree in exercise science and human performance at Delta State University in 2013. At Delta he worked as a graduate assistant covering men’s basketball and baseball. He helped the baseball team earn a trip to the Division II College World Series in 2012.
Prior to coming to Orlando, Wichael spent 2014 at the University of Florida, where he worked with the USA National Champion softball team and the SEC East Champion baseball team. He joined the UCF sports medicine team in 2015 and serves as the assistant athletic trainer for the baseball program.
Did you know?
Wichael is a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES) and a Graston Technique–certified clinician.
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.
