Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Residents & Alumni - Sports Medicine Assistant Residency
Kate Fisher earned her Bachelor's degree in Athletic Training from Louisiana State University, and her Master's degree in Recreation & Sport Management at North Carolina State University. During her time at NC State, she served as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Track & Field and Cross Country teams.
Upon completing her graduate studies and assistantship, she worked as an Outreach Athletic Trainer, through the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute, at the University of New Orleans, working with the indoor and beach volleyball teams. She then continued her career at Tulane University, serving as an Athletic Trainer for the indoor and beach volleyball teams as well as the golf team.
Why did you choose to pursue a residency program?
I chose to pursue a residency program to continue to develop a comprehensive skill set, experience the full continuum of care, and ultimately become a better clinician. This residency program offers a unique opportunity to receive specialized training, work alongside experienced physicians and other healthcare professionals, and engage in hands-on learning experiences beyond the traditional collegiate setting that are essential for professional growth.
Why did you choose to come to Ochsner?
I chose to come to Ochsner because of the integration of ATCs into our clinical model. This collaborative environment and access to a diverse patient population make it an ideal place for advanced training to broaden my professional scope by experiencing and participating in the entire continuum of care, from initial injury assessment to treatment, procedures, surgical intervention, and long-term recovery.
What are you most excited about learning during your time with us?
During this residency, I am most excited about learning advanced techniques in injury evaluation and management, current procedures and surgical methods, developing my skills in research and evidence-based practice, and overall broadening my understanding of comprehensive care in sports medicine.
I graduated from Long Island University Brooklyn in May of 2016 with my B.S. M.S. in Athletic training. I was a fall intern for Disney’s Wide World of Sports prior to graduating from LIU. There, I was a First Responder for initial injuries of athletes as well as guests. Wide World of Sports gave me the opportunity to work many different events such as: Pop Warner Football, Special Olympics, AdvoCare Invitational (d1 basketball), International Martial Arts Festival, and FIMBA Maxi-Basketball Tournament. After graduating from LIU, I got my first job at Molloy University, a division two school on Long Island. There I was responsible for Women’s Rugby, Men’s Rugby, Field Hockey, Men’s Lacrosse, and Women’s Lacrosse. Following Molloy, I began working at Hofstra University on Long Island where I was the primary athletic trainer for Men’s Soccer and Baseball. From there I began working at Tulane University with Women’s Golf and indoor Volleyball. At this time I also began working with NOLA Gold Rugby, a professional rugby team, where I transitioned into working with Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine, and became Head Athletic Trainer for NOLA Gold. Through my rugby experience throughout my career I was formally asked to be the Assistant Athletic Trainer for the USA Men’s Eagles, our US National Rugby Team in July 2023. I began working with Ochsner in August 2023 as an outreach Athletic Trainer for University of New Orleans Baseball team.
Why did you choose to pursue a residency program?
During my career I have been fortunate enough to have many opportunities to work with amazing teams, and amazing people from all over the world. I am constantly looking to better myself as a clinician and continue to grow my knowledge and widen my scope. At this point in my career, I am looking for a change from traditional athletic training to the SMA role to better my quality of life, but also spread knowledge to other clinicians to show how much athletic trainers are capable of, how far our knowledge can take us, and how beneficial we can be not only on the field, but in the OR.
Why did you choose to come to Ochsner?
I am honestly really excited about everything. I would say the continued growth of knowledge of how the body works. As athletic trainers, we know how muscles and tendons work, and that is how we evaluate and rehab injuries. Now, I will get a clear view of why we rehab things a certain was from and surgery standpoint. I am excited to learn about the different procedures work surgically and non-surgically. Overall, I am just excited to learn what it is to me an SMA.
Alumni
Morgan is a graduate of the class of 2024. She is currently employed at Ochsner Sports Medicine as the SMA to Dr. Karim Meijer in New Orleans.
"During my residency, I was able to learn directly from professionals in the field that I wanted to be in. This program allowed me to seamlessly transition from a traditional college athletic trainer into a well-rounded clinical and surgical sports medicine assistant. This programed allowed me the space the increase my orthopedic knowledge and adjust my thought process to be more clinical and surgical. As my residency was coming to an end my preceptors and management helped me find the perfect fit for a full-time position at Ochsner. Because I completed this residency program, I was able to begin my full-time position smoothly."
Tyler Bouchard is a graduate of the class of 2024. He is currently employed at UC Health in Denver Colorado as a clinical/surgical Athletic Trainer.
Sara Bunemann is a graduate of the 2023 residency class. Upon graduation, she was employed as a Sports Medicine Assistant at the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute (OSMI) in New Orleans, working with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Choate. She also served as a preceptor for the OSMI SMA Residency Program.
"The OSMI SMA Residency allowed me to function as a full time clinical and surgical assistant throughout various rotations and seamlessly transition to a role as a full time staff member. Because of this environment, I was able to grow, learn new skillsets, improve upon my previous knowledge, and have room to make mistakes – which is extremely important because that is where the real learning happens. I really enjoyed all my rotations at OSMI!”
Emily Gilcrease is a graduate of the 2023 residency class. Upon graduation, she was employed as a Sports Medicine Assistant at the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute (OSMI) in Baton Rouge working as a clinical and surgical assistant with multiple orthopedic surgeons.
"The Residency experience has truly helped me understand and grow as an Athletic Trainer. It allowed me to improve my clinical evaluation skills, presentation, ability to interpret orthopedic imaging, and my confidence in making treatment decisions."
Samantha Termini is a graduate of the 2023 residency class. She is currently employed as a Sports Medicine Assistant at Ochsner Health, working with pediatric orthopedic and spine surgeon Dr. Lawrence Haber.
"During my Residency, I improved my clinical and surgical orthopaedic skill and knowledge level significantly through research, didactics and daily clinical/surgical rotations. The program faculty members taught and challenged me on a daily basis to provide me the best learning environment possible. It has been extremely beneficial for me to work alongside orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians as I believe this gave me the skill set to improve patient outcomes and my diagnostic accuracy."
Joshua Pratt is a certified athletic trainer and a graduate of the 2021-2022 residency class. He is currently employed as a sports medicine assistant at the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute in Baton Rouge, working with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Christopher Bankhead. He also serves as a preceptor for the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute's Sports Medicine Assistant Residency Program.
“I feel that the residency was a great experience overall. It was very immersive. I had great mentors and preceptors that took time to teach me. Because of the experience I gained, I felt well prepared to transition to my current position full time. I was able to work in a wide variety of areas and with many different people within the healthcare system. This helped me gain an understanding of how a multi-disciplinary team functions. I feel that my orthopedic skill and knowledge was greatly advanced, and I am excited to continually work to improve myself as a healthcare professional!”
Kevin Schoell is a certified athletic trainer and a graduate of the 2021-2022 residency class. He is currently employed at ATI Physical Therapy in Pennsylvania.
“The residency has been a great experience! The people are wonderful, and I learned a lot from everyone. I loved having multiple different rotations. I was given a lot of information and look forward to perfecting the skills I’ve learned. I’m very grateful for all my experiences and especially the people I worked with!”
Kaleb Ashworth is a certified athletic trainer and graduate of the inaugural 2020-2021 Ochsner Sports Medicine Assistant Residency class. He is currently employed as the lead sports medicine assistant at Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute in New Orleans, working with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Scott Montgomery. He also serves as a preceptor for the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute's Sports Medicine Assistant Residency Program.
“I had a great experience with the OSMI SMA Residency. This program prepared me well to transition into clinic and the OR with my physician, due to its diversity of specialties and providers. I was able to enter each rotation and learn as well as develop my skills. I enjoyed my time in the program and would recommend this program to anyone.”
