Athletic Training Spotlight

Featuring students, faculty, and alumni within the Athletic Training program who exemplify excellence.

Meet Madi Sehmer, an alum of the inaugural class of the Master of Athletic Training program. Madi graduated in May of 2021 with both her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Master of Athletic Training degrees.

Name: Madi Sehmer
Hometown: Stoughton, WI
Degree Program: MAT, May 2021
Current Position: Ph.D. student, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory; athletic trainer at University Health Services
Type of Position: Academic and Clinical

Although Madi originally came to Drake intending to pursue a different healthcare career, she found a love for athletic training after doing some shadowing in the profession. After hearing about the new opportunity for a masters degree in athletic training at Drake, she met with the Program Director, who helped her set up some shadowing experiences with athletic trainers on campus. After learning and seeing what the profession was about, she knew athletic training was the perfect fit for her. Now she is a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in the Wisconsin Injury in Sport Laboratory. Madi also works as an athletic trainer at the University Health Services walk-in clinic.

What does a typical day look like for you at the University of Wisconsin-Madison?

I am still enrolled in classes, so a typical day for me includes going to class, teaching undergraduate anatomy (with real cadavers), and my downtime is spent working on homework and research projects. I also work as an athletic trainer through the University Health Services here on campus and provide athletic training services to students in a clinic-based setting.

What do you enjoy most about your current role at the University?

My favorite part of my current position is the people who surround me. My mentor and the other graduate students in my lab are so supportive of one another and they really bring out the best in me. Additionally, I love forming relationships with the students I teach and showing them how learning can be fun, and I always appreciate emails from past students letting me know where they end up after graduating.

How did Drake and the MAT program help prepare you for this role?

At Drake University, I was fortunate to research under Dr. Stacy Gnacinski while I was an athletic training student. I helped her design a protocol, pilot data collection, collect data on participants, and then enter and analyze the data. This gave me an incredible foundation in research knowledge that has allowed me to be successful as a PhD student.

What did you like best about Drake's MAT program?

The clinical experiences Drake University offers to its MAT students are incredibly impressive. I was able to learn from amazing preceptors that practiced in rural and urban high schools, Division 1 athletics, and orthopedic and general medicine clinics. The diversity in my clinical experiences allowed me to feel comfortable practicing in any setting after I graduated

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals who are considering Drake's MAT program?

My biggest piece of advice for those who are considering Drake’s MAT program is to shadow a variety of athletic trainers to make sure that this is the career path you are passionate about. If you fall in love with athletic training, just like I did, and decide to pursue your MAT from Drake University, remember to keep an open mind as you go through your clinical experiences! When I first started as an athletic training student, I saw myself working in the professional sports setting. However, I was inspired by the high school athletic trainers I shadowed under, and now I conduct research in the pediatric athlete population.