COLLEEN MCTAMMANY SUPERVISED BY GARVIN TAYLOR JR. OF GPPRC

ST. GEORGE’S, MONDAY, 8TH JUNE, 2009 – The tri-island State of Grenada, through the Grenada Physiotherapy and Pain-Relief Centre (GPPRC), hosted the first-ever US Sports Medicine intern over the last three (3) weeks, opening the doors for more to come to the Spice Isle to develop and enhance their expertise in the areas of Athletic Training, Sports Medicine, and Physiotherapy.

Twenty-three (23) year old Colleen McTammany – an Athletic Training Student of West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) has spent most of the last three (3) weeks completing one hundred and twenty-four (124) hours of supervised training at GPPRC, under the guidance of Exercise Physiologist and Athletic Trainer – Garvin Taylor Jr.

Speaking at an interview session held Monday afternoon, Ms. McTammany expressed how excited she was on confirming that her internship was going to be done in the Spice Isle of the Caribbean, and that her stay in Grenada was very fulfilling overall - although short. “It was a new cultural experience,” she said, “and I ensured that every spare moment was spent basking in the beautiful surroundings and relaxation that Grenada has to offer.”

Speaking on the highlights of acquiring the practical skills set and knowledge needed, McTammany said that the areas of Traction and Short Wave had the most impact on her; and that the opportunity to be innovative using less digitally-operated equipment while getting the same results was most rewarding.

According to Mr. Taylor Jr., “This internship is a first for Grenada in these areas of study, which has literally opened the doors for more to come. Already, a partnership has been fostered between WVWC and GPPRC, and we expect one (1) student every year from the college from now on. In addition to that, Shawnee State University has also expressed interests in starting such a partnership with us. We might be small as an island but our levels of expertise are wide and high, which was obviously recognized by the US through WVWC. Colleen’s stint here also demonstrates the trust that others can have in the GPPRC team and the people of Grenada - as a whole - to send their students to our island. This, obviously, can also assist in further boosting our tourism by spreading the word out there that Grenada is a fantastic place that one can study and vacation in.”

According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, Athletic Training is practiced by athletic trainers, and health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to optimize activity and participation of patients and clients. Athletic Training encompasses the prevention, diagnosis and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic medical conditions involving impairment, functional limitations and disabilities.

Both McTammany and Taylor Jr. agreed that there’s a great need for the services offered by persons within their field of study; and that it is still fairly foreign to Grenada and the US relatively. They concur that education about the profession is critical to ensuring that persons utilize the services; and that other health professionals, sports teams and clubs, and active populations understand the importance of them.