This year, Riley Hughes started his position as an assistant athletic trainer at North. As his first job post-education, North is supplying Hughes with valuable experience, and Hughes is helping to provide athletes with care.
Hughes grew up in a small town, attending a school without a full-time athletic trainer. As he dealt with injuries from participating in football, baseball and track, he had to work with a trainer who was only working on game days. This influenced him to look into the profession.
“I knew I wanted to be around athletics and I wanted to do something really helpful, and this was the best path for me,” said Hughes.
Hughes came to North after completing his education. He started with four years at North Central College for his undergraduate degree in exercise science, where he also competed on the track team. Following his undergraduate, he attended Aurora University for two years to get his master’s while coaching throws for the track team at Burlington Central. He ended with a clinical rotation at Northwestern the next fall.
After his last clinical rotation through Northwestern, Hughes’s boss suggested he apply for a job opening in D303, where he would be working as an outreach athletic trainer through Northwestern medicine. He was told he should apply for open positions at North or East.
“I visited both places, then [North] decided that I was the best candidate and they offered me the position,” said Hughes.
As an athletic trainer, Hughes has to collaborate with multiple other people. He collaborates with Shannon Moose, the other athletic trainer at North, as well as the student athletic training aides, Madison Brolsma and Reese Full. They also work with the nurses to check in with students undergoing concussion protocol.
“My favorite thing is taping and watching football games together. He’s good at finding ways to pass the time and make you laugh,” said Brolsma, senior and student athletic training aide.
Caring for athletes is the main part of Hughes’s job. He is trained to provide emergency medicine response before EMS arrives on scene if necessary. Aside from that, their focus is on keeping athletes healthy and managing injuries. He assesses, evaluates and treats injuries, and refers athletes to other healthcare providers when needed.
“He’s taught me a lot of things related to athletic training. It could be showing me new treatment techniques or stretches to help athletes. I’ve learned about other sports injuries and the recovery process,” said Brolsma.
Hughes has found a fit at North and looks forward to continuing in his role.
“[My favorite part of the job is] being able to keep you guys doing what you love. In high school, we’re there because we love doing that sport, and I have an ability to make sure that people can compete at the level they want to compete at, and do it safely,” said Hughes.
