If you’re anything like me (late, gasp, 40s) and have been an Athletic Trainer for the majority of your adult life, I would bet that at some point you wondered if this was the right career for you. From the crazy hours, to the salaries that in no way reflect our skills and licensure, to the politics and administrative challenges, we’ve all had those moments at the end of a long day. Sunburned, dehydrated, malnourished, and exhausted (because we’re great at practicing what we preach), we daydreamed about serving coffee in a quaint little cafe that might be more suitable for maintaining our sanity. And on a day when you’ve been yelled at by a coach, disrespected by an athlete, and questioned by a parent who thinks that what they read on the internet should be how you’re treating their kid whom they believe is the next pro-superstar, you might have already mentally drafted your resignation letter. It’s not an easy career; we can all attest to that.

I would bet that at some point you wondered if this was the right career for you…

Maybe you feel like you’ve become complacent and unchallenged, or you just graduated with an advanced degree or obtained a new certification, and you feel the next step should be a higher level of athletics. Maybe you’re just not happy doing what you’re doing…regardless of setting, requirements, or salary.  At some point, everyone wonders if what they’re doing is still serving the purpose they originally felt that first day after you got the amazing news that you passed your BOC.

For the first 20 years of my career, I served at my high school alma mater, which was a dream come true. Through the ups and downs over those two decades, I obtained my master’s degree (which made me think I needed to move to a college) and saw some significant shifts in the behaviors and attitudes of teenagers and their parents (which made me wonder if I should find a different setting). I certainly wondered how long I would make it, but then I would step into the stadium on a Friday night under the lights, hear our fight song as our football players ran onto the field, and feel so grateful knowing this was exactly where I was supposed to be. I never thought that my skills and abilities would be needed elsewhere; I figured I’d retire right here in a few decades. 

I never thought that my skills and abilities would be needed elsewhere.

Until I wasn’t given that choice, and it all went away.  After 20 years with the same hospital system, our school district made a decision to switch providers in the most tumultuous year our generation had seen across the globe in just as many years…the pandemic of 2020. To say I was devastated was truly an understatement. Through it all, I relied on my faith and the total certainty that this door was being closed because I was needed elsewhere…and over the course of that year, I was allowed to reflect and let myself be guided along the way.

I had been doing something altogether different on the side, therapeutic horsemanship, as a hobby and “second career”…teaching adaptive horseback riding lessons to those with special needs and challenges. In 2020, I wondered if that’s what I was supposed to focus on…so I followed the calling to pursue the role of Program Director at the PATH Int’l Premier Accredited Center where I was teaching. What a breath of fresh air this was: different hours and responsibilities, getting to be around horses instead of teenagers (though they can act quite similar sometimes), and a newfound sense of purpose.

I found that my love for the principles of athletic training was ingrained in my soul…but also realizing that the position I held for 20 years was not my identity.

I spent almost 5 years in this role while continuing to work per diem athletic training through the same hospital that hired me right out of college. Along the way, I found that my love for the principles of athletic training was ingrained in my soul…but also realizing that the position I held for 20 years was not my identity. It wasn’t who I was; it was just where I worked, even though “where” I worked was a part of me for different reasons. “Who” I actually was, deep down, was an athletic trainer. You’d think that would be the end of my story, but spoiler alert: after struggling through some challenges in my not-so-new-anymore career, I felt compelled to step down…feeling that I was being called back to athletic training. [Insert head slap here. I mean, where on earth am I supposed to retire now?]

Most of us go into this field with a profound desire to help others, with ingrained traits like dedication and commitment imprinted on our souls. So this new revelation to me was just as hard as the last career change, mostly because I am always loyal to the people and mission I am serving. I still work per diem for that same hospital, and I still teach for that same therapeutic horsemanship center, because unless it’s absolutely necessary, athletic trainers aren’t the type of people to walk away.

Athletic trainers aren’t the type of people to walk away.

Except now, I’ve felt yet another strong calling that perhaps both of these fields should be intertwined…something I’ve been doing little by little over the last 10 years without even realizing it. It was put on my heart that perhaps equestrians need sports medicine care like other athletes, because they ARE athletes, so BCF Equestrian Athletic Training & Wellness was born. Because I needed one more side-gig, I launched my athletic training private practice in the spring of this year. This has been quite a challenge itself, but I’ll save that story for another blog post!

As a 25+ year veteran in this field, if you are considering a career change, I encourage you to take the time to truly reflect and do some serious introspection…it’s not a decision to take lightly.  Because the passion for the principles of athletic training will never go away, it’s part of who you are. If you need a change, take time to look into how you can use your talents in other areas…as we know, the field is growing, and our skills are needed. Reach out to the NATA Council on Practice Advancement, find a mentor, and take the time to get to know yourself again, especially if you feel like you’ve lost sight of who you are over the course of your career.

We are all here to support each other!

You’re never too old to shadow someone, so talk to your colleagues and ask to join them if you think what they’re doing might be of interest to you. We are all here to support each other! The playing field is huge, so whether you think you might be interested in starting your own business or finding a new way to share athletic training with non-traditional athletes, what you bring to the table is needed, and you are valued. So go for it; there’s no time like the present!