Girl Talk: Standing On The Sidelines - Part 1

Standing on the sidelines changed my life.

During my first visit to Tulane University, I accepted a position as a student athletic trainer before accepting their offer for admission. I had been a student trainer since my sophomore year of high school and loved my experience so much that I wanted to pursue it on the collegiate level. I showed up for my first day of practically woefully unaware of the fact that this experience would change my life. I woke up at 5:00 A.M. most weekdays, carried coolers that were half my size, treated athletes who, according to my mother, “could use me for dental floss,” and I loved every second. It was that experience that led me to pursue a career in sport management, inspired me to travel to London to work an international sporting event, and to be an advocate for performing athletes. It is why I am so excited to share my conversation with Jessica Markbrieter- friend, LP, and Athletic Trainer. In part 1 of our conversation we discuss why she pursued sports medicine, her education and training, and the importance of creativity and adaptability in the training room and on the field.

JILLIAN: Please start by introducing yourself.

JESSICA: My name is Jessica Markbrieter. I am an Assistant Athletic Trainer at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. I’ve been practicing in the field for almost ten years. What got me interested in athletic training was my high school sports medicine class. I was enrolled in P.E. at the time and, because I wasn’t able to do certain exercises such as sit-ups or run the mile, my school had said that since I had to modify P.E. I would have to graduate with a modified diploma. That sounded crazy, and still does now, because I was taking A.P. classes at the time. I hope it’s still not like that.

JILLIAN: That’s crazy.

JESSICA: My P.E. teacher happened to be an Athletic Trainer and suggested I give it a try. It counted as a P.E. equivalent, similar to how we had an athletics period, and this class would fulfill that requirement. I ended up taking that class my sophomore year and sticking with it for the next three years. That got me to where I am now. Of course, there is a lot more stuff in between but that is where I started.

JILLIAN: Were you always interested in sports? Did you play as a kid?

JESSICA: Yes. Some Athletic Trainers were previous athletes that did find themselves coming back from injuries and were cared for by Athletic Trainers, or just have that passion for sports. For me, I always knew that I wanted to go into healthcare so, even if I didn’t find athletic training, I think I would have pursued physical therapy or even nursing.

It’s funny because I did play a little bit of youth soccer and participated in a couple DAAA (Dwarf Athletic Association of America) sports. I don’t think I was a very athletically coordinated person, but I do enjoy working out and staying active. I guess it is a little odd that when I tell people it wasn’t for the love of sports, it was more for the health and the sciences behind it.

JILLIAN: That’s so interesting. I was an athletic training student in high school because I couldn't play sports, and then I fell in love with it. But that makes so much sense to me that if you are interested in healthcare you would pursue athletic training.

Can you talk about your education and your training?

JESSICA: At the time that I was looking into athletic training programs, to earn your certificate you needed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. I went to a summer camp my junior year going into my senior year hosted by TCU and SMU, two colleges in Texas, and I really fell in love with their programs, specifically TCU. For most athletic training programs, you would not be able to apply for entry until your sophomore or maybe even junior year. At TCU you could apply your freshman year and get started, even with football two-a-days, before school even commenced. It seemed like such a seamless transition from high school and that’s what really sold me. The program was four years and, during my senior year, I sat for my Board of Certification and passed.

When pursuing my master’s, there were a couple of different routes I could take. I wanted to get my master’s because it opened up the door for more job opportunities. At the time there were eleven post-professional programs that were accredited for athletic training. I got into A.T. Still University, which is in Mesa, Arizona, and two years later I graduated with a Master’s of Science in Athletic Training.

Now, for the future generation after 2020, the program is not an entry-level bachelor’s, it’s an entry-level master’s. There are pro’s and con’s to that. I like that it puts us on a more even playing field with other healthcare professionals. Also, while my degree may be different, on paper it looks the same. So now, if you are applying to an athletic training program, you have to get a master’s. It’s required.

JILLIAN: Did your professors or peers along the way ever warn you against becoming an athletic trainer?

JESSICA: Yes. I feel like you have certain people in your life who are very supportive and those who aren’t. Obviously, given that there is a physical component to athletic training, I think it is about who you find- people with an open mind who don’t see my dwarfism as an obstacle. Those are the individuals I want to work with. I know I will be faced with people who have the opposite point of view. For example, I did have a preceptor in college that was very doubtful of if I would make it past college. There were times when I went on a job interview and I could tell it wasn’t going to be a good fit because all of their questions were along the lines of “How do you do this? How do you do that?” One thing that athletic training has allowed me to capitalize on is our creativity, our ability to figure things out in a world that is obviously not built for us. How I stretch an athlete is different compared to how someone else would stretch an athlete, but it doesn’t cross my mind that it’s different. If there is something I can’t do then I do take the time to figure it out. Also, it is not the end of the world if I cannot lift a ten gallon cooler because there are other people who can lift a ten gallon cooler. If that is why you’re not hiring me then you need to re-think your priorities.

JILLIAN: Right. I don’t miss the days of carrying the coolers.

Diving deeper into your job search, did you know you wanted to work in a high school setting?

JESSICA: The ironic part of it is that I always liked the college setting more. At the time, when I was applying for jobs, I thought I didn’t want to work with high school students, because they’re minors and you have to deal with parents. At the college level you don’t have to deal with parents as often, since the athletes are of legal age to make their own decisions. Now working at a high school, everything goes through the parent along with the athlete, but despite this, I have come to like high school more than I thought I would.

Once I graduated with my master’s in the late summer, I started looking for jobs. I interviewed at certain colleges within our conference and clinics, places like that. This position came about in California at Half Moon Bay High School. It sounded really interesting and my mind kept going back to the job. I applied and heard back within the day. I had an interview and I was offered the job the following day.

JILLIAN: Oh wow.

JESSICA: It’s funny because I didn’t even realize that during the whole conversation I never said that I was a little person. It just did not come up. I thought if I was going to uproot my entire life to California, I need to tell them so they’re not shocked when I walk through the door. I told him that I’m a little person, explained what that meant, and his response was, “Well, what do you need? What do you need to make your job accessible and efficient?” This was probably one of the best reactions I’ve had and, again, shows that I found somewhere that is a great place for you to work. At that point, it didn’t matter that it was high school, it didn’t matter what they were paying me. I knew where I was going.

JILLIAN: You knew that was it?

JESSICA: Yes. You know how people say trust your gut? I just had a very strong feeling that this was the right decision, and it was. I was there for four years until I got to a point where, professionally and personally I wanted to grow more. Unfortunately, in the district where I was, there was only so much “growing” I could do, before I hit a wall. I was also worried that if the district were falling on hard times, that my position may be one of the positions they let go of. While I am happy to say that did not happen, I still had some reservations.. When I showed them, “This is what I’m currently being paid and this is the salary of Athletic Trainers in the Bay Area based on stats from the NATA (National Athletic Trainers Association),” and there was a huge discrepancy. Which unfortunately is not uncommon for most athletic training jobs out there. It is very important in our profession that we know our worth and not to settle! So I started applying for jobs. I even applied for jobs back in Texas where my parents live. I got the position I have now at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco in August 2019.

While I have discussed the level of support of the prior school district, I also want to clarify that my position was also heavily supported by the Athletic Boosters, which without them, the position would not be there. I am entirely grateful for them and have left with a good rapport, having even covered some games during the lapse of hiring a new Athletic Trainer.

JILLIAN: Nice. PSA to all employers, that is the best response when someone says that they are a little person. Ask what they need. I’m just putting that out there.

Speaking of what you needed, what adaptations did they make or did you make in the training room?

JESSICA: The first thing I always knew that I needed were stools. They are our best friends, obviously. I had brought one in and then we purchased a few more. I had purchased a rolling cart as a way to make it easier for me to transfer coolers from one place to another.

During my third year I petitioned for a golf cart because the campus is so spread out. If I were to be called across campus, I want to be there as quickly as I can. It helped a lot with that, with carrying supplies from one place to another, for setting up on football game days. That was great. Honestly, that’s about it. There are not a lot of modifications that I feel like I use or I need. I definitely like working off of a portable treatment table just because you can adjust the height to be lower than a set taping table. If I had a bigger space I would love to have these rehab mats that are about a foot off the ground. I had one in college and that’s where I had everybody go because it was so much easier.

JILLIAN: Do you focus on one specific sport or do you cover all sports?

JESSICA: That’s another difference between high school and college. On the high school level, you are there for all of the sports. We had 26-28 sports at Half Moon Bay, which is comparable to the number of sports at Sacred Heart Cathedral give or take. It is a lot of students, upwards of 1000 students, that you are there to manage. On the college level, most likely you are assigned to only one or two sports, at a junior college it may be a little bit more. It’s a lot more manageable and you are able to create those one-on-one connections with your team because they have more time to spend with you.

At the high school level a lot of our evaluations are quick. We get to know our injured athletes very well, but we may or may not get to know our uninjured athletes.

JILLIAN: Speaking of the athletes, how do they treat you?

JESSICA: I found that the kids respond better than some adults do, a fact that I was, not to say, pleasantly surprised with. They are all very open and fine with me. They don’t even mention the fact that I’m a little person which is how I want it to be. That has been the case in most places where I’ve worked. I always tell people that I’m open to answering any questions they might have. Also, if I were to ask for help, which I’m stubborn and don’t always like to do, it wasn’t a second thought to the kids. Whereas, in certain situations when 9-1-1 or medical transport had to be called, the other coach or adult, not always the parents, would question my competency. But, again, I had a coaching staff and community that was there to support me and say “She’s qualified. She can do this.”

JILLIAN: That’s amazing. I had the same experience when I was an athletic training student in college. They immediately treated me like I was one of the guys. They said, “You’re going to do the work, you are going to treat us,” and that was that. It’s nice to know that is also the case on the high school level because high schoolers can tend to be meaner. It’s reassuring to know that you have the support of the community and everybody behind you to say, “Don’t mess with her. She knows what she’s doing.”

What is the most rewarding part of your job and what is the most difficult part of your job?

JESSICA: I would say the most rewarding part, and one of the reasons I really like Sports Medicine, is that you get to see the athlete from their point of injury all the way through their progression to returning to the field, whereas the doctor may only see them for one part of that journey and the physical therapist may only see them for rehab. Being able to see that full progression, seeing that you made an impact on that student’s life, whether it be physically or mentally, or just being there for the students. I say that, while I don’t have kids of my own, I have 700 kids that I take care of, especially the football team because I work closely with them, given they are a “high-risk” sport.

The most challenging, or difficult, part is time management. The job entails long hours.. At least with high school you get the flexibility of having weekends and holiday breaks, for the most part (always a fluid situation). But it can be very stressful when trying to plan ahead. My usual work week is six days a week: Monday through Saturday. You have to learn how to take the time that you do have and be able to disconnect and unwind from work and really be able to have that good work-life balance. That balance can be very challenging to find as you are starting out in the profession.