Job Shadow Experience Reflection

Lacie Jacobson

BYU Track and Field

Medical
Jan 13, 2018 9:45 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
Judd Franson, Head Athletic Trainer
(801) 471-7793

Judd_franson@byu.edu

I chose to job shadow the head athletic trainer for the BYU track and field team. Track and field
is one of the sports that I play so I was interested in this position. I also know Judd personally;
he is my neighbor. He told me I could job shadow him anytime I wanted.
I did a lot of observing while I was there since I am not certified in medical practice. I helped out
when I could; cleaning things, setting up and putting away, tending to some needs of the
athletes, etc. We got to watch a lot of events because we had to be on standby just in case
anyone got hurt. Luckily, there was not a lot of action that day which meant no one got
seriously injured at the meet.
The working environment was very pleasant to be in. Most of the time that I was there, it was
also super relaxed because you do not really have to work unless someone gets hurt or needs
your help. It was really crowded because we were at a meet and there was not a whole lot of
room for the medical area. There were also other students there training to be athletic trainers,
so there was a lot of us in a very small space (two trainers, one intern, and about six students
not including me). It was a fun and positive atmosphere. When we were not helping athletes on
the tables, we were cheering them on in their respective events. Everyone is super nice,
respectful, and supportive of each other. Everyone knows everyone, and if you do not know
someone, it will not be that way for long. I absolutely loved the working atmosphere. It
definitely beats working in an office behind a computer screen all day. There is always
something going on and always something to do.
They work in the athletic training department. Each sport at BYU usually has about two or three
certified trainers and a handful of student trainers getting hours in. The average employee here
usually has a background in at least one sport and they enjoy being social and helping others.
When there was not someone who needed ice, heat, stretching, massages, taping, etc, there
was a lot of sitting around.
Judd is my neighbor and I used to babysit his kids. A few years ago, he came and talked about
his job in a class that I had. He told me if I ever wanted to job shadow him to just ask and he
would be happy. Judd started as a graduate assistant then moved up to head athletic trainer;
he has worked there for eight years. In school, he took a lot of sports medicine classes and with
a lot of hard work he was able to obtain his position. His job is to manage the health and
wellness of the track and field athletes at BYU; including acute and chronic injuries and mental
and physical health. He works anywhere from 40-80 hours a week and often has to travel for his
job. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum education needed to be an athletic trainer, but Judd
has a master’s. This occupation is very stable and will not be impacted by an economic crisis
because there is always a need for medical help in all aspects of life. Judd told me that he likes
how the methods of treatment are always changing and evolving with technological and
medical advances. The most challenging thing is trying to determine what kind of injuries an
athlete gets. You have to be a very social and outgoing person. Patience helps with this job as
well because the trainers need to be patient with their athletes. He recommended taking
medical classes throughout school and finding opportunities that may provide more experience
for someone.