Sports med fellowship

[BradMcC17]

What are your opinions on a sports medicine fellowship after FP? Advantage/disadvantages, lifestyle, pay? And what exactly would one be doing in contrast to a normal FP?

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[BradMcC17]

Bump

 

[Imhotep]

Hi Brad:
As a FP resident, I have done some research into sports med. A lot of people show great interest in this field in the beginning of their residency, however, towards the end, they are so READY to get out and practice that most decide to opt out of pursuing a fellowship. Besides, the actual fellowship is not as glamorous as it may seem. There is a lot of anatomy, muscular physiology, and kinetics training, including research. Of course, you spend a lot of time on the "field" as well. As far as the salary is concerned, its very subjective, but generally doesnt make a significant difference to your bottomline. Many sports med docs still practice FP as well. The lifestyle incorporates covering sporting events, perhaps teaching residents and med students, if one is so inclined. Some sports med docs work with orthopods and do "out patient orthopedics" meaning taking care of non surgical pts.
In a nutshell, I'd recommend pursuing this avenue if you have a genuine interest in this field, in all its intricacies. In any case, you'd have an opportunity to do electives in sports med in your second or third year of residency. That would help you in reaching your decision.
take care

 

[dr_almondjoy_do]

I posted something similar to this on another thread, but what are the specialties afforded to a FP who wants to be a sports med doc? So far I have heard of: IM/FP...

Would you be able to elaborate on it?

 

[Imhotep]

Not sure what you are trying to ask. Can you elaborate?

 

[secretwave101]

I understand that most FP's in sports med end up doing high school sports and stuff. But I'm pretty sure most of the 'team doctors' of the big NFL teams and other pro sports are FP's with sports med background. There's also Olympic training medicine.

I'm sure that stuff is insanely competitive, but it's probably something you can shoot for if it's what you want to do.

 

[BellKicker]

I'm just repeating what someone else wrote a while ago:

There are FP sports docs. They do counselling, injury prevention, training advice. Probably high school and collegiate sports, like you say.

Then there are orthopod sports docs.......I'm not really sure what they do (besides operating on injured atheletes, duh!) but I think they are the ones working for professional sports teams. In most countries orthopods are the only ones who can go into sports medicine.

 

[secretwave101]

You might be right, BC, about orthopods having the cool jobs.

But I'm a Bronco fan, and I'm pretty sure the team doc there, Steve Antonopolus, is some form of GP who sends the guys out to Vail etc if they need surgery.

Just my impression. I don't really know - I should probably shut up.

 

[Imhotep]

ballkicker and secret:
you are both right to an extent. Primary care sports med docs do work with professional teams including olympic squads. Most teams (pro) have their own personal orthopods as well, for surgical intervention. The Guys you see run onto the field are usually athletic trainers.
One of my attendings was a PMR guy who used to work with US olympic swim team. Nice guy.

 

[save10]

How difficult is it to get into one of these programs?

 

[dr_almondjoy_do]

what I was asking was that I know that there are combined specialties that incorporate other residency programs with FP, like: Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and whatever else there is out there. Does anyone feel or know of anyone that has benefitted with this combined specialty? I am really curious, and want to see which one would be beneficial for a SM doctor.

 

[FarEastGrapplr2]

i am also curious about sports med fellowship. where could i research more about centers that offer sports med training after FP residency? do they have a national organization with a web site?

thanks

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by BradMcC17
And what exactly would one be doing in contrast to a normal FP?

Here's some more info on Primary Care Sports Medicine:

"The field of medicine is vast and constantly changing. As new science and technology evolves, so too does the practice of medicine and the advancement of its subspecialties. One such advancement is the development of the field of sports medicine. Traditionally sports medicine has dealt with musculoskeletal injuries sustained by the athlete and thus has classically been a responsibility assumed by the orthopedic surgeon. However, as the influence of sports and athletics rapidly expanded within our culture it became clear that medical care for the athlete meant more than just orthopedic care for the professional or elite athlete. It also meant care for people who participated in recreational athletics or simply used exercise to stay healthy and active. From our children in little league, to our middle-aged weekend warriors, to our elderly who start an exercise program for its health benefits, the field of sports medicine influences millions of people. So in the 1980?s the primary care fields of family medicine, pediatrics and others realized that physicians would need special training in order to care for these athletes. That meant not only a keen knowledge of musculoskeletal injuries, but also an understanding of how athletics could affect any aspect of the human body from cardiovascular and respiratory to dermatological and immunologic. Thus, the field of primary care sports medicine was born.


Primary care sports medicine physicians are leaders in the field of sports medicine. They are involved in research and education and also have a tremendous amount of hands-on experience. Either through advanced fellowship training or through years of clinical experience, primary care sports medicine physicians have learned the skills to take care of athletes of all ages, sports and levels of competition. Some of them serve as team physicians to professional sports teams or are personal physicians to elite level athletes. However, they all have experience in taking care of the collegiate or high school athlete and have a broad knowledge of most sports from team sports to extreme sports. Many sports medicine physicians also are or were athletes themselves and therefore have firsthand experience in how injuries and illnesses specifically affect athletes.

Your primary care sports medicine physician specializes in all aspects of medicine as it relates to the athlete and sports participation. The emphasis of this care is musculoskeletal and orthopedic injuries. Whether an acute injury or a chronic or overuse injury, the primary care sports medicine physician has the expertise to evaluate the injury and develop a plan of care. Although your physician has a significant depth of knowledge and experience with surgical treatments, the approach of the primary care sports medicine physician is a non-surgical one. With an emphasis on rehabilitation modalities and techniques and the use of casting, bracing or injections as needed, the goal is to return the athlete to his or her previous level of activity and to know when surgery is necessary to achieve that goal. Your primary care sports medicine physician works closely with surgeons, therapists, athletic trainers and other specialists to guarantee the timely and appropriate management of your injury. With a special knowledge of return to play issues, your physician will also know when and how it is safe to return to your sport or activity.

In addition to injury care, your primary care sports medicine physician cares for all illnesses and medical conditions related to sports. Whether it?s the concussion from the football game or the asthma related to running, your primary care sports medicine physician will know how to help. Even if you are a healthy athlete and are simply looking for ways to improve your performance, your primary care sports medicine physician is knowledgeable in sports nutrition and dietary supplementation and can help maximize your aerobic and strength conditioning to optimize your performance.

Finally, your primary care sports medicine physician can also provide a pre-participation physical examination. Whether you need clearance for high school or collegiate sports or if you simply want an evaluation prior to beginning an exercise program, our pre-participation examinations will not only make sure that your health is optimized for sports, but will begin a treatment plan for any pre-existing or newly discovered conditions which may interfere with your sports participation.
So whether you have an injury or you simply want to maximize your athletic performance, chances are that your primary care sports medicine physician has something to help optimize your sports participation."

Source: Southern California Orthopedic Institute

 

[busupshot83]

Some additional info on what a Primary Care Sports Physician is, as defined by the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM):

Athlete - The term athlete refers to an individual who is engaged in sport, exercise or physical activity at the recreational, industrial, competitive, professional or elite level.

Sports Medicine - Sports medicine is a branch of the healing arts profession which utilizes a holistic, comprehensive approach to the prevention, diagnosis, and management of sport and exercise-related injuries, disorders, dysfunctions and disease processes.

The Sports Medicine Physician's practice shall:

- Providing comprehensive medical management of the athlete across a broad scope of specializations.

- Recognizing the importance of utilizing special manual medicine skills in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of neuromusculo-skeletal injuries, disorders, dysfunctions and diseases.

- Understanding the principles of performance enhancers, coaching techniques, training methods and sport specific rules and regulations.

- Understanding the science of injury prevention and recognition, advanced rehabilitation techniques and epidemiology.

- Applying and promoting wellness concepts to the general public.

- Directing the application of sports science in improving the health care of athletes, the general public and those with special needs.

Source: American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine (AOASM)

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by FarEastGrapplr2
i am also curious about sports med fellowship. where could i research more about centers that offer sports med training after FP residency? do they have a national organization with a web site?

thanks

This site contains a listing of some Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowships:

http://www.physsportsmed.com/fellows.htm

 

[door_to_balloon_knot]

This site contains a listing of some Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowships:

http://www.physsportsmed.com/fellows.htm

Thanks