Curriculum

The Sports Medicine Fellowship is 12-month program beginning in July. Our program is designed to meet the needs and goals of each individual fellow.

Following is a sample of a fellow’s classroom and work week schedule, and descriptions of the scheduled rotations. While the fellowship must fulfill the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee (ACGME RRC) guidelines, each fellow’s educational path is customized to provide the type of experience they desire. As a result, not every possible item is covered here.

During elective time, each fellow will have a full day of specialty elective, as well as one half day of their primary specialty.

Orthopedics/Electives

Orthopedics/Electives allow fellows to rotate with sports medicine fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons who also are team physicians in the community. Patient care usually takes place in an outpatient setting, but there may be opportunities for assisting with orthopedic surgeries. Fellows also may rotate in other areas, including orthopedic subspecialties (hand, spine, foot/ankle surgery), physical medicine and rehabilitation, emergency medicine, physical therapy, radiology, cardiology, exercise physiology, dermatology and podiatry.

Anatomy Dissection

The first six weeks of the fellowship include ultrasonography education and musculoskeletal anatomy review through cadaver dissection at the University of South Florida (USF) gross anatomy lab. Fellows also have the opportunity to teach medical students.

Team Physician Responsibilities

Fellows spend one half-day per week at each of the training rooms at USF and Eckerd College to evaluate the athletes’ acute medical needs and provide continuity of care. The team physician experience also includes working at the colleges’ sporting events.

Didactics

Joint didactics are held Thursday AM with the PCSM faculty at Bayfront Hospital and Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to provide a longitudinal Sports Medicine curriculum and assist in preparing for the CAQ in Sports Medicine.

Sports Medicine Clinics

For a total of four half-days per week, fellows provide medical and musculoskeletal care at the Bayfront Health St. Petersburg Medical Group Sports Medicine office and the AllSports Clinic at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Fellows also provide medical care for training room clinics, mass events and their sports teams as well as pre-participation physical exams at various schools.

Mass Event Coverage

Fellows provide medical coverage for triathlons, marathons, 5K races and other sporting events, including the St. Pete Run Fest and St. Petersburg Distance Classic. Fellows are responsible for treating a variety of conditions such as heat illness, overuse injury and minor skin abrasions, and coordinating medical care with ancillary support staff such as EMS personnel and lifeguards.

Scholarly Activity

Each fellow is required to complete one scholarly activity within the year. There are several ways to fulfill the requirement, including randomized controlled trials, review articles, case presentations, book chapters, monographs, poster presentations, grand rounds presentations and CME lectures.

Radiology and Teleconferences

Fellows review radiographic and MRI imaging with radiologists who are fellowship-trained in MSK radiology. Training may include case presentations and teaching files. Fellows also may participate in monthly radiology rounds with our Memorial Sloan Kettering-trained radiology faculty.

Teaching Opportunities

Fellows teach family medicine residents and rotating medical students during sports medicine clinic and game coverage. Fellows will lead monthly sports medicine conferences with residents as well as participate in teaching didactics in joint injections, exercise stress testing and casting/splinting.

In-Training Examinations

To assess their preparation progress for the year-end CAQ examination, fellows take the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) In-Training Examination mid-year. The AMSSM administers the test on its website.

Primary Specialty Continuity

To satisfy the ACGME requirement for providing patient care within their primary specialty, fellows may see patients at the Eckerd College Health Center. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation fellows may see patients with outpatient PMR faculty. ER fellows will rotate through the Orlando Health Bayfront Emergency Department to satisfy their PC continuity requirement.

Sports Medicine-Related Education and Duties 80%
Scholarly Activity 10%
Primary Specialty Continuity 10%