Goals

Atrium Health's sports medicine fellowship program provides comprehensive, immersive education and training for each of our fellows. Each fellow should have the following goals during the fellowship in order to maximize his or her medical training.

To develop competency in basic sports medicine injury patterns through a broad experience in sports medicine.

The fellow will work with:

• Primary care sports medicine faculty.
• Sports medicine fellowship-trained orthopedists.
• Orthopedists sub-specializing in hand, foot and ankle, hip, spine and pediatrics.
• Physical therapists.
• Interventional physiatrists.
• Musculoskeletal radiologists.
• Athletic trainers.

Fellows are scheduled to cover a wide range of individual and team sporting events.

To gain competency in sports medicine skills and procedures including physical exam skills, joint aspiration/injection with and without ultrasound guidance and splinting/casting.

The fellow will:

• Have a physical exam skill and anatomy musculoskeletal dissection tutorial at the beginning of the fellowship with the primary care sports medicine fellowship and orthopedic faculty.
• Review musculoskeletal physical exam skills.
  • The fellow is observed completing these exams in the primary care sports medicine clinics.
  • The fellow is observed teaching the musculoskeletal exam to family medicine residents as well as residents and medical students from other departments.
• Assist and perform joint injections and splinting/casting of the extremities in the primary care sports medicine clinics with sports medicine faculty and the orthopedic faculty as well as orthopedic technicians.
• Gain expertise in both diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasound.

To gain experience as a team physician.

The fellow will:

• Work as an assistant team physician for athletic teams/events at UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University alongside the primary care sports medicine/orthopedic team physicians at those schools.
• Work as the primary team physician for a high school football team, as well as the UNC Charlotte men’s and women's soccer teams, putting the fellow in the decision-making role that is integral to being a team physician. They will always have primary care sports medicine faculty backup during these events.

To develop a strong, practical sports medicine knowledge base through formal and informal teaching.

The fellow will:

• Complete assigned reading in preparation for weekly didactics with the primary care sports medicine faculty for sports medicine topic discussions.
  • These include specific musculoskeletal injuries, as well as medical issues in athletes.
• Present sports medicine noon lecture to family medicine residents and faculty.
• Attend a yearly splinting workshop and joint injection workshop.
• Attend the annual regional ultrasound conference, sideline preparedness course, and Fellowship Boot Camp hosted by different fellowship sites in the month of July to strengthen skills before the start of the fall sports season. Each site will have fellows from around the region allowing for networking and camaraderie.
• Coordinate and lead the primary care sports medicine journal club every other month.
• Undergo training in the sports medicine clinics by sports medicine faculty as well as orthopedic faculty.
• Undergo training in the athletic training rooms when evaluating athletes.
• Undergo weekly training in musculoskeletal ultrasound.

To develop the administrative skills to manage the care of athletic teams, institutions and events.

The fellow will:

• Work as an assistant team physician for both universities and is included in the medical team discussions and decisions that are frequently held in the athletic training rooms or offices with coaches, trainers and athletes.
• Attend the multi-disciplinary athletic sports performance team meetings.
• Be included in the coordination of mass events.

To develop teaching and presentation skills.

The fellow will:

• Prepare a minimum of three lectures to be presented to family medicine residents and faculty, and one lecture to a department of different discipline, during the year. The primary care sports medicine faculty provides assistance as needed and gives feedback after the presentation.
• Coordinate and lead the primary care sports medicine journal clubs.
• Have progressive teaching responsibility and teach residents from family medicine and other departments as well as medical students in the sports medicine clinics each week.

To develop research skills including an understanding of scientific methodology and critical analysis of medical literature.

The fellow will:

• Have the option to participate in existing research projects as team members and attend research planning meetings. He or she will develop and design a case or research abstract for poster/podium presentation at the AMSSM national meeting or project suitable for completion in one year.