UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship: Comprehensive Requirements and Opportunities
The UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship Program offers a comprehensive training experience for physicians seeking to excel in the field of sports medicine. This program integrates the expertise of the UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Sports Medicine Section of the Department of Family Medicine, providing fellows with a diverse and high-volume exposure to sports medicine injuries. Care is delivered at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital. The fellowship aims to prepare physicians for successful careers in sports medicine, whether in private practice or academic settings, with a focus on developing leaders in their respective programs.
Fellowship Goals and Structure
The primary goal of the UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship is to equip physicians with the knowledge, skills, and ethical standards necessary for an outstanding career in sports medicine. This is achieved through a combination of clinical experience, surgical training, academic learning, and research opportunities. The program strives to recruit outstanding individuals who want to become leaders in their academic programs.
UCLA residents and fellows receive individual teaching and supervision in the operating room and in the outpatient setting. Fellows progressively develop responsibility for patient care and assist with teaching of the residents. Weekly teaching conferences, journal club, and anatomical dissections of the upper and lower extremities enhance a strong academic environment. The program provides fellows with the opportunity to participate in clinical and laboratory research and to present that research either at local gatherings or at national meetings.
A large part of the fellowship occurs at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which is on the UCLA campus in Westwood. The fellows are exposed to elective sports medicine surgeries that are performed in the outpatient surgery center located at 200 UCLA Medical Plaza.
Clinical Experience
The fellowship provides extensive clinical experience in various settings, including:
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UCLA Athletic Department Training Room
Faculty and fellows provide care for over 700 Division I student athletes at UCLA. They see patients in the training room in the Acosta Center on Mon-Thurs evenings. This state-of-the-art facility is located adjacent to Pauley Pavilion on campus and is equipped with private consultation suites as well as a large rehabilitation space.
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and 200 UCLA Medical Plaza
The fellows see patients in the sports medicine attending clinics of Drs. The majority of UCLA students are seen here for their orthopaedic needs. This facility if located adjacent to the UCLA Book Store on campus. Currently, Drs. McAllister and Hame see patients here one-half day per week.
Los Angeles Lakers
UCLA is the exclusive provider of Medical Services for the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). Fellows assist with covering all home basketball games.
These diverse clinical settings allow fellows to gain experience in treating a wide range of sports-related injuries and conditions, from acute injuries sustained on the field to chronic musculoskeletal problems.
Curriculum and Conferences
The fellowship curriculum includes a variety of conferences and educational activities designed to enhance the fellows' knowledge and skills:
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- Weekly Multi-Disciplinary Sports Medicine Conference: Held in conjunction with the Family Medicine Sports Medicine faculty and fellows, this conference features didactic talks, lively discussions, and lectures by faculty members on topics of special interest. A resident or fellow will give a 30-45 minute didactic talk on a specific topic, followed by a lively discussion that involves medical students, residents, fellows, athletic trainers, physical therapists and attending physicians.
- Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Conference: Held every other Wednesday morning, this conference involves the review of papers on topics of interest, followed by discussions on how the topics might be applied in the clinical setting. In addition, MRI correlations are presented in conjunction with our musculoskeletal radiology group.
- Grand Rounds: Held once per month on the first Wednesday morning of the month.
- Journal Club: Held at the home of sports medicine attendings, this is attended by the UCLA faculty, sports fellows, and orthopaedic surgery residents. Five to seven selected articles are reviewed and discussed.
- Orthopaedic Surgery Core Curriculum: Lectures are given on basic sports medicine topics to the orthopaedic surgery residents. Each fellow will usually give 2-3 of these lectures. This 8 week series of lectures takes place on a two-year cycle.
- Gross Anatomical Dissections: Fellows demonstrate knee, shoulder and hip anatomy to all the orthopaedic surgery residents during one or two sessions.
- Arthroscopic Skill Laboratory: Fellows participate in weekly teaching sessions in this lab, which is equipped with the same equipment utilized in our operating rooms as well as an ample supply of fresh cadaveric specimens. A variety of instrument sets are available so that basic and advanced techniques can be practiced. These sessions are supervised by the fellows. The goal is to teach the basic skills to those just beginning while fellows can refine more advance surgical techniques. Teaching sessions are held every Thursday evening. All residents, fellows, and students on the service attend.
- Local Courses and Lectures: The sports medicine fellows are encouraged to attend courses and labs at other nearby institutions.
These conferences and activities provide fellows with a strong foundation in the theoretical and practical aspects of sports medicine.
Research and Publication Requirements
Each fellow is required to complete one original research project that is suitable for publication in a peer reviewed journal prior to completion of the fellowship. These findings are also presented at the end of the year noon sports medicine conference. In addition, each fellow is required to complete a case report suitable for publication or a review article/book chapter.
This research requirement encourages fellows to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of sports medicine and to develop their skills in research methodology, data analysis, and scientific writing.
Eligibility and Application Process
The UCLA Sports Medicine Program participates in the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's "San Francisco Match". As one of the participating programs, we agree to interview candidates during a specified time interval. Applications are accepted via the San Francisco Match Program. Applicants should have completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery. A California license is a requisite for the incoming fellow.
To be eligible for the UCLA Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, applicants must be in the final year of residency in emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, or pediatrics. The UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship Program participates in the Primary Care Sports Medicine Specialty Match organized by the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Registration with the NRMP is therefore required. As such, we highly recommend that you take the USMLE Step 3 prior to the NRMP rank deadline. If you are a foreign medical graduate and do not have a California medical license, please contact Carole Barrinuevo, the program coordinator, for clarification of your eligibility for our program.
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Objectives and Required Competencies
The UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital - Department of Orthopaedic Surgery outlines specific objectives and required competencies for orthopaedic fellow education. Each sports medicine fellow will spend one year on the service, rotating at 3 months intervals.
Patient Care
Fellows are expected to become highly proficient in:
- Evaluating and treating patients with sports injuries in the clinic, including the application of physical examination tests specific to the diagnosis.
- Evaluating and treating injured athletes both on the field and in the training room.
- Performing detailed clinical examinations of the shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle.
- Ordering and interpreting appropriate diagnostic tests and imaging studies.
- Providing treatment for patients as appropriate for their level of training.
- Performing arthrocentesis/injections of the knee and shoulder.
- Diagnosing and treating complex knee problems such as multiple ligament injuries, recurrent patellar instability, articular cartilage lesions, and degenerative meniscal tears.
- Differentiating complex problems of the shoulder such as instability vs. impingement in the throwing athlete, rotator cuff tears, labral tears, shoulder subluxation, osteolysis of the distal clavicle, and scapulothoracic bursitis.
- Determining the diagnosis and treatment of complex problems of the ankle, such as post-traumatic impingement syndrome, osteochondral injuries, and chronic instability.
- Understanding post-operative rehabilitation guidelines and restrictions for knee ligament reconstructions and repairs, rotator cuff repairs, and shoulder instability reconstructions.
- Performing complex arthroscopic surgical procedures such as meniscectomy, meniscal repair and ACL reconstruction, and multiple ligament repair/reconstruction in the knee, labral repair/debridement, rotator cuff repair, arthroscopic stabilization and sub-acromial decompression in the shoulder, and debridement as well as treatment of articular cartilage lesions of the ankle.
- Performing open shoulder procedures such as rotator cuff repair and Bankart repair/capsulloraphy.
Medical Knowledge
Fellows are expected to develop a sophisticated understanding of:
- The anatomy of the shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle, including the bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and arteries.
- Soft-tissue behavior, including the effects of immobilization and exercise.
- Ligament repair and graft incorporation, including the normal time course for regeneration of strength in an ACL graft, as well as knowledge of graft forces with various activities.
- The biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint, including the magnitude of forces with normal activities, and the effect of patellectomy and tibial tubercle transfers (eg. Hauser, Maquet).
The fellow will give a number of 45 minute presentations on chosen topics at the Sports Medicine noon conference. Topics will be determined in discussion with Dr. McAllister. The fellows will alternate giving presentations at the bi-monthly orthopaedic surgery sports medicine conference including MRI correlations. The fellows will be asked to give didactic presentations from time to time to our residents, athletic trainers and primary care colleagues in the Student Health Center.
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
Fellows are expected to:
- Demonstrate the ability to locate and interpret scientific studies and known medical knowledge into an appropriate knowledge base that will be of direct benefit to patients.
- Present patients after initial evaluation, review available diagnostic tests, and confirm the appropriate treatment plan through frequent discussion with sports medicine fellows and attending Sports Medicine surgeons.
- Formulate a plan of treatment, which will then be reviewed in detail and either confirmed or altered as necessary to achieve optimal patient outcome.
- Use appropriate sources to obtain more detailed information about a specific patient or diagnosis.
- Play an active role in the teaching of senior and junior orthopaedic residents, senior medical students (sub-interns) and junior medical students on the service.
- Demonstrate expertise in use of available information technology and hospital information systems to manage patient data and access online information.
- Integrate feedback from faculty and sports medicine surgery fellows to ensure that they are able to analyze their own practice experience, with the goal of improving future patient care.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Fellows are expected to:
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with all members of the sports medicine service and hospital staff.
- Interact effectively, professionally, and empathetically with patients and family members.
- Provide appropriate and detailed information to patients and family members.
- Develop an appropriate relationship with a patient that fosters communication, respect, and ethics of the highest degree.
- Recognize important different backgrounds that may affect patient care, and to apply appropriate changes in approach to these patients that respect these important differences.
- Demonstrate effective listening and communication skills with patients.
- Demonstrate the ability to understand and respond appropriately to patient inquiries.
Professionalism
Fellows are expected to:
- Demonstrate a strict adherence to medical/ethical principles.
- Demonstrate a keen sensitivity to the differences and challenges that a diverse patient population may present.
- Treat all patients with respect, empathy, and with compassionate care.
- Recognize the important social, economic, emotional, and work-related implications that a Sports Medicine problem or injury may represent for the patient.
- Provide patients with excellent care in all aspects.
- Maintain patient confidentiality, including strict adherence to HIPPA guidelines.
- Obtain informed consent from patients in accordance with established guidelines.
- Demonstrate the ability to accommodate and adapt to differences in patients' culture, age, gender and disabilities.
Systems-Based Practice
Fellows are expected to:
- Develop an awareness of how the care that they provide to patients can affect other caregivers and even the UCLA medical center in general.
- Demonstrate an ability to effectively utilize hospital resources in a way that directly benefits patient care.
- Develop a more in-depth understanding of the different types of medical practice available in the context of orthopaedic Sports Medicine surgery.
- Develop a more detailed understanding of the differences in different payer types.
- Develop a mature understanding of the necessity to provide efficient and cost-effective health care in the context of appropriate use of limited medical resources, yet without sacrificing quality of care.
- Act as a patient advocate and assist patients in obtaining the necessary care, including coordination of post-discharge care if necessary.
Sports Medicine Careers Beyond the Fellowship
The field of sports medicine encompasses a dynamic range of job types and career opportunities. Additional sports medicine career roles include:
- Certified Athletic Trainer
- Orthopedic Surgeon
- Physical Therapist
- Sports Neurologist
- Sports Cardiologist
- Sports Psychologist
- Sports Nutritionist / Registered Dietician
Team Physician
A team physician is a medical doctor affiliated with a sports team or organization. Team physicians do for a sports team what a primary care or family medicine doctor might do for a family.
Orthopedic Surgeon
General orthopedic surgeons (also called orthopedic doctors or orthopedists) are physicians specially trained to care for all aspects of the musculoskeletal system with an emphasis on surgical interventions.
Sports Neurologist
Sports neurologists treat and research neurologic injuries sustained during athletic activities, such as concussions, spinal-cord injuries, and peripheral nerve injuries.
Sports Cardiologist
A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, veins, arteries, and capillaries.
Sports Nutritionist / Registered Dietician
Sports nutritionists and dietitians create customized dietary plans to optimize athletesâ performance and overall health. They assess each athleteâs physiology, performance demands, and other physical and lifestyle factors to determine how to best support each through diet and nutrition.
Certified Athletic Trainer
Certified athletic trainers are clinicians who work closely with athletes to help them feel and perform their best.
Physical Therapist
Physical therapists in sports medicine help athletes recover from injuries and prevent future ones.
Sports Psychologist
Like other sports medicine professionals, sports psychologists help athletes perform to their full potential.
tags: #ucla #sports #medicine #fellowship #requirements
