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Family Medicine: Sports Medicine


At A Glance

Program Type: Fellowship Program at a Military Medical Center

Location: Fairfield, CA

Accredited: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

Program Length: 1 year

Required Pre-Requisite Training: Graduation from Medical School and Graduation from an ACGME-accredited Family Medicine Residency program

Categorical Year in Specialty Required: No

Total Approved Complement: 2

Approved per Year (if applicable): variable

Dedicated Research Year Offered: No

Medical Student Rotation Availability: No

Additional Degree Concurrent with Training (e.g. MPH): No

Program Description

David Grant Medical Center Sports Medicine operates on the premise that comprehensive quality medical care can be provided efficiently and effectively to anyone by a well trained sports medicine physician. Below are some details in how we pursue that endeavor in our trainees.

Didactics

DGMC emphasizes a robust academic curriculum with a focus on teaching essential sports medicine principles and skills, as well as preparing fellows for the Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine exam.

Lectures

Lectures take place every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at DGMC. Fellows have the opportunity to learn essential sports medicine topics from primary care and orthopedic sports medicine physicians, as well as sub-specialists in a variety of fields from across the country. We also have weekly shared didactics with the University of California San Francisco fellowship program.

Fractures and Radiology

Fracture rounds take place weekly within the family medicine residency. Fracture rounds are supervised by the primary care and orthopedic sports medicine faculty. Radiology rounds occur twice a month, in conjunction with the radiology residency’s didactic time, and are supervised by a sports medicine trained MSK radiologist to emphasize learning points on x-rays, and advanced imaging to include magnetic resonance and computed tomography.

Ultrasound

Diagnostic sports ultrasound (MSKUS) teaching is a key area of focus in primary care sports medicine. The fellowship follows the updated Sports U.S. curricular guidance set forth by the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine. Fellows will have the opportunity to learn and practice diagnostic ultrasounds and ultrasound guided procedures weekly at DGMC. Fellows will also receive MSKUS teaching twice a month at Kaiser campus in Oakland. The curriculum includes more than 200 hours of formal MSKUS didactics during the year, including a two-day MSKUS cadaver workshop honing procedural competency.

Teaching

Teaching and communication are foundational skills for a medical professional. As such, fellows will have the opportunity to hone their teaching skills in a variety of ways including weekly teaching of the FM residents on a variety of essential sports medicine topics, observed precepting of the residents with feedback, traveling to Kaiser Vallejo to assist in teaching MSK modules, as well as formal teaching of exercise physiology classes to locally affiliated high schools. The fellows will also have quarterly lectures they will give during our didactic time.

Patient Care

Sports Medicine Clinic

Fellows will see their own sports medicine clinic two and a half days a week at DGMC. Here they will treat active duty service members, family members and veterans.

Orthopedics Clinic

Fellows will see orthopedics clinic under the supervision of board-certified orthopedic surgeons at Kaiser Vallejo, Kaiser Vacaville, and NorthBay Sports Medicine Clinics (Fairfield and Vacaville campuses).

Family Medicine Clinic

Once a week, fellows will have the opportunity to either precept family medicine residents, or to see their own patients in the primary care clinic setting, with the aim of maintaining core family medicine knowledge and skills.

Mass Participation

Fellows will travel to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to assist the primary care sports medicine physicians in treating cadets and athletes. Fellows will also serve as on-site physicians for the San Francisco & Napa Valley Marathons and the Sacramento Triathlon.

Training Room and Game Coverage

DGMC fellows have the opportunity to care for athletes ranging from the high school to college level. Fellows work in training rooms throughout the year as team physicians for various sports teams. In these environments, fellows have the opportunity to work in a cohesive team environment with other physicians and athletic trainers in the training room. Fellows will also serve as team physicians in game coverages, where they will treat on-field / on-court injuries. Training room and game coverage will be supervised throughout the year by head team physicians that are board certified in sports medicine or orthopedic surgery. College athletic coverage will take place at UC Davis, and Solano Community College. High school sports coverage will take place at Justin Siena High School and American Canyon High School, both of which are located in Napa Valley.

Scholarly Activity

Conferences

Fellows are expected to attend and present at the annual American Medical Society for Sports Medicine. Travis Sports Medicine faculty are intricately involved in the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, and fellows will also have the opportunity to attend and participate at the annual USAFP conference.

Publications

Fellows are expected to publish one scholarly work. Publication in peer reviewed journals is encouraged. Other opportunities for publication include the Family Physicians Inquiry Network or Good Evidence Matters.

Mission, Vision and Aims

Mission

Develop operationally ready sports medicine physician leaders, through excellence in patient care and scholarship, dedicated to heal Warrior Athletes. Anytime. Anywhere.

Vision

Enhance lifespan through movement. Everyone an Athlete!

Aims

  • Transform physicians into inspired learners and well-rounded leaders
  • Instill lifelong learning and self-improvement skills to all fellows we teach
  • Teach principles of providing evidence based, comprehensive, trUSted care
  • Foster a culture of safety, wellness, and inclusion

Curriculum and Schedules

This program does not utilize traditional, short-term ‘rotations.’ Rather, fellows participate in a relatively constant weekly template of training at various locations, longitudinally, throughout the year. Therefore, there are several concurrent ‘rotations’ ongoing throughout the year. All sports medicine fellows share the same experience in the ambulatory sports medicine clinics, didactics, and scholarly activities curricula. Each fellow, however, has unique but comparable exposure to orthopedics and team physician responsibilities.

The fellowship is broken down into 6 Core Learning Activities:

  1. Sports Medicine & Continuity Clinic
  2. Orthopedic Clinic
  3. Athletic Event Coverage
  4. Didactics
  5. Research/Scholarly Activity
  6. Military and professional development

Our fellowship maintains the same block schedule for each fellow for the entire 12 months of fellowship. This builds maximal continuity relationships with sports teams, trainers, and team physicians. All tracks contain equivalent percentages of sports medicine, orthopedics, and family medicine experience and identical allotments of team coverage, research and didactic time.

This program does not utilize traditional, short-term “rotations.” Rather, fellows participate in a relatively constant weekly template of training at various locations throughout the year. Therefore, there are several concurrent “rotations” ongoing throughout the year.

Day of week Morning Afternoon Late Afternoon
Monday
  • Fellows Offsite Primary Care Sports Medicine Clinic
  • Once a month = @ Oakland for MSKUS (ALL DAY)
  • Primary Care Sports Medicine Offsite

Training Room

Tuesday
  • 6:30 - 8 a.m. Fx Rounds
  • 8 - 11:45 a.m. Fellows Sports Clinic
  • 1 - 2 p.m. Journal Club or Didactics
  • 2 - 4:30 MSKUS Curriculum

Training Room

Wednesday
  • 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. Didactics
    • 1st Wed of month - Radiology didactics
    • 2nd and 4th Wed of the month - Fellowship didactics

  • 9:30 – 12 p.m.
    • 1st & 4th Wed of month - Research
    • 2nd Wed of month -  Rads Reading Room
  • 12 p.m. - University of California San Francisco Lecture (Virtual)

**Every 3rd Wed  - Oakland for MSKUS in morning only**

  • 12:50 - 4 p.m. Fellows Sports Clinic

Training Room

Thursday
  • 8 - 10 a.m. Teach Residents and concussion clinic
  • 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Research
  • 1 - 4 p.m. Family Medicine Clinic
OFF
Friday
  • Orthopaedics Offsite
  • Orthopaedics Offsite
Training Room

Elective rotations have not been built into the curriculum as the year is a very intensive with a rigorous schedule. That being said, there have been fellows in the past that have travelled for three to seven days for elective experiences. Furthermore, we have a couple off site trainings that are built into our schedule (Three mass participation coverage events and travel to U.S. Air Force Academy for example).

Our fellows do not take call.

There is dedicated time carved out for military unique curriculum during the year, as well as individual lectures, and other learning events which address the topic throughout the year. Throughout training, fellows will be expected to show, and will receive feedback on, professionalism, military bearing, uniform standards, height/weight/physical fitness standards, and other relevant topics. Fellows are active duty officers during training and are held to the relevant mandatory training requirements of all Airmen.

Life-saving certification classes:

  • Basic Life Support
  • Advanced Life Support
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support

The goal of the military leadership and faculty development curriculum is to increase the fellow’s skills in educating learners and colleagues alike, obtain skills in emotional intelligence, metacognition, conflict management and negotiation. The fellow will acquire those skills necessary to teach in small groups, prepare and deliver lectures, and precept various levels of healthcare learners. This is accomplished by didactic instruction, virtual podcasts, and supervised participation in various teaching venues.

Scholarly and Professional Development Opportunities

There are many opportunities to participate in research at our program. We generally send both fellows to our National conference (USAFP) and AMSSM where they will present, solely, or with a faculty. Several of our faculty are involved in primary research and/or author review articles, and many others mentor Family Physicians Inquiries Network projects. Fellows are commonly invited to participate and can find many unique lines of research covering a wide variety of topics, both in Sports and Family Medicine. Prior to graduation, fellows are required to: publish a FPIN GEM, as well as publish something else (in a peer reviewed media), OR present something (at one of the regional or national conference we attend).

Every fellow is expected to participate in a formal quality improvement project during the course of their training.

Participating Sites

Sports Medicine Training Sites

  1. David Grant Medical Center
  2. Kaiser Napa Solano Orthopedic Clinic
  3. Kaiser Napa Solano Primary Care Sports Medicine clinic
  4. Justin Siena High School
  5. American Canyon High School
  6. Solano Community College
  7. University of California Davis Training Room clinic
  8. NorthBay Sports Medicine Orthopedic Clinic
  9. University of California Davis Athletics
  10. Kaiser Permanente; Oakland California

Training Rooms

  1. University California Davis Training Rooms
  2. Solano Community College Training Room
  3. American Canyon High School  Training Room
  4. Justin Siena High School Training Room

Applicant Information, Rotation and Interview Opportunities

Our program has opportunities for interested individuals to ‘rotate’ in our program for a short time (one week) or combine their rotation with the Family Medicine residency for a longer, more comprehensive experience (two-four weeks).

Our interviews are set up directly by contacting the Program Director. All interviewees will be required to provide a copy of their CV and personal statement prior to the interview day. Interviewees are all asked the same questions to try and maintain consistency and enable access to the same discussion topics; the goal of the interviews is for the program to learn more about applicants and applicants to learn more about the program, so time for questions is preserved as part of the interview.

For those not able to rotate with the program: we support both virtual and single day in-person interviews so do not hesitate to reach out to schedule.

Sports Medicine Fellows take the American Board of Family Medicine or the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians sports medicine board exam. This exam is offered in July. To be eligible to take specialty board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by the ABFM and be on track for graduation within 3 months of the usual June 30th date for completing fellowship (our fellowship runs until July 31st, but fellows take board the first or second week of July).

Teaching Opportunities

Fellows will have numerous opportunities to teach peers/colleagues and junior learners throughout fellowship, both at Travis Air Force Base, and also in the community. This includes a full day teaching of the Vallejo Family Medicine Residents, precepting the Travis Family Medince residents, and teaching during weekly fracture rounds.

Faculty and Mentorship

Currently faculty within the Fellowship have the following subspecialty training:

  • Sports Medicine
  • Ortho Sports Medicine
  • Lifestyle Medicine
  • Point-of-Care-Ultrasound
  • Obstetrics
  • Faculty Development

Our program values mentorship as this is critical for one’s professional development and career goals. Fellows are assigned an advisor who helps assist them throughout the year and will likely have multiple additional mentors. Faculty work hard to link fellows with staff physicians both in sports medicine and family medicine who may have similarities with them whether it is their medical career aspirations, military career goals, or gender/ethnic/religious and other background considerations.

Well-Being

We work hard at Travis to build a culture in which we care about each other, support each other, and respond to the education and wellness needs of each other. We commit to being fair, transparent, and truthful to maintain psychological safety in the program. We want to help fellows stay connected to the sense of purpose and values that are inherent in caring for patients and serving in the military. The faculty and leadership of the residency and department maintain open-door policies and are highly receptive to feedback on the culture and processes of the residency and fellowship. We have included four to five wellness days built into the curriculum.

Contact Us

Sports Medicine Fellowship Program

Location: Second Floor, South Entrance

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