Hey everyone, I am a high schooler who loves sports (basketball, football, swimming, frisbee, track) and biology/medicine, so I thought, why not sports medicine! I have some questions about it though:
How do I become a SM specialist, through ortho residency + SM Fellowship, or is there an actual SM residency?
How long does it take to become an SM specialist?
What are the work hours and work environment of an SM specialist?
Any advice?
Thanks, will probably post this on SDNetwork later!
There is no sports medicine residency.
To become a sports medicine physician, you must first complete a primary care, emergency medicine or PM&R residency than then apply for a sport medicine fellowship.
To become a sports medicine surgeon, you must first complete and orthopedics residency, then apply for a an orthopedic sports medicine fellowship.
http://www.amssm.org/BrochureImages/WhatisaSportsMe-1.pdf
BTW, 90% of sports injuries do not required orthopedic intervention and are treated by primary care sport medicine physicians.
A long time. 4 years undergrad + 4 years med school + 3-5 years residency (length of residency depends on specialty) + 1-2 years sports medicine fellowship = minimum 12 years, potentially 15 years
That depends on what kind of practice you work in and what your medical specialty is. Most physicians today work as contract employees for larger medical groups. You will have some weekend and night call. You will have weekend and night work hours if you work as a orthopedic surgeon or EM physician. Work hours per week will vary depending on practice setting and specialty. Many physicians work 50+ hours/week. Surgeons tend to work even longer hours.