Family Medicine: Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM)

The SEM resident will gain extensive clinical experience through one-on-one teaching with:

• Primary care SEM physicians
• Emergency SEM physicians
• Orthopaedic surgeons
• Physiatrists
• A variety of allied health professionals including physical therapists, athletic therapists, orthotists, and strength and conditioning coaches

The 9 Core Components of the Enhanced Skills SEM Program at the University of Alberta are:

• The Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic at the University of Alberta
• The Acute Medical Sports-Injury and Fracture Clinic (AMSAFE) at the Northeast Health Center
• Continuing development in family medicine
• Team and event experience
• Orthopaedic surgery rotation
• Ultrasound training and procedural skills
• Scholarly project
• Didactic lectures, rounds and teaching
• Supporting rotations and electives

Team medicine is an important component of this program. Many physicians at this clinic are deeply involved in team medicine. This can be a difficult area of medicine to gain exposure in. We strongly encourage you to observe your preceptors as they navigate this challenging and rewarding area of medicine, and immerse yourself in the medical team as much as possible.

It is expected that to gain experience in this unique subset of medicine that you participate in varsity or junior football and varsity hockey. You will be an important part of the medical team. These are very time-intensive sports and it is expected that you will schedule vacation time around these commitments and limit time away during the months of mid-August to November (football season) as well as February to mid-March (varsity hockey playoffs). To increase your exposure and comfort in different sports, it is expected that you work at least one combat, performing arts, distance/endurance and PARA event.

As an example of the depth of sport medicine coverage in our program, the below list is the sport coverage that our SEM resident in 2019/20 year participated in:

• ITU triathlon
• International beach volleyball
• Skate Canada Challenge
• Varsity football (full season)
• Varsity hockey (full season)
• Karate tournament
• Women's Basketball Olympic Prequalifier Tournament
• Women's varsity rugby
• Boxing
• Varsity Wrestling Tournament
• Para-alpine Skiing Tournament
• Sitting volleyball practice

The year is scheduled in four blocks of three months. During each block, we try to keep you with the same preceptors so you have continuity and can see some patients in follow up. Typically, at least two days a week are spent in the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic, and one day is spent at the Acute Medical Sports-Injury and Fracture Clinic at the Northeast Health Centre.

The program includes four weeks of hospital orthopaedics (typically two weeks in the winter and two weeks in the summer to see the different seasonal injuries). We also schedule two weeks of physiatry.

Supporting rotations and electives are planned on an individual basis to reflect your past experience and goals for future practice. In the past, SEM residents have done electives in emergency medicine, radiology, rheumatology, dermatology and SEM at a different centre.

Additional experiences include:

• Time with physiotherapists, athletic therapists, orthotists, and strength and conditioning
• Varsity Injury Management (VIM) multidisciplinary clinics
• Participation in coverage (and organization, if applicable) of local sport tournaments
• Varsity football and hockey medical coverage
• Opportunity for ski-trip to cover PARA-alpine event
• Teaching family medicine residents and medical students, and participation in rounds
• Specialty clinics including: Acute Knee Injury Clinic (AKIC), Performing Arts Clinic and Complex Concussion Clinic

This program tries to be as flexible as possible to meet your needs and goals, and fit with your future plans. Out of town electives and electives in other specialities will be considered on an individual basis. The SEM Residency Committee has put a tentative maximum of four weeks of electives in SEM outside of Edmonton, unless approved by the SEM Residency Committee.

You may consider electives in another speciality (emergency, dermatology, rheumatology, radiology, etc). The SEM Residency Committee has put a tentative maximum of two weeks on electives in other specialities (not including orthopaedics or physiatry, which are included) unless approved.

The use of ultrasound is becoming an increasingly important skill. Dr. Terry Defrietas and Dr. Connie Lebrun have done extensive training and are the Ultrasound Skills teaching leads in this program. We are fortunate to have two ultrasound machines in the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic. The Acute Medical Sports-Injury and Fracture Clinic (AMSAFE) at the Northeast Health Centre also has access to the Emergency Department ultrasound machine.

If the resident chooses, the program may be extended to accommodate completion of a Master's Degree Program at the University of Alberta. (This option will require advance consultation with the Program Director for SEM, as there are a number of available options).

In the spring of their program year, the resident is eligible to sit the Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine Diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine examination. Success in this exam leads to the Diploma in Sport and Exercise Medicine credential (Dip Sport Med).

Upon satisfactory achievement of the required competencies for SEM as listed in the Red Book of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), residents who have already completed their family medicine program and obtained their CCFP will be awarded a Certificate of Added Competency (CAC), and can then list CCFP(SEM) as their credentials.