The clinical experience of the UW Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship is designed to allow our fellows to develop expertise in caring for a wide range of medical and musculoskeletal problems in individuals of all ages. There are longitudinal clinical experiences (primary care, sports medicine, training room) as well as specialty rotations.
Each fellow has their own sports medicine continuity clinic at the Sports Medicine Center at Husky Stadium. Weekly primary care experiences are at the Harborview Family Medicine Clinic for the family/internal medicine fellowship track and the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic for the pediatric track. Fellows have their own patient panels in each of these settings, promoting autonomy and independence in medical decision making.
Potential specialty rotations include adult and pediatric sports medicine, adult and pediatric orthopedics, musculoskeletal ultrasound, podiatry, hand surgery, sports psychology, nutrition, adult and pediatric sports cardiology, rheumatology, radiology, physical therapy, integrative medicine, fracture management, casting, and physiatry. In addition, fellows gain exposure to exercise physiology, exercise stress testing and pulmonary physiology in both healthy and disease states, and cardiac stress tests.
Notably, our program offers a comprehensive training in musculoskeletal ultrasound, including a year-long longitudinal learning course, an 8-week orientation and core skills course, anatomy/cadaveric ultrasound wet lab experience some years, and clinical experience in both procedural and diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound procedures. These procedures include percutaneous tenotomy, platelet rich plasma injections, guided selective nerve hydrodissection, and joint arthrocentesis.
Fellows will gain coverage experience as a collegiate team physician. Fellows will also follow a local area high school team as its team physician. The family/internal medicine track fellow has their own continuity collegiate training room clinic and has significant involvement with Division 1 Husky football, men’s and women’s basketball, track and field, cross-country, and other sports. The pediatric track fellow serves as team physician for Everett Community College and Major League Rugby’s Seattle Seawolves. The pediatric track fellow also serves as the Visiting Team Medical Liaison for the UW football program, facilitating medical care for the away team during football games. Both fellows also serve as a medical director of the Seattle Marathon and participate in other mass event coverage opportunities.
Academic research is encouraged and expected. Educational experiences are supported through a Sports Medicine Grand Rounds series, a sports medicine journal club, a weekly longitudinal didactic curriculum, a radiology case conference series, and several other classroom learning opportunities. The fellow serves as an instructor in the medical school’s musculoskeletal anatomy lab and teaching sessions as well. The fellow is also encouraged to present at and be active in national sports medicine organizations, and numerous past fellows have garnered awards for their scholarship efforts.
The University of Washington Primary Sports Medicine Fellowship is ideal for dynamic, bright, energetic applicants with a desire to develop strong clinical, research, and leadership skills who will make an impact on the evolving field of sports medicine.
Upon successful completion of the fellowship program, fellows are inducted into the “Piriformis Society”. This is a collegial organization open only to past faculty and fellows at the University of Washington. The society’s name is a nod toward our founder’s favorite muscle.