Fellowship Spots:
The fellowship offers 2 fellowship spots. One spot is designated for trainees coming from either family medicine or internal medicine programs. A second spot is designated for residents who have trained in pediatric residencies. This change went into effect in July 2020.
Program Strengths:
The UW Sports Medicine Fellowship is ideally positioned to provide the fellow with a well-balanced training experience, which combines excellent primary care sports training with several notable highlights:
- Faculty Leadership:: Our faculty include two past Presidents of AMSSM , work with Team USA Track and Field, USA Swimming and Diving, and USA Nordic and Paralympic Sport, serve as team physicians UW Husky athletics, the Reign FC, and the Seattle Seahawks, and are actively involved in national research initiatives. They are leaders in the field of sports medicine and are excellent mentors to fellows looking to develop skills in both academic and community sports medicine. Under their tutelage, the fellows will become integral team members of elite athlete healthcare teams.
- Faculty Diversity: The fellowship has 12 full time faculty with Certificates of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine (CAQSM), making it one of the largest fellowship faculties in the nation. Seven of our current faculty trained in family medicine, while five trained in pediatrics.
- Core Training: By the completion of fellowship training, fellows will be proficient in such areas as musculoskeletal physical assessment, joint injection, casting and splinting, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, cardiac stress testing, caring for the elite athlete, psychosocial assessment of athletes, team approach to musculoskeletal care, coordinating mass event coverage, and both diagnostic and procedural musculoskeletal ultrasound. Our fellows gain robust experiences in autologous growth factor therapy (PRP, ABI), peripheral nerve hydrodissection, and percutaneous tenotomy (Tenex).
- Research: Our program emphasizes research in its curriculum. Current studies include the assessment of prevention of sudden cardiac arrest in athletes, injury rates in youth sports, athlete mental health, and concussion assessment and care. Each fellow is expected to become involved in a research project AND a quality improvement project during the fellowship year. This project will be supervised by one or more faculty mentors, who will provide guidance, leadership, and advice. The UW Sports Medicine Fellowship is one of the nation’s best funded research fellowships, and research is an integral part of fellowship training here.
- Speaker Development: Lecture opportunities are plentiful. Our fellows coordinate monthly journal clubs on recent articles in the literature. Fellows will present during the UW Sports Medicine Grand Rounds series, a regional lecture series for the greater Seattle sports medicine community. Fellows have also frequently presented research and case presentations at the AMSSM national meeting. There are also opportunities to present topics of research or academic focus at a variety of local and national CME conferences. Our fellows teach medical students at the UW School of Medicine, participating in gross anatomy lab and living anatomy teaching sessions. Fellows also teach in the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency and during quarterly Seattle Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Symposia.
- Team Event Coverage: Our fellows have extensive coverage opportunities. The fellow serves as head team physician at a local high school, covering all of the team’s football games during the fall season. The fellow entering the FM/IM track serves as a team physician for UW Husky Athletics, with primary responsibilities for Football, Men’s Basketball, and Track and Field. Other coverage opportunities are encouraged as able. The fellow entering the pediatric track serves collegiate team physician at Everett Community College and as a professional team physician for the Seattle Seawolves rugby club. Both fellows assist in coverage of the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons.
- Mass Event Coverage: UW Sports Medicine Fellows serve as associate medical directors for the Seattle Marathon and have the opportunity to participate in the coverage of several other mass events such as the local Ironman competition.
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: Our fellowship provides extensive experience in musculoskeletal ultrasound and has been teaching MSK US as part of the curriculum since 2008. Most of the faculty are highly skilled in use of ultrasound for diagnostic purposes as well as for procedural guidance. In addition to training with our faculty, fellows will take part in two longitudinal ultrasound courses throughout the year.
- Education: The UW fellow is expected to attend the AMSSM Fellow’s Research and Leadership Conference and the AMSSM national meeting.
- Our Location: Seattle. Seattle has so much to offer; sample some of its best through the Seattle Life link.
Weaknesses:
- Travel: All fellowship rotations take place in and around Seattle. However, some of the sites do require travel. A car is necessary to travel between some sites.
- Cost of living: Seattle has become a costly city in which to live. Affordable living opportunities continue to exist within close proximity to all training sites, and past fellows and our faculty are ready to provide guidance on living options.
- Heavy research emphasis (for some applicants): This can be a good or bad attribute, depending on your interest in training. If you are not interested in research, this program may not be an ideal fit for you. Fellows will be expected to become involved in research and a variety of other academic activities
What careers do graduates find?
Our fellowship graduates have pursued a variety of careers following their training. Some have gone on to take roles as faculty at our fellowship or other primary care sports medicine training sites. Others have gone to work as community primary care sports medicine clinicians. Still others have joined orthopedic groups. Our fellows have also taken opportunities with professional sporting teams and collegiate athletics, serving as team physicians for the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Reign FC, San Antonio Spurs, and local universities (UW, Seattle Pacific University). Other fellows have become Team USA and Olympic team physicians, medical directors of the Special Olympics, and one is even a family medicine department chair. Our fellows have felt comfortable in pursuing a wide variety of career opportunities across the entire spectrum of sports medicine care. We feel that this is a reflection of the diverse and comprehensive training that the UW Sports Medicine Fellowship offers. Please refer to the list of prior fellows’ jobs and awards & accomplishments on the “About the Program” webpage.
Are any curricular changes anticipated in the near future?
The core fellowship curriculum will not undergo any major foreseeable changes, but it is also in a constant state of review and improvement. Recent changes include the development of a monthly radiology case conference, the addition of a second advanced ultrasound longitudinal course, and coverage opportunities for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons. Feedback is solicited from each and every fellow to continue to improve the program to meet the needs of future applications.[To Top]
Does the fellowship offer medical student or resident rotations?
The fellowship does offer two week rotations to visiting residents during their R3 years. The fellowship does not typically offer medical student rotations.
Does the fellow have an opportunity to teach?
Yes! The fellow is expected to regularly teach others during their training. The fellow will work closely with University of Washington Family Medicine Residents, outside rotators in Sports Medicine, and UW medical students while in clinic, during anatomy labs, or via lectures. On a local national level, the fellow has the opportunity to lecture and present posters at various continuing medical education courses, including the University of Washington’s Advances in Primary Care Conference, the UW Sports Medicine-sponsored CME’s, and the AMSSM National Meeting.
Does the fellowship use an EMR?
The UW sports medicine fellowship does make use of the EpicCare EMR as its primary medical record. While with the fellowship, the fellow must become facile at using this EMR.
What type of educational support does the fellowship provide?
The UW sports medicine fellowship provides a CME stipend and CME days as dictated by the UW/RFPU contract. The fellow is expected to attend the AMSSM National Conference and the AMSSM Fellows’ Research and Education Meeting. Information about these conferences may be found on the AMSSM’s website.
Does the UW Sports Medicine Fellowship have a residency affiliation?
The University of Washington’s Sports Medicine Fellowship is affiliated with the University of Washington Family Medicine Residency, which is one of the nation’s most prestigious and well-respected family medicine training sites. The fellowship is also affiliated with Seattle Children’s Hospital, a nationally renowned hospital with advanced training programs.
Does the fellowship participate in the Match?
The University of Washington’s Sports Medicine Fellowship participates in the NRMP. More information can be found at the NRMP website.
How does the fellowship communicate with applicants?
Once an application is complete via ERAS, it will be reviewed and a decision to invite an applicant for interview is made. Qualifying candidates will receive an interview offer via email.
What are the fellowship’s application requirements?
At a minimum, the fellowship requests the following information from applicants:
- Completed ERAS Application
- 3 letters of recommendation (including 1 from your residency’s program director; 1 or more sports medicine letters is preferred)
- Other supplemental materials that may be considered include additional letters of recommendation, peer reviewed scholarship, book chapters, or other academic achievements or awards.
When does the fellowship conduct interviews?
All interviews are conducted virtually. The UW sports medicine fellowship conducts interviews on Wednesdays between August and December. Upon receiving an interview offer, you will be offered several interview dates from which to choose. We will do our best to accommodate you, but typically, we can offer only Wednesday interview dates.
Is the fellowship accredited through the ACGME?
The UW Sports medicine fellowship is accredited by the ACGME. Fellows are thus allowed to sit for the CAQ Sports Medicine Examination following successful completion of this fellowship program. The program is one of the longest-standing accredited fellowships, having achieved this distinction in 1996.
What is the fellow’s salary? What about other Benefits?
The UW Sports Medicine Fellow receives a R4 (4th year resident) salary during their fellowship year. Salary information can be found at the UW Benefits Office Site.