Resources for Residents

There is a recipe for building a resume during your residency that will increase your chances for successfully matching into a sports medicine fellowship. However, each resident and applicant is unique and there is more than one way to achieve your goal. Below are some loose guidelines and recommendations about how to spend the first 2 or 3 years of your residency preparing to apply to a primary care sports medicine fellowship. You are strongly encouraged to do as many of the following as possible.

Do an elective rotation in sports medicine. This one is mandatory. Ideally, this is in the second half of your PGY2 year or early in PGY3, a period of time when you become clinically strong but also early enough that you can still get a letter of recommendation. If possible, this should be at a fellowship program associated with your residency or at a fellowship program you are interested in applying to. They should have faculty who have completed the fellowship and passed the CAQ-SM. Two to four weeks is suggested, if you do a two week rotation, you may be able to rotate at more than one program. Review our fellowship list to find places to rotate. Make sure to contact programs early.

Longitudinal coverage of a high school team. This activity is important so that you understand what a sports medicine physician does outside the clinic, you get an understanding of sideline medicine and demonstrate interest in the specialty. If you can start during your intern year that’s best, but we all recognize the time commitments of residency and difficulty in maintaining a consistent, reliable schedule making yourself available to a high school. This will also help you learn the role of the athletic trainer and give you opportunities to give talks and provide education.

Medical coverage in a mass participation event. This is helpful for learning and exposure as well as demonstrating interest. Any sporting event counts from high school to professional. Make sure to keep a log of your coverage for your application.

Attend a sports medicine conference. The AMSSM annual meeting occurs in April of every year, the ACSM meeting occurs at the end of May and the AOASM annual meeting is in early May every year. There are also regional conferences and other conferences available.

Present a poster at a conference. This is certainly not required, but is encouraged. Presenting a case at a national conference is best done with the help of faculty who can help you identify cases. Finding a good case can be challenging, but performing a brief literature review and writing up the poster are manageable tasks.

Present a journal club or lecture for your residency program. Every primary care specialty that works in sports medicine can learn from the specialty training we receive. You can improve the knowledge of your medical students, co-residents and even faculty by providing sports medicine education within your program.

Work on a scholarly project. This is not required but encouraged as well. Ideally, you would work on a project that would be publishable in a peer reviewed journal, but this opportunity is going to vary widely depending on where you train. You should ask your sports medicine attendings if there are any opportunities. It doesn’t have to be original research, it can also be review articles. You could also do a QI or educational project in your residency program on a sports medicine topic.

Find a mentor. It’s always helpful to have someone who has gone through the process and practices sports medicine to help act as a resource. Ideally, this would be an attending who can help guide you and eventually provide a letter of recommendation. However, a fellow would also be an appropriate candidate.

Network. There are many ways to network in medicine. This may occur locally within your training institution, at regional or national conferences. It can happen at a fellowship or research fair. The opportunity to have a conversation with fellowship faculty to learn about their program and demonstrate interest can pay dividends down the road. 

Get in a Sports Medicine Track. Within your residency program, there may be an opportunity to participate in different scholarly tracks. If there is a sports medicine track, get involved with it. If there is not, consider starting one. The AMSSM has a guide available here.