To provide primary care physicians with the necessary training to develop competencies in all basic sports medicine skills. These would include physical exam skills, surgical assisting skills, and basic office procedures including musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound.

All phases of the fellows' training would enhance their clinical skills.

a)  Direct observation of the fellows' physical exam skills at the Stanford Vaden Student Health Center
b)  Fellows’ observation of experienced clinicians performing physical exams during their sports medicine clinic rotations
c)  First assistant experience at surgery
d)  Casting and splinting workshops
e)  Performance of procedures such as arthrocentesis, joint injection, treadmill testing, taping, and biomechanical evaluations during rotations and electives
f)   MSK ultrasound didactic sessions, workshops, training labs, and procedure clinic

To develop a strong sports medicine knowledge base and the ability to critically read and analyze the medical literature.

This goal would be achieved through both formal and informal didactics. The formal didactic sessions would include the following: directed readings, journal club, sports medicine grand rounds, sports medicine forum (case presentations, x-ray reviews, and didactic sessions), the sports medicine lecture series, and the critical literature reviews as part of the research projects.

The informal didactics include interaction with attending faculty in the sports medicine clinic, on the sidelines at sporting events, and in the training rooms.

The development of appropriate interpersonal skills to manage the complex interactions between athletes, coaches, training staff, parents, and the medical care providers.

The fellows will play an active role as team physician for the sports teams with whom they work. They will be expected to interact regularly with coaches, trainers, athletes, and medical consultants. Every effort will be made to include the fellows in a decision-making role. This fellowship is designed to be very much a “hands on” experience.

To develop the administrative skills to manage and coordinate sports medicine care for athletic teams and programs as well specific sporting events.

The fellows will be included in administrative and management meetings whenever possible. Attending faculty will be encouraged to discuss the management and administrative details of the practice of sports medicine whenever possible.

To develop research skills, including research methodologies, with the goal of producing a scholarly paper for publication or presentation during the fellowship year.

The fellows will work with the attending faculty and academic staff at San Jose State University and Stanford University to develop, design, and implement a research project to be completed during the fellowship year. The project will emphasize critical literature review, study design and methodology, statistical analysis of data, and medical writing skills. The expectation is that this will be of publishable quality. The AMSSM research course material and UC San Francisco medical writing workshop will be included as part of the research curriculum.

To develop teaching and public speaking skills.

The fellows will be responsible for developing and presenting 8-10 lectures during the course of the fellowship year. The lectures will be given as part of the Family Medicine residency curriculum, sports medicine grand rounds, physician assistant students at Stanford University, community events, and national sports medicine meetings. They will also be involved in numerous small group tutorials with medical students and residents. The attending faculty will review teaching skills and strategies.

To provide the fellows with a fundamental understanding of human performance issues. Specific knowledge base areas would include the following: sports physiology, clinical anatomy, biomechanics, sports psychology, sports nutrition.

This goal will be achieved formally through directed readings and tutorial sessions. It will be informally achieved with the day-to-day teaching opportunities that arise when providing care to athletes in the sports medicine clinics and training rooms.