Details of Fellowship Program

Give a general description of your Fellowship training program

This is a two-year clinical fellowship program, one candidate/year.  Components of the program are: clinical exposure, course work, research, teaching, community work and medical education.  Generally speaking, in year one the fellow will work one ½ day clinic per week with the various Primary Care partners, commence course work towards the graduate degree, assume the role of TA in HKIN 461 and 471 (Prevention of Sports Injuries I and II), start his/her research, and provide team coverage.  As well the Fellow arrange longitudinal electives in Physiotherapy, Orthopaedics, etc.  In year two it is expected that the Fellow  will see own patients, complete research including publishing and presentation, be involved in other electives, and write the CASM exam.  

After an initial period of familiarization with the specific sports oriented history and physical, the Fellow sees, assesses and reviews the cases with one of the primary care physicians.  Ample time is available for discussion.  The year’s program allows for follow-up evaluation of the patients, clearly an important aspect of medical practice.  In second year fellow is expected to function autonomously and informally interacts with supervisor and others at the centre.

What educational resources do fellows have access to (e.g. videos, medline internet searching, cochrane database online, etc)?

By the end of 2002 the John Owen Pavilion (Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre) will have high-speed network connectivity (to date Internet access has been slow and frustrating). The Fellow can also access the UBC Library system, as well as the AMSMC library that contains numerous sports medicine textbooks and journals.  

What audiovisual services do you have available for the fellow?

Digital projector and dedicated laptop for power point presentations; overhead and slide projectors; tv./vcr for viewing videos.  On campus access (thru the Media Group) to photographic, computer imaging/graphics, television and media production services.

Describe the academic activities of the fellow.

Sports Medicine Rounds 1-2 x/month; Sports Med/Radiology Rounds 7 – 8 x /year.  The Fellow is expected to present at the annual Case Studies Conference, at our annual Clinic Retreat and Research Update, at Sports Medicine Rounds and when opportunities arise in the community.  TA???   The Fellow is also involved and presents at the annual PNWEG (Pacific Northwest Exercise Group) conference.

What are the on-call duties of the fellow?

The Fellow provides medical support to an athletic team based in the Vancouver area, (games coverage, physicals, etc.).  In addition, there are opportunities to coordinate or provide medical coverage at an athletic event, e.g. a provincial or national championship or a major road race like the Sun Run (40,000+ runners).  The Fellow may be asked to cover some Varsity sports events and participate in pre-participation physical examinations.

Describe the research responsibilities of the fellow?

Research is an important component of the Fellowship Program.  It is expected that the Fellow will complete an MSc through the School of Human Kinetics to satisfy this requirement.  If the Fellow already has a Master’s degree, he/she may pursue a PhD.  Alternatively to the PhD, the Fellow is expected to be involved in a research project of his/her choice.  The Fellow is expected to publish his/her research in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, and to present the research at the CASM Annual General Meeting.

At any given time there will usually be two individuals, in addition to the Fellow, rotating through the Primary Care Division (2 – 4 weeks each).  Priority for these 2 spots is given to Family Practice Residents and to visiting doctors doing a clinical traineeship.  Most Rheumatology fellows and some Physical Medicine and Radiology residents spend time here as well. Generally speaking, medical students do not rotate through Primary Care.  Orthopaedics and Physiotherapy each have a post-graduate fellow and students in their respective fields rotate through those areas.  The Fellow has no direct supervision or teaching responsibilities of these individuals – however it is felt that the interaction that takes place is beneficial to all.

Please list all associated teaching staff

Primary Care:  Drs. Jack Taunton, Don McKenzie, Rob Lloyd-Smith, Navin Prasad , Karim Khan, Mark Roberts

Orthopaedics:  Drs. Pat McConkey, Bill Regan, Jordan Leith and Bob Hawkins

Physiotherapy:  Trish Hopkins, Ron Mattison and Clyde Smith, Teri Lynn & Scott Fraser

Please list all persons who help supervise the research program (if applicable).

Dr. Don McKenzie is the Director of Research for the Centre.  Depending on the Fellow’s choice of research project, he/she could be supervised by either Dr. McKenzie Dr. Jack Taunton, Director of the AMSMC, or Dr. Karim Khan.

Describe the physical environment (e.g. examination rooms, one-way mirrors, etc) in which the fellow's work?

The Allan McGavin Sports Medicine Centre is located in the middle of the playing fields on the campus of the University of British Columbia.  The “John Owen Pavilion” houses three “divisions”:  Primary Care (reception, doctors’ offices and 8 examining rooms), Orthopaedics (reception, doctors’ offices and 3 examining rooms) and Physiotherapy (reception and a large treatment area), as well as a Physiology Lab.  Common areas include the waiting room, washrooms (include change room and shower), lunchroom and photocopy/fax rooms.  The clinic library is located in the admin. office.  The “John Owen Annex” houses a seminar/meeting room and offices for Physiotherapists, the Fellow and various graduate students/post docs.  Two “satellite clinics”, one at the gym on campus is an extension of the Physio clinic,  and one in the downtown area offers Physio, Massage Therapy, Pilates, Primary Care – with more to come.

What administrative services do you have available for the fellow?

The Centre Administrator schedules the Fellow’s Primary Care clinic rotations in the first year and, of course is available to answer questions, assign keys, fax and photocopy user numbers, etc.  The Primary Care staff schedule patients for the Fellow is his/her second year, facilitate billing and typing services, etc.  Otherwise, the Fellow is responsible for booking rotations outside of the clinic, preparing presentations, managing his/her research project, and all things academic.

What is the role of your fellowship program/clinic within the University?

Sports Medicine is a Division of the Department of Family Practice in the Faculty of Medicine.  Most of our doctors, surgeons and physiotherapists have faculty and clinical appointments in the Department of Family Practice, the School of Human Kinetics or the School of Rehab. Sciences. 

What arrangements do you have with other Departments within the University?

Three of our Primary Care faculty have cross appointments in the Dept. of Family Practice and the School of Human Kinetics, and so in addition to teaching residents, etc.  they teach sports medicine courses/lab offered through the School of Human Kinetics.

How are the fellows evaluated?

Informally and on an on-going basis by supervising doctor.

How do you determine if a fellow has successfully completed the program (i.e. is it just the time spent or is there some formal evaluation)?

The Fellowship Program has been completed when all course work is finished,  MSc. thesis has been defended, published and presented at CASM,  CASM Diploma has been received and finally, upon the subjective approval by the Primary Care partners

What happens when there is a problem with the person taking the fellowship program?

Depending on the nature of the problem, it would be addressed initially by the Clinic/Fellowship Director, or the Fellow’s supervisor, as appropriate.

How are educational objectives updated, and how frequently?

Educational objectives are reviewed annually, usually at our Clinic Retreat.

Describe how fellows evaluate your program.

Evaluation of the program would have to be called “informal”, due to the nature of the structure of the program.  Fellow evaluates course work  at the end of each semester.

Describe how your faculty is evaluated

Tenured faculty are subject to a review every three years, and annually in a meeting with the department head(s).  Departments and the Faculty are subject to external review every 5 years.

What are the strengths of your program?

Five hundred patients/week through Primary Care. Close contact with staff; excellent mentoring  Strong research group.  Three supervisors offer a variety of focus areas, research and supervisory styles, access to different specialties, networks, etc.

Fellow sees more overuse, rather than acute injuries.  Acute injuries more often seen during game or event coverage.  Less structure than other programs, which may, or may not suit the individual.