Sports Medicine

Given our close ties with the University of Notre Dame and our Sports Medicine fellowship, the Family Medicine Residency program attracts a number of applicants interested in pursuing a post-residency life in Sports Medicine.  While some resident physicians may have decided early that they are in pursuit of a Sports Medicine Fellowship position, many resident physicians wish to focus their efforts on obtaining additional Sports Medicine education during their three years of residency without pursuing a fellowship.  For both of those groups of resident physicians, a number of opportunities exist.

Up to seven blocks of elective time can be used to spend in block rotations that will strengthen this interest, with the most obvious being additional time on a Sports Medicine rotation with Dr. Steve Simons and Dr. Chris Jordan, our Sports Medicine Fellowship Directors. Their year-round involvement with several area colleges (including the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, and Bethel College), as well as their own Sports Medicine Clinic, afford ample opportunity for a resident physician to acquire an incredible strength in Sports Medicine knowledge in their three years.

In addition to block rotation, multiple longitudinal experiences exist. These include (but are not limited to) weekly attendance at area sporting events (such as Friday night high school football, Saturday track meets etc.) and sports-related physical examinations that are often times performed in a setting over the course of the year.

Residents who wish to immerse themselves into this area of interest will also be encouraged to participate with Dr. Simons and/or Dr. Jordan in exploring more specific interest (upper extremity, lower extremity, the female athlete, nutritional issues, etc.) as their interests dictate.

There are numerous national medical education conferences that are available, and our faculty will be able to direct you to ones that will benefit you the most. Residents may use their annual CME benefit towards such educational conferences. Several texts and journals will also be recommended to you to become familiar with and use in your educational progression.

For the interested resident, weekly didactic conferences occur through the Sports Medicine Fellowship, and these can be made available to the interested resident physician.