Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship

Dates: July 8 through July 8
Program training director: Jeffrey R. Bytomski, DO
Associated faculty: Blake R. Boggess, DO; Anthony Ceraulo, DO; Luting Eckensweiler, DO, CAQSM; Kenzie Johnston, MD; Stephen Shaheen, MD; Harry C. Stafford, Jr, MD, CSCS, MBA; Rebecca Wadlinger, DO, CAQSM, ATC
Number of fellows: Three (ACGME)

The Duke Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship is a one-year ACGME-accredited program open to physicians who have completed residency training in the fields of family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, or internal medicine.

The purpose of the program is to enable physicians to develop expertise in the area of sports medicine. Essential teaching and administrative skills are emphasized and are developed through the cooperation of many outstanding departments at Duke University Medical Center, including family medicine and community health, orthopaedic surgery, and emergency medicine, as well as the Duke University athletic department. The fellowship is housed within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery sports division, which serves as the primary clinical site. It is ACGME-accredited through the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.

A variety of exceptional educational experiences is offered, and completion of the fellowship offers the privilege of sitting for the Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine.

We have three fellow positions per year:

  • One primary care fellow from either FP, IM, or Peds
  • One dedicated ED position
  • The third fellow each year will take from either of the above categories based on the strength of the applicant pool

Program details

  • Training room and game coverage
    Fellows care for athletes of all levels, high school through professional teams, in various training rooms throughout the year. A team approach to athletic care is emphasized, highlighting the essential aspects of clear communication between physicians, athletic trainers, parents and family, and coaches.

    Training room and game coverages will be supervised throughout the year at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels by sports medicine physicians and orthopaedic surgery attendings. From a Division I perspective, the direct hands-on involvement in Duke Athletics is unprecedented and a rare chance to become familiar with medical decision-making in high-level athletics. During the fall, fellows will cover both Duke and Elon University football, often dividing up home/away coverage experiences. Each fellow will also be responsible for a local Durham high school and work closely with PT/ATC colleagues in caring for high school athletes. In the winter/spring months, fellows will cover both men’s and women’s basketball and men’s lacrosse and have the opportunity to cover additional Olympic sports if interested.

    Fellows work closely with their surgical colleagues, often sharing many coverages and didactic experiences. Fellows will also work closely with the athletic training staff to triage orthopaedic injuries and provide medical coverage for the athletes at the various levels of competition

  • Didactics and conferences
    Sports Medicine Conference is held each Friday morning at 7:00 AM. In this conference, attended by Orthopaedic faculty, Orthopaedic Surgery Residents, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellows, and Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellows, the breadth of Sports Medicine is covered in a “Grand Rounds” model. Additionally, Friday afternoons are protected didactic time specifically for the PCSM fellows. We are constantly working on keeping a didactic curriculum that suits the needs of the fellows. The long-term focus is on CAQ board preparation, but a wide range of topics is covered each afternoon with the participation of both fellows and faculty. We have recently developed a new diagnostic ultrasound-specific didactic curriculum that emphasizes ESSR/AMSSM qualifications for diagnostic ultrasound. In addition to the previously mentioned didactics, fellows will get at least one-half day per month specifically for diagnostic ultrasound didactics. Lastly, on the first Monday of each month, we conduct radiology rounds, where one of our lead MSK radiology attendings offers a 1-hour lecture specific to improving skills within MSK radiology.

  • Mass-participation events
    Historically, the PCSM fellows have been involved in the planning and medical coverage of one to two local endurance events. The events change annually, from marathons to Ironman Competitions to Spartan Races. Fellows will also participate in the coverage of various NCAA and ACC tournaments and events throughout the year as they might occur.

  • Scholarly presentations
    Fellows are expected to present lectures throughout the year to various audiences, including primary care physicians and staff, sports medicine/orthopaedic attendings, and the community. PCSM fellows are responsible for giving one lecture on a topic of choice at the group Friday morning conference “Grand Rounds” throughout the year. We also strive to offer 1-2 introductory MSK lectures to primary care and emergency medicine residents each year to build the “lecture repertoire” for fellows. Fellows are always encouraged to present nationally, including the annual AMSSM and Southeastern ACSM meetings.

  • Research and publications
    Fellows are required to finish one research project. Typically, opportunities to write and publish are available during the fellowship year. Fellows are broadly required to finish one research project throughout the year. While this may sound daunting to some, the institutional support is second to none, with dedicated research faculty helping arrange the logistics of any idea a fellow might have. Projects can be as simple or complicated as each fellow desires, aiming to produce something significant to add to their CV. Each fellow should complete the fellowship with a comfort level understanding of how to pursue the processes of high-quality MSK research should they be interested down the road.

  • Training room/call
    There is no formal call for fellows; however, fellows should be available to attendings and athletic trainers, particularly for direct patient care. The program director will strictly enforce the 80-hour work week and mandatory 24-hour "off-call" periods.

    Duke training rooms are held two evenings per week (each often lasting 30-60 minutes), and are divided amongst the three fellows.

  • ACLS/BCLS certification
    Fellows are required to have current ACLS/BCLS certification before rotations begin.
     
  • CAQ examination
    Fellows in good standing may sit for the CAQ examination after the fellowship year.

Rotations

Our curriculum is unique because there is no ‘block’ type schedule; instead, we offer a progressive rolling curriculum. Functionally, this means rather than having one month of hand/upper extremity, each fellow will work with each subspecialty attending several times per month. This provides a longitudinal learning environment that improves retention and overall knowledge development. Additionally, our specific time allotments are flexible – this means if a fellow wants more time with PCSM faculty or more time with Foot/Ankle – we can tailor schedules as the year goes on to individual needs.

  • Primary care sports medicine (PCSM)
    Certainly, the largest portion of fellow time will be spent with PCSM faculty, often approaching 50% of clinical time. This will rotate between faculty, and each fellow spends weekly time with each core faculty. Clinics at the Duke Sports Sciences Institute involve acute and chronic care of musculoskeletal injuries and medical issues in athletes. Each clinic will offer a mix of urgent/fracture care, sports injuries, dedicated procedure visits, and imaging reviews. We have a particularly good mix of age variety, with some clinics offering a large volume of pediatric fracture care.

  • Ultrasound
    Ultrasound is a key component of all PCSM faculty clinics. Dr. Blake Boggess anchors the ultrasound curriculum at Duke SM. Each fellow averages about one clinic per week with Dr. Boggess learning advanced diagnostic and interventional skills using MSK ultrasound. There is also expected involvement in participating in and teaching ultrasound courses locally and regionally during fellowship tenure. Also, as noted above, we have a specifically developed diagnostic ultrasound training curriculum offering fellows a separate, protected didactic session monthly. Additionally, work is done to arrange industry-based training with special procedures such as Tenex or stem cell injection therapy. Procedure volume is not an issue within our fellowship. Training will include a wide range of ultrasound-based procedures, including aspiration/injection of any joint, a variety of tendon sheath and bursal injections, peripheral nerve hydro dissections, percutaneous tenotomy, Platelet Rich Plasma injections, both Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell as well as BMAC.

  • Radiology
    One of the longitudinal rotations involves spending time with radiology in the MSK reading room. Additionally, we have monthly radiology grand rounds, as listed above. One of the focuses of this fellowship is to ensure adequate radiology skills for a sports physician to interpret his/her images upon completion of training.

  • Orthopaedics
    Fellows rotate on a longitudinal basis through the various specialties of orthopaedics, with faculty at the top of their respective fields nationally. Rotations available include:

    • Surgical sports medicine
    • Hand and upper extremities
    • Foot and ankle
    • Hip arthroscopy
    • Non-operative spine (PM&R and orthopaedics)
    • Pediatrics

  • Continuity Experiences
    Fellows spend at least one half-day in their primary care specialty per week. The FM fellow(s) see walk-in urgent care at the family medicine center for one half-day session per week, and the EM fellow(s) attend the Duke ER for one 8-hour shift per week.

Benefits

  • Stipend
    Fellows are paid at the PGY4 level. See current stipend amounts.

  • Vacation/Leave Benefits

    • Trainees eligible for DUHS parental leave policy (6 weeks paid leave)
    • GME-specific policy for medical illness or caregiver leave
    • 20 paid vacation days per year
    • Eight paid days for acute illness, bereavement
    • Two paid days for scheduled medical/dental appointments

  • Conferences
    Time off and paid expenses for AMSSM Advanced Team Physician Course, AMSSM Fellows Conference, AMSSM National Meeting, and Duke Sports Cardiology Conference

  • Health insurance
    Various health and dental plans are available through the Duke University Health System. Health benefits are paid for the trainee, but spouses and dependents are an extra premium.  

  • Lab coats, prescription pads, parking
    The house staff office provides free lab coats, prescription pads, and parking permits.

How to apply

Accepting applications: Annual dates per ERAS/NRMP Schedule

Match participation: NRMP

ACGME program number: 1273613065

Application deadline: September  

We accept the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application only. Documents that can’t be submitted through ERAS should be emailed directly to Susan Fuller.

We typically hold three separate interview dates in October and November each year.

What you’ll need

  • ERAS application (includes a photograph and three letters of recommendation)
  • Letter from program director regarding graduation status or diploma for completion of residency
  • Formal CV with documentation to verify presentations and publications
  • Verification of USMLE/COMPLEX scores

Contact Us

As with everything in medicine, things are always evolving. We try to keep this page as up-to-date as possible, but it serves only as a guide to the Duke Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship. Actual requirements may change.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Susan Fuller.