Case-study
Case study one: Dr A.R.- SEM ST4
I chose to follow a career in SEM while still at
medical school. The opportunity to enter specialist training
in SEM arose while I was a surgical trainee and required me to
change to a General Internal Medicine training programme and start
again at ST1 level. My interest in sport came from playing
rugby for many years and being asked many questions of my team
mates as a medical student to which I didn’t have the
answers. Interestingly other doctors didn’t seem to have all
the answers either and from that point on I developed an interest
in musculoskeletal and sports injuries.
Having almost completed 2 years of SEM training,
I have been through a variety of specialites including general
practice, public health, orthopaedics and emergency medicine.
This type of training gives a good general base with future years
more focused on sports medicine specifically. Being the first
and only trainee in SEM in my area, I have to take responsibility
for my own training goals within each speciality I work in.
This is both challenging and rewarding. SEM brings with it
many varied opportunities not available in the average medical job
and I have had the opportunity to work in many specialities within
the NHS and be involved in many sports from boxing to horse racing
and ice hockey.
From a personal point of view, I have a great
interest and enthuasiasm for musculoskeletal injuries and feel that
SEM has the potential to greatly benefit the treatment of
conditions that are often ignored or avoided by other
specialities. Exercise medicine is an area of SEM under
development that is widely under-valued by health care
professionals at present despite a wealth of evidence. The
health benefits of exercise are massive and if fully appreciated,
could make an enormous difference to the health and quality of life
of both individuals and populations.
As a trainee in SEM, you need to be motivated
and enthuasiastic and it is a career that carries fantastic
opportunities but significant uncertainty over future
employment. Opportunities for training and research are
growing daily and will increase in the approach to the London 2012
Olympics but again be prepared to fund some of these
yourself. This is the perfect time to get involved in this
new and exciting specialty.
Case study two: Dr C.C.- SEM ST4
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted a
career in medicine. This made my choices at school relatively easy.
While friends were debating what subjects to pick for GCSE or
A-Level, I knew exactly what to do, and what grades were required.
With a keen, active interest in sports such as judo, football and
Gaelic football, it was only natural that I would be interested in
pursuing a career in sports medicine. In the early stages of
medical school this seemed like an unrealistic goal, with sports
medicine appearing to be an unattainable, ‘glamorous’ career. It
wasn’t until I undertook a Special Study Modules in Sport and
Exercise medicine (SEM) that I became aware of just how much the
specialty had to offer. There was more to SEM than just running
onto the pitch on a Saturday afternoon!
At this point, I decided to focus on a career
in SEM. As an undergraduate, I successfully applied to do a
Research Internship at NISMAT (Nicholas Institute of Sports
Medicine and Athletic Trauma) in New York during the summer between
3rd and 4th year of my medical degree. This gave me my first
experience of research and emphasised the importance of practicing
evidence-based sports medicine.
By the time I had completed my PRHO year, SEM
was still not a recognised specialty in the UK. I decided to travel
to Australia to get more experience in relevant specialties, with a
view to entering the Australian SEM training programme. I worked in
Emergency medicine, Orthopaedics and ICU. During this year, SEM
received recognition as a medical specialty in the UK and the first
cohort of StRs were enrolled, so I decided to return to the UK to
pursue a career at home.
To gain further experience, I took a year out
of work and undertook a full-time MSc in SEM. This was a fantastic
way to increase my knowledge of the specialty and allowed me to
carry out my own research. Following this, I completed 2 years of
Core Medical Training (CMT). I was lucky in securing placements in
Rheumatology and Cardiology. Throughout this time, I was also
actively involved in medical cover for a variety of sports teams
and sporting events.
After completing CMT, I obtained a training
post in SEM. I am now into my second year of specialist training
and have worked in Public health, GP, A&E and Orthopaedics. In
all of my posts I have been supernumerary to the rota. This means
the focus is much more on training rather than service provision.
It also means no more on-calls! It takes a while to get used to the
basic salary – but the quality of life more than makes up for it!
It also frees up more time to dedicate to team and event cover,
which often occur at the weekends.
I couldn’t recommend the specialty highly
enough. The training opportunities and variety of experiences
afforded to us are unmatched by any other specialty. I believe that
as experts in musculoskeletal medicine, we are perfectly placed to
deal not only with sport-related injuries, but also to relieve the
pressure on orthopaedic surgeons, as the majority of conditions
seen in outpatients can usually be managed conservatively. It has
been stated that physical inactivity is the major public health
disaster of our generation. The benefits of regular physical
activity cover almost all chronic diseases and we are also ideally
placed to safely prescribe exercise for primary and secondary
prevention of disease. We will also have a role in education of our
colleagues and undergraduate students on the importance of regular
physical activity and how best to encourage people to be more
active.
When people ask for my advice on how to get
involved in SEM, I always recommend getting involved in as many
aspect of sports medicine or exercise medicine as possible. Get
exposure to as many sports as possible, working with athletes of
all levels and ages. Make it clear by your CV that SEM is
unquestionably what you want to do. You will need to be motivated
and pro-active in your training as much of the experience you
require will not be available in the traditional hospital setting.
I would also advise attending the BASEM annual congress and taking
the faculty diploma in SEM through FSEM(UK).
Where exactly the future of an SEM consultant
lies remains uncertain at present. However, I believe that the
skills we have to offer and the numerous opportunities available
mean exciting times lie ahead!
Please note the content and
opinions expressed in all case studies are those of the writer and
do not necessarily reflect the views of www.medicalcareers.nhs.uk
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