New Fellow Proficiency and Program Director Expectations in Primary Care Sports Medicine

Background Sports Medicine (SM) fellowship can be pursued after residency in family medicine (FM), emergency medicine (EM), internal medicine (IM), pediatrics (PED), and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). Each specialty uniquely prepares its graduates for a SM fellowship, yet it remains unknown if all specialties are equally prepared and if knowledge or training gaps exist. Methods In 2019–2020, a survey based on the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestones was sent to 175 fellowship program directors (PD) after the first quarter of training. 82 PDs, (47% response) rated their fellows’ skills and expected proficiency. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the median ranks of different specialties. Pairwise comparisons were tested for significant differences with using Bonferroni correction. Differences and overall scores were analyzed using ANOVA. Results Combined milestone analysis showed no overall difference between specialties. Individually, out of the twenty one domains assessed, there were nine significant differences between fellows regarding their proficiency in performing various sports medicine skills and academic requirements. In evaluating the minimal proficiency expectations of the PDs from their current fellows we found three significant differences between specialties. Conclusion There are no overall differences in proficiency between SM fellows from FM, EM, IM, PED, or PM&R.