A sports medicine doctor is a doctor who has graduated medical school and has decided to focus on sports medicine. Many of these doctors specialize in orthopedics, allowing them to treat many other patients besides athletes. Students must obtain the same training as any other doctor. This means that you will need a four-year premed degree. Once you obtain this degree, you will have to pass the Medical College Admissions Test, followed by four years of medical school, two years of residency and three to five years of fellowship. Certification is the final step. Meeting all of these requirements will mean that your sports medicine degree may take anywhere from 12 to 15 years to complete.
Residency is where you will determine whether or not you wish to specialize in non-surgical sports medicine or orthopedic surgery. An internship with an athletic team, sports association or an athletic medicine-focused hospital provides a potential sports medicine doctor with the knowledge and experience needed to perform well while completing residency.
In a fellowship, you will spend the majority of your time learning about sports injuries. These fellowships last two years. Those who choose orthopedic surgery, however, spend five years in a fellowship assisting surgeons.
Because the care of athletes goes beyond joints, muscles and bones, to complete a sports medicine degree you will be required to take the following classes in conjunction with your medical science courses:
Cardiac rehabilitation
General radiology
Orthopedic surgical technique
Sports medicine is also known as exercise science. This is a broad discipline and there are many areas of study and specialty fields. There are many options for students as well as educational requirements. If you are considering specializing in sports medicine you may want to volunteer in a sports medicine clinic while still in high school in an attempt to find the area in which you feel you would be best suited. If you are out of high school, it may be possible to volunteer at a nearby university that has a sports med department.