More than 40% of cases by early career sports medicine surgeons are outside the specialty
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Early career sports medicine surgeons should expect to perform general, trauma and adult reconstruction cases, as results showed this surgeon population will perform more than 40% of their cases outside of the sports medicine specialty.
Using the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery Part-II case list database, Paul M. Inclan, MD, and colleagues analyzed the practice patterns of 3,298 early career surgeons who completed a sports medicine fellowship between Jan. 1, 2003, and Jan. 1, 2020.
According to the study, researchers recorded annual and overall procedure volumes, candidate case mix, as well as trends in the frequency of cases performed and fellowship training patterns.
Among the 100.6 cases submitted by these early career surgeons during the 6-month case collection period, 58.6% were sports medicine or arthroscopy cases (n = 59). Trauma or general procedures accounted for 29.1% of cases; adult reconstruction procedures accounted for 4.5% of cases; and “other” procedures accounted for 7.8% of cases. Inclan and colleagues also noted the proportion of sports medicine or arthroscopy cases did not change during the study period, despite surgeons performing fewer total and sports medicine or arthroscopy cases during the study period.
Among the 333 surgeons (10.1%) who reported dual fellowship training, the number of candidates who pursued additional fellowship training in pediatrics and adult reconstruction increased, while the number of candidates who pursued additional fellowship training in trauma decreased during the study period.
“Early career sports medicine surgeons should expect to perform a substantial volume of general, trauma and adult reconstruction cases, thereby entering a generalist practice with an emphasis on sports medicine,” Inclan and colleagues wrote in the study. “As such, trainees entering sports medicine should develop a strong foundation during rotations in these subspecialties throughout their orthopedic residency. Moreover, recognizing the practice demands of early career sports surgeons, fellowship directors may consider the value of adult reconstruction and/or trauma exposure.”
Perspective
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The authors should be commended for performing a large-scale analysis of about 3,300 [American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery] Part II applicants. The findings of this study mirror a concept that many sports medicine surgeons have experienced when building a practice. Although this research demonstrates the tremendous value that sports medicine physicians provide in taking care of the community, it is important to further study how a sports medicine surgeon’s case mix matures over time. A surgeon’s case mix, in my opinion, is one of the leading factors that determines whether a young surgeon changes jobs. Better understanding of case mix trends could provide career guidance to younger surgeons and actionable data to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Association of North America so we can ensure sports medicine surgeons are meeting their career goals while optimizing education.
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