Sports Medicine

It's that time again - the beginning of another clerkship. This 4-week rotation is in the field of Sports Medicine.

In undergrad, I studied exercise science because I was interested in the interplay of exercise physiology on body processes. I also wanted to learn more about fitness and nutrition, as well as the physics behind movement and sport. I would say that I received a pretty good education, and I'm so glad that I majored in something other than "biology/pre-med" or "biology and chemistry". Believe me, I took more than my fair share of biology and chemistry classes (including the required gen bio 1 and 2, gen chem 1 and 2, ochem 1 and 2, as well as ones that I took "for fun" like biochem 1 and 2, molecular genetics, and cancer biology among others - enough to get a minor degree in both). But the great thing about doing a degree outside of biology is that I have knowledge in something that most of my peers don't, yet I possess an adequate knowledge of the basic sciences required of a physician. The best of both worlds. And I got to perform cool exercise testing and biomechanics exams - which was awesome. My classmates were all approachable and could hold a good conversation, which you don't always get to do in the chemistry lab. And I got to dissect a cadaver as an undergrad - something which virtually none of my classmates had exposure to prior to first year of med school.

So that brings us to why I decided a month of sports medicine might be fun. And I hope that I'm not disappointed. I'll be working with a variety of physicians and members of the health care team over the next several weeks, and I am so excited to participate in athletic activities as part of the team's doctors. I'm actually going to be assisting with minor league hockey and high school sports - which is going to be a lot of fun. I think I'm going to learn a lot of practical stuff this month, and hopefully get to do a few things as well (fingers crossed that I get to give a few cortisone injections before my time on sports medicine ends!).

All this while I'm training for my first half marathon in January (oh and also squeezing in those interviews). It's gonna be a crazy few weeks! :)