Sport and Exercise Medicine - Sports Medicine Specialty Training Program

Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) was recognised by the Federal Government as an independent specialty in Australia, in May 2007. Recognition (or Vocational Registration) in New Zealand was attained in 1999. The ACSP is currently seeking accreditation as the approved provider of training and assessment and is optimistic that this will be finalized by the end of 2008.

There are many exciting opportunities when considering a career in Sport and Exercise Medicine. Sport and Exercise Medicine involves the care of people who exercise at all levels and of all ages. It encompasses a broad range of skills from management of acute or chronic exercise related injuries, the management of medical problems associated with sport and exercise, doping related issues, as well as exercise prescription for both healthy people and those suffering from chronic illness. Team care, at both an elite and community level and which may involve on-field management, touring with team and administrative work, is commonly performed by Sport and Exercise Medicine Physicians (SEM Physicians) who are Fellows of Australasian College of Sports Physicians (ACSP). This is a very rewarding, ‘hands on’ specialty.

Sport and Exercise Medicine

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Comments (1)

As a sports physician I can confirm that this is a very rewarding career. I enjoy my practice and have a great balance of clinical physician (non-procedural) work, team coverage and research. I did my training with the ACSP full-time from 1992 to 1996 inclusive and am very happy with this choice.

Unfortunately in Australia the training program has a few issues primarily due to the ridiculous delay in recognising sports physicians as specialists (which still, at August 2008, hasn't happened in Australia). There has been an application for recognition of the training program on the table since I started in 1992 which still hasn't happened. Our successive governments, supported by inaction from the AMA, have managed to constantly delay assessment of the training program.

Hopefully it will be assessed by 2009 and then registrars can have guaranteed provider numbers and the ACSP can actually apply for funding to administer the training. When and if this happens the training program will hopefully be without any major hassles. At the moment there is still the potential headache for prospective trainees of not knowing for certain that the training is accepted as being of specialty standard. This is through no fault of the ACSP but because of political stonewalling over the last 15 years.

Posted by John Orchard | August 20, 2008 9:56 AM

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Last modified: May 22, 2008 8:53 AM

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