How to become a sports medicine physician?

Suggested route to become a sports medicine physician? ?

• I'm in grade 11 and I want to go into sports medicine. I don't necessarily want to work with a sports team, I just want to treat sports-related injuries. I live in Toronto, ON. Which university/college should I go to and what courses should I take? Basically, what do I do in the next 15 years?

• Answer:

  The competitive (hard) part is getting accepted into a medical school. Once you are in medical school, becoming a sports medicine physician is not as competitive as many other specialties (like Plastic Surgery, Dermatology, or Anesthesiology). Ok here is your life for the next 15 years (well, 12 to 13, but its not as bad as it seems, and if you enjoy it it will be fun): Bachelors of Science (in any subject, Physiology or Sports Physiology are good, but any degree that meets the minimum med school requirements of general chemistry, organic chemistry, 1 year biology, 1 year English, 1 year mathematics, 1 year physics, might be a couple others I'm forgetting). Any university is fine (GPA is more important than university, honestly) but preferably from a top-tier (top 50) university. Attending a research university, and doing some type of research into physio or sports physio would also look good. Medical Schools. Same 4 years as everybody. Trick to getting in is writing a good essay, having good letters of recommendation, and applying BROADLY (to many, many med schools). Also, US has more med schools in Canada, so apply in US as well. US has MD or DO medical schools, which vary only slightly in training (DOs have additional training in osteopathic manipulation, which is like Physical Therapy training). It doesn't matter which type of medical school you attend, DOs are known for being good at sports medicine type stuff. Internal Medicine residency (some people do Family Practice, which is also 3 years). 3 years of being a resident (a physician training program). You are paid during this time, but you will make much more when you finish your residency. Sports Medicine fellowship. A 1 to 2 year program taken after you complete your Internal Med residency. Some people take it immediately after, sometimes people take a break and work for a while then come back and do this fellowship. Having done your undergrad Bachelors of Science in a physio or sports physio, you will have an advantage showing that you were interested in sports physio for a long time. My strongest advice is to shadow a Sports Medicine physician as soon as possible. Follow them for a day in their job. There are a number of reasons why: 1) to see if you really are interested in that field, 2) to start networking and meet physicians in that field, 3) maybe if you really get along with that doc, and shadow them for a long time, you can ask for a letter of recommendation before applying to med school and/or sports medicine fellowship. Good luck!