Certified Athletic Training Fellowship
The Emory Sports Medicine Center — Ossur has one of only a few fellowship programs for certified athletic trainers (ATC) in the country. A 12-month fellowship has been created for certified athletic trainers to work directly with the highly respected physicians and staff at the Emory Sports Medicine Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and be trained as Physician Extenders. The goals of the fellowship are:
- To expose the ATC to treatment methods and protocols at the highly established Emory Sports Medicine Center, within the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center.
- Provide educational opportunities regarding leading surgical and rehabilitation techniques.
- Advance knowledge in the field through participation in orthopaedic research.
- Become an NBCOT Certified Orthopaedic Technologist and be able to scrub and assist the physician in the operating room and learn casting and bracing techniques.
- To expose the ATC to review and understanding radiographic findings with help and education from staff radiologists.
The fellowship will provide the following opportunities:
- Daily contact with Sports Medicine Center physicians. Under physician supervision, ATC fellows will perform clinical and scientific evaluation and treatment of sports medicine and complex musculo-skeletal injuries. Management of patient flow, giving pre-op and post-op instructions, take initial medical history and perform physical exams on patients.
- After obtaining the Orthopaedic Tech Certification, ATCs will be able to assist during surgery, including scrubbing, prepping and draping of patients, retracting tissue, preparation of harvested grafts, and suturing.
- Access to the Emory clinical database and library for personal use in completing research.
- Participation in biweekly Emory Sports Medicine Center (ESMC) journal club and symposiums, cadaver education with Emory School of Medicine, and appropriate Grand Rounds at the Emory Orthopaedic & Spine Center.
- Participation in any other orthopaedic meetings and conferences held throughout the Emory Healthcare system.
- Working side by side with staff radiologists to better understand radiographic studies.
- Opportunities to work and travel with United States Soccer teams and U.S. Ski teams.
- Exposure to Emory Physical Therapy and rehabilitation concepts at every step of the treatment process.
Requirements for the Athletic Training Fellow:
- Commitment to provide first-class orthopaedic care to patients as a physician extender in the clinical setting.
- A strong desire to learn and grow within the field of Sports Medicine.
- The fellow will uphold and abide by the highest standard of professionalism during the fellowship.
- Assistance with athletic training coverage of sporting events and teams from various University settings within the Atlanta metropolitan area, to which our clinical physicians provide medical support.
General description of the Athletic Training Fellowship Program:
The Emory Athletic Training Fellowship, sponsored by Ossur America, is a one-year position starting the fourth week of June and concluding the first week of July the following year. There is a $27,000 stipend for the position, which also includes full medical and dental benefits. The athletic training fellowship consists of clinical and OR responsibilities with possible outreach opportunities with United States national team coverage. The ATC fellow will rotate between three surgeons and a group of non-operative physicians on a monthly basis. Once state licensed and certified as an Orthopaedic Technologist, the fellows will follow our OR skills curriculum and learn operating room skills from sterile techniques to assisting the physician with patient positioning, positioning of the arthroscopic camera, tissue retraction, suturing, and sizing and preparation of previously harvested grafts. Other responsibilities will include conducting and presenting research, and working closely with staff radiologists to understand and interpret imaging studies. There are also opportunities to work with Emory Physical Therapy to understand step-by-step clinical rehabilitation, and a variety of PRN outreach opportunities working with local high school and collegiate athletics for additional pay.
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Clinical responsibilities:
The athletic training fellowship is primarily a clinical fellowship. ATC responsibilities will include working clinically with our sub-specialized surgeons, John Xerogeanes MD, Sameh Labib MD, Spero Karas MD, and assisting our non-operative group of physicians. As an athletic training fellow, you will rotate monthly with one of the surgeons and learn the specific responsibilities of each practice and the variety of patient care needed for each physician. The athletic trainer will also work with the Emory ACGME-accredited Orthopaedic residency program physicians and other medical professionals in the Emory Health Care system. It is the ATC fellow's responsibility to provide the ortho-resident or attending physician with a full history, physical exam and any pertinent information about the patient before the physician enters the room.
The ATC fellow will be the first and last person that the patient encounters while visiting the Emory Sports Medicine Center, so he or she will have a pivotal role in day-to-day operations within the Center.
Duties of each practice will differ according to the specialty of each physician. But the overall job duties will include becoming proficient in tasks such as: taking a thorough patient history, performing special tests for the injury, patient education, pre- and post-operative instructions and care, always providing first-class care to patients, and being the liaison between the physician and the patient. ATCs will also be responsible for ordering and understanding plain X-ray films, MRIs, CTs and any other ancillary studies, and will also be proficient in bracing, casting, and using the IDX patient information system.
The ATC fellow will also learn the "ins and outs" of the surgical suite. Once the ATC fellow has obtained his or her Georgia state licensure and has been certified as an orthopaedic technologist (please contact us for information or visit www.nbcot.net), the fellow will be able to start the operating room portion of the training. The operating room program will consist of a step-by-step approach to learning gowning, gloving, and sterile techniques; acquiring knowledge of instruments for the varied procedures; assisting the surgeon with patient positioning, prepping and draping; assisting the surgeon with tissue retraction; suctioning; positioning the laparoscopic camera; and sizing and preparation of the previously harvested graft tissue.
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How to apply for the Athletic Training Fellowship Program:
Qualifications:
- Current NATA BOC Certified
- Minimum of Master's Degree
- CPR certified
- Georgia State Licensure, or in application process
- Orthopaedic Tech Certification by NBCOT, or in application process
Please send resume, cover letter and three letters of recommendation to:
Forrest Pecha MS, ATC/L, OTC, CSCS
Director of Athletic Training Services
Emory Sports Medicine
59 Executive Park South, Suite #1000
Atlanta, GA 30329
Applications are accepted from January 1 through April 1 each year.
If there are any questions regarding the program, feel free to contact Forrest Pecha MS, ATC, LAT, CSCS, OTC at (404) 778-7176 or e-mail at Forrest_Pecha@emoryhealthcare.org
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