This E-letter is in response to The role of the sports and exercise medicine physician in the National Health Service: a questionnaire-based survey Abstract | Full Article

I would like to thank P O’Halloran for conducting this survey. One of the results which strikes clearly is the need for training in Orthopaedics by all the participants ( 85% of all participants) [Figure 1, page 1145 (1)] This is something which I have felt for a long time as most of the injuries are seen by Orthopaedics in UK including tendinosis and their treatments.

The irony is that criteria for SEM Entry does not state or give any preference to those with any or some Orthopaedics experience. One would think that Orthopaedics experience would be handy and mutually symbiotic for SEM as this study proves.

I can tell from my personal experience from earlier this year trying to apply for SEM posts that I did not fulfill the criteria to apply for the SEM posts although I had SEM diploma and vast Orthopaedics experience.

I am pleased to find that Prof Maffuli is an author on this paper. I hope that he will be able to plead the case for those with Orthopaedics experience and SEM Qualifications. Doctors interested in SEM with surgical experience should not be seen as threat and should be encouraged to become part of the SEM fraternity. This will not help make this speciality more interesting.

Turab A. Syed
Registrar Trauma & Orthopaedics cum Sports Doctor
Milton Keynes Foundation Hospital NHS Trust

References

1: The role of the sports and exercise medicine physician in the National Health Service: a questionnaire-based survey: P O Halloran, V Tzortziou Brown, K Morgan, N Maffulli, M Perry, and D Morrissey Br. J. Sports Med. 2009 43:1143-1148; doi:10.1136/bjsm.2009.064972

Conflict of Interest: Orthopaedic Registrar with SEM Diploma hoping to get recognition in SEM Field