Suggested Curricular Guidelines for Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine in Family Medicine Residency Training

Abstract

Patients often seek care from a family physician when they have a musculoskeletal injury or sport-related ailment. Family physicians must be adequately trained to provide this care. While general guidance is provided by the Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) it is left up to the individual programs to develop, implement, and execute their orthopedic and sports medicine curriculums. The American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) Recommended Curriculum Guideline for Family Medicine Residents - Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine provides a basic outline format for curriculum content and reference resources. The aim of this article is to elaborate on those training requirements and help programs to develop a curriculum implementation plan that will deliver a baseline level of competence for family medicine trainees.