The Impact of COVID-19 on the Sports Medicine Fellowship Class of 2020

Abstract

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many US health systems suspended elective surgery at the recommendation of the US Surgeon General. This dramatically decreased case volumes for orthopaedic sports medicine fellows at academic institutions. Purpose: To describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of the sports medicine fellowship class of 2020 as well as the subsequent effects on their career plans and psychological well-being. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A 33-item survey was distributed via email to all American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) 2020 fellow members on April 22, 2020. Frequencies are presented as raw totals and percentages of respondents. The Fisher exact test was used to determine statistical significance between nominal variables, with significance set at P