What is sports medicine?
Sports medicine refers to all individuals who work to keep active individuals healthy. Different sports medicine careers include people of all ages and abilities, from people who participate recreationally to stay active, to those who are competing with collegiate, professional, and national level organizations.
Sports medicine providers generally work as a team and often include physicians, athletic trainers, and physical therapists. In many settings, other specialties like dentists, ophthalmologists, sports psychologists, nutrition specialists, massage therapists and acupuncturists are also included on the sports medicine team. The MS in sports medicine program at UWS is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of first-professional health care providers to be able to offer evidence based, individualized care to their patients.
Specialization
The MS in sports medicine is designed for health care providers seeking specialization to better work with athletes and active populations. This education and degree allow for opportunities in the sports industry and enhance a provider’s skills, knowledge, and marketability to athletic populations. They supplement the provider’s existing base skills and knowledge of musculoskeletal care.
The MS in sports medicine degree builds upon already existing knowledge of core sports medicine content areas to go above and beyond basic sports medicine career requirements. Please note, that the MS in sports medicine program does NOT grant professional licensure or professional certification of any kind at a state, provincial, or national level. Students and graduates of the sports medicine program who want to pursue their sports medicine career are advised to contact their local, state, provincial, or national governing entity to determine what skills and scope-of-practice requirements are legal under the student or provider’s scope of practice.
Qualified Exams and Credentials
Sports medicine program graduates may be eligible to work toward various post-graduate exams and certifications. Please note that these are dependent on each provider’s profession, and while the coursework is designed to align with these degrees, the attainment of an MS in sports medicine degree does not guarantee or grant any credential beyond their degree and an optional CPR/AED certification. Different sports medicine careers require different certifications.
CPR and AED Certification:
Students may choose to gain or renew their CPR/AED Certification during the program. A current CPR/AED credential is required to be current when enrolled in practicum courses. Students will be required to submit verifications of current CPR/AED certification prior to enrollment of any practicum courses.
***Please note the credential must have a hands-on teaching and testing component. “Online Only” CPR/AED credentials will not satisfy this requirement, as these are generally not accepted to maintain professional licensure/certification status.
Sports Medicine Certification for Chiropractic Physicians:
Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician exam (CCSP®)
The Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP®) certification requires post-graduate education in chiropractic sports medicine.
Graduates of the sports medicine program are eligible to sit for the Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician examination (CCSP). This is a specialized credential within the field of chiropractic medicine for those pursuing a chiropractic sports medicine residency that sets competency standards to treat athletes and active individuals. Without the master’s degree, one year of additional coursework is required before you are eligible to take the exam.
Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians exam (DACBSP)
The Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP®) certification requires successful completion of a written exam, a six-station practical exam, a written project, and 100 hours of practical experience in the field.
A licensed doctor of chiropractic who satisfies one of the following, and are able to provide official documentation demonstrating such, is eligible to sit the DACBSP® examination:
- Active Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician/Practitioner® (CCSP®) with completion of a minimum of 200 hours postgraduate education in the DACBSP® Program, from an accredited chiropractic college.
- Active Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician/Practitioner® (CCSP®) with completion of a Master of Science (MS) degree in an equivalent program in the domain of sports medicine.
- Completion of a sports medicine residency program in its entirety.
International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS)/ Internationally Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (ICCSP) Diploma
The Internationally Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (ICCSP) certification is designed by the Federation Internationale de Chiropratique du Sport (FICS) as a certification course to set an appropriate minimum standard in theoretical and practical sports chiropractic education for chiropractors wanting to develop special competence in the field of sports chiropractic and to be qualified to serve on FICS teams or teams selected with assistance from FICS at international events.
The ICCSP program is a postgraduate certification program for those interested in a career in sports medicine with a primary interest in chiropractic therapy, with a combination of distance learning (eLS) and two weekend seminars (hand-on modules). The faculty for the seminars consists of internationally prominent sports chiropractors with extensive experience in treating athletes at international sporting events.
Sports Medicine Careers
A master’s degree in sports medicine is for health care professionals who desire a specialty practice working with athletes and active persons, or for those wishing to build upon their knowledge base to better provide care for their active patients. Focusing on injury prevention and treatment among athletes of all divisions and ages is the crucial heart of working in the field of sports medicine, especially as a graduate with a master’s in science. But the skills one learns when earning an MS in sports medicine can apply to a variety of interpersonal health care-related jobs as well, such as being a physician assistant, a nutritionist, an exercise physiologist, or many others.
A sports medicine degree can provide opportunities to work in various sports-related settings where practitioners can apply their expertise in athletic betterment to help others in a variety of settings.
Whether working in education, the health care system, private practice, or elsewhere, an MS in sports medicine can open the door to an esteemed and high-achieving career in sports medicine.