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Diversity of the NFL in the Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative

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Q: What is the diversity of the NFL in the Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative?

A: The National Football League (NFL), NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS), and Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) are committed to increasing the diversity of sports medicine and providing sports to medical students from a variety of backgrounds. We have developed a new program that encourages you to consider it. Medical career. Known as the “NFL Diversity in the Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative,” the project will collaborate with four HBCU Schools of Medicine (Charles R. Drew School of Medicine, Howard University School of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Mehary School of Medicine). ) Identify and select students to perform clinical rotations in the NFL club to expose them to the NFL team’s medical staff.

Eight NFL clubs were selected and accepted a total of 16 HBCU medical students in a one-month rotation in September 2022 or October 2022. Each NFL club (Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, LA Chargers, LA Rams, NY Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders) accepts a total of two medical students. One is interested in primary care / sports medicine and the other is interested in orthopedics.

During this rotation, students observe and participate in the care of sports medicine patients in the NFL club setting. Students work directly with orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians, and athletic trainers to gain basic medical knowledge and exposure to patient care in sports medicine under their supervision. In addition, students will be familiar with NFL athlete return-to-play guidelines and field treatment considerations. Students may also have the opportunity to participate in home games and stand by for observation. By the end of the rotation, students will understand the basic elements of all aspects of care provided to professional NFL athletes in terms of orthopedics, primary care sports medicine, and exercise training.

Q: Which medical school is involved?

A: This project will collaborate with four HBCU Medical Colleges: Charles R. Drew Medical College, Howard University School of Medicine, Morehouse Medical College, and Meharry Medical College.

Q: Which NFL club are you involved in?

A: Eight NFL clubs from the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, LA Chargers, LA Rams, NY Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders will participate in the first year of the 2022 NFL Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative. doing. From 2023, we plan to increase the number of clubs that accept students.

Q: Q: Why are the NFL, NFLPS, and PFATS launching this initiative?

A: We know that diversity makes us stronger. It is well established in the scientific and medical literature that diverse medical staff can improve patient outcomes, and our organization is committed to providing players with world-class care. This initiative is part of a long-term effort to broaden the pipeline of diverse healthcare professionals entering the field of sports medicine.

Black medical students make up only 7.3% of the total population of medical schools in the United States, according to a study investigating the diversity of the medical student population. This is a much lower number than 13.4, with an increase of less than 1% over the last 40 years. Percentage of the black population in the United States.

According to NFLPS, 86% of memberships are white, 8% are Asian, 5% are black and 1% are Hispanic. According to PFATS, 65% of memberships are white, 23% are black, 8% are Hispanic, and 4% are Asian.

Q: Who do medical students work with during clinical rotation?

A: Students work directly with orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians, athletic trainers, and other members of the club’s medical staff to expose basic medical knowledge and sports medicine to patient care. To learn.

Q: How are students selected?

A: A: Each school has its own criteria for identifying students to participate in the program.

Q: Do you have any plans to create a similar program to interact with other underrated groups in the NFL medical community?

A: Yes. The first season of this program focuses on providing black medical students with exposure to a career in sports medicine, while the NFL, NFLPS, and PFATS are of other colored races and women in the coming season. We will also work to expand the sports medicine pipeline for this purpose.

In addition, the expansion of this pipeline initiative in 2023 extends beyond primary care sports medicine and orthopedics. Some of the roles that may be included are physician assistants, certified athletic trainers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians, and behavioral health clinicians.

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