September 17, 2018 - TCO
Grand Rounds offers sports medicine community a chance to learn, connect
Weekly from September to May, possibly while most of the Twin Cities is experiencing that first big post-sleep yawn-stretch, members of the sports medicine community are wide-awake, eager to learn from one of their contemporaries.
The Fairview Sports Medicine Grand Rounds series at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina offers experts working in sports medicine a chance to learn about the most-current procedures and treatment options related to the care of athletes and active individuals.
The Wednesday morning Grand Rounds allow the audience of orthopedic surgeons, primary care sports medicine physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors and other sports medicine health care professionals to have an open dialogue. Each hour-long presentation is capped off by a room-wide Q&A session that can be just as captivating and informative as the lecture that preceded it.
“This diverse audience provides an opportunity for a broad-based sports medicine discussion after a high-quality sports medicine lecture given by local experts in the field,” Chris Larson, MD, said. Dr. Larson serves as the Course Director for the Sports Medicine Grand Rounds series.
“You’re not only listening to an expert, you’re usually surrounded by experts,” Jim Rakow, ATC, a Twin Cities Orthopedics athletic trainer, said. Rakow, the Head Athletic Trainer at the University of St. Thomas, has been attending the Sports Medicine Grand Rounds since its inception nearly 20 years ago. “Titles melt away there, and you get into meaningful discussions about the topic. We’re driven by people who have dedicated their lives to sports medicine for the betterment of the treatment of athletes.”
Speaker & Topic Selection
Each guest speaker provides research-based updates on sports medicine topics in their respective practice and identifies a variety of treatment options for orthopedic and sports medicine injuries, said Michael Lambert, the Continuing Medical Education coordinator for Fairview Health Services who helps organize lectures and speakers for Grand Rounds and the Fairview Current Concepts in Sports Medicine spring conference.
A small committee of sports medicine professionals assembles the Grand Rounds lineup and selects speakers who are experts on topics directly relating to sports medicine and orthopedics. Speakers generally are from TCO, Fairview Sports and Orthopedic Care, the Institute for Athletic Medicine or Fairview’s partners at the University of Minnesota Sports Medicine.
“The speakers are a ‘who’s-who’ of sports medicine and orthopedic providers in the area, all very accomplished and well-spoken, but without ego,” Lambert said. “We strive to create a casual and compelling learning environment for the attendees.”
How it Began
The series started under what was then the Minneapolis Sports Medicine Center consortium of sports medicine providers. TCO has been one of the main members of the group since the start.
“It has been an essential and important sounding board in the advancement sports medicine within the Twin Cities community,” J. Patrick Smith, MD, a founding member and former course director, said. “It continues to be an important and valuable educational opportunity. I am proud to say that we are still on the cutting edge as a sports medicine community in providing valuable and quality care to our athletes.”
Dr. Smith added that the sessions allowed sports medicine professionals to have discussions on current concepts involving the evaluation, diagnosis and management of multiple sports medicine issues. Over the years, it became an open forum and gave individuals a chance to identify faces to names and get important input from providers.
An Education
Whether you’re the speaker at the podium or a member in the audience, you’re learning.
“The best part is the multidisciplinary approach. Having people, including athletic trainers, PTs, primary care sports and orthopedic surgeons, all together bringing their experiences and expertise is helpful,” Christie Heikes, MD, said. “Also the varied level of experience from students to people who have been in the field for 30 years; you can learn a lot.”
“I’ve learned and grown professionally by listening to my peers share their expertise at Grand Rounds,” Paul Langer, DPM, said.
Connecting
Attending Grand Rounds also provides opportunities to network.
“It’s the chance to learn and interact with providers from throughout the sports medicine community,” Corey Wulf, MD, said.