Western University Faculty of Health Sciences

Master of Clinical Science in Sports and Exercise Medicine (Advanced Health Care Practice)

Program Structure and Course Offerings

Offered on a full-time basis, this program utilises a combination of in-person and remote learning to help students balance the academic demands of the program with the professional and personal demands on their lives.

A Case-Based Approach

The program's case-based learning approach allows for interactive small group clinical mentoring and learning to engage and clinically reason with Sport and FCAMPT physiotherapists, CASEM Sport Medicine physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, emergency physicians and experts from a variety of sport-related disciplines. Students in the program acquire competencies in sport and exercise medicine to help provide care for athletes spanning the spectrum from pediatric, adult, elite and special populations. Graduates are prepared to provide advanced-level care to MSK injuries in highly specialised clinical environments, sideline coverage, throughout clinical recovery and return to sport training environments that reflect clinical best practice and evidence.

Fall Term ( September-December)

• Research Methods
• Advanced Management in Sport and Exercise Medicine 1: Lower Quadrant
  
  • Includes on-campus component
• Clinical Mentorship
• Research Experience

Winter Term (January-April)

• Advanced Professional Practice
• Advanced Management in Sport and Exercise Medicine 2: Upper Quadrant
  
  • Includes on-campus component
• Clinical Mentorship (continued)
• Research Experience (continued)

Spring Term (May-August)

• Transformational Topics in Sport and Exercise Medicine
  
  • Includes on-campus component
• Clinical Mentorship (continued)
• Research Experience (continued)
  
  • Includes Research Day

Advanced Standing (for SPC Diploma holders)

Physiotherapists who already possess the Sport Physiotherapy Canada Diploma will receive advanced standing for the following courses (will not be required to take, but are able to audit):

• Advanced Management in Sport and Exercise Medicine 1: Lower Quadrant
• Advanced Management in Sport and Exercise Medicine 2: Upper Quadrant
• Transformational Topics in Sport and Exercise Medicine
• Clinical Mentorship

Course requirements will focus on:

• Research Methods (AHCP9600)
• Advanced Professional Practice (AHCP9610)
• Research Experience (AHCP9630)

About Clinical Mentorship

Through a Continuing Professional Development framework, this course facilitates the synthesis of the theoretical and practical aspects of a student’s development in Sport and Exercise Medicine through a period of mentorship within the work-based/practice environment and documented with a professional portfolio.

Students will have the opportunity to work in a variety of settings to enable the development of existing knowledge and skills and advanced practice. The Clinical Mentor(s) will enable a student’s development through a partnership of teaching, researching, managing, observing and discussing with innovative practice being encouraged within the framework of safe, legal, and ethical practice as made explicit in any applicable published standards (e.g. professional registration body, specialist competencies, etc). Clinical mentorship for this field would come from a variety of sport and exercise medicine practitioners who are willing to act as mentors.

The student will undertake pre-mentorship preparation through an online half-day study day and an online preparatory reflective exercise of self-evaluation. Students will undertake a minimum of 150 hours of experience in a work-based/practice/field environment. Learning needs may necessitate a range of environments as part of the mentored experience to ensure that all outcomes are achieved.

The selection of the work-based environment is negotiated by the student in collaboration with the field leader, dependent upon their individual learning needs and their program field and any specialist requirements. A variety of patterns of delivery of the 150 hours experience are possible, encompassing part-time and full-time modes as well as a variety of models of experience, e.g. clinical practice, observation of practice, case analysis, situational online clinical reasoning, telehealth, e-mentoring, face-to-face mentoring, etc. Current registration with appropriate professional/regulatory bodies is required as appropriate to the negotiated mentored practice.

Upon successfully completing the program, students should have the ability to:

• Critically analyse and integrate the principles underpinning sport and exercise medicine to inform interventions that optimise activity/performance for persons/athletes
• Evaluate clinical history and examination findings to inform individualised athlete/client-centred acute emergency management/triage, management and rehabilitation within a biopsychosocial and interdisciplinary framework
• Implement and justify evidence-informed management and rehabilitation interventions to optimise activity/performance
• Synthesise knowledge, skills and attributes to demonstrate advanced practice in sport and exercise medicine
• Develop research skills enabling active participation and competency in clinical research
• Communicate and apply ethical principles and practices in patient care and research activities
• Develop communication strategies that foster therapeutic alliance and shared decision-making with the person/athlete
• Develop iterative self-reflection skills and continued life-long learning