CASEM Basic Team Physician Course

Overall Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

1. Assess and manage common acute injuries and medical issues in sport settings.
2. Provide safe and effective medical coverage for teams and events.
3. Apply professional, collaborative, and ethical principles to promote athlete health and safety.

Team Physician: Roles and Responsibilities, Travel

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the core roles and responsibilities of the team physician across training, competition, and travel environments.
2. Identify key medical and logistical considerations when preparing for team travel, including risk mitigation and documentation needs.
3. Apply best practices for communication and collaboration within the multidisciplinary sport medicine team during team coverage.

The Medical Kit

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. List essential components of a team physician medical kit for sideline and travel coverage.
2. Select appropriate medications, equipment, and supplies based on sport setting and level of risk.
3. Organize a medical kit to support rapid response to common sideline emergencies.

Pre-participation Examination

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the goals and key components of the pre-participation examination in athletes.
2. Identify screening findings that warrant further investigation or sport restriction.
3. Apply evidence-informed decision-making when providing clearance for sport participation.

How Rules of the Game Affect Medical

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how sport-specific rules influence injury risk and sideline medical decision-making.
2. Analyze game situations in which rules affect timing of assessment, removal from play, or return-to-play decisions.
3. Integrate rule awareness into practical sideline management strategies.

Event Coverage Planning (including Endurance)

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Develop a structured medical coverage plan for sporting events based on event size, setting, and risk profile.
2. Identify unique medical considerations in endurance events, including environmental and volume-related risks.
3. Coordinate personnel, equipment, and emergency pathways to support safe event delivery.

Heat/Cold Events and Illness

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize clinical presentations of heat- and cold-related illness in athletes.
2. Implement immediate on-site management strategies for environmental illness.
3. Advise athletes and teams on evidence-informed prevention strategies for extreme temperature conditions.

Anti-Doping Cases / TUE

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the team physician’s responsibilities within the anti-doping framework.
2. Identify situations in which a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is required.
3. Apply appropriate documentation and decision-making processes when managing athletes requiring prohibited medications.

RED-SCAT Cases

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize clinical features suggestive of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S).
2. Interpret RED-S Clinical Assessment Tool (RED-SCAT) findings in athlete evaluations.
3. Develop an initial management and referral plan for athletes identified at risk of RED-S.

Medical Emergencies (Syncope, Collapsed Athlete, Cardiac, Anaphylaxis)

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate common causes of collapse in athletes using rapid sideline assessment.
2. Initiate immediate management of life-threatening sport-related medical emergencies.
3. Activate appropriate emergency action plans and coordinate transfer of care.

Illness Protocols in Sport

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify common infectious and non-infectious illnesses affecting athletes in training and competition.
2. Implement illness management protocols that balance athlete health and participation demands.
3. Advise teams on strategies to reduce illness transmission during training and travel.

Acute Fracture Management

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize clinical signs of acute fractures in the sideline or field setting.
2. Perform appropriate initial immobilization and pain management for suspected fractures.
3. Determine urgency of imaging and referral following acute fracture injury.

Harassment and Abuse in Sport Cases

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize warning signs and disclosures suggestive of harassment or abuse in sport environments.
2. Apply trauma-informed principles when responding to athlete concerns.
3. Initiate appropriate reporting, documentation, and referral processes in accordance with safe sport policies.

Para Athlete Assessment

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe key medical and functional considerations when assessing para athletes.
2. Adapt standard sport medicine assessments to accommodate athletes with disabilities.
3. Coordinate interdisciplinary care to support safe participation and performance.

Concussion Sideline Assessment DEMO

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Perform a structured sideline concussion assessment using current best-practice tools.
2. Identify red flags that require immediate removal from play and urgent evaluation.
3. Document concussion assessments in a manner that supports safe return-to-play decisions.

Concussion Panel Discussion

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Compare differing expert perspectives on contemporary concussion management challenges.
2. Analyze complex concussion cases using current consensus guidance.
3. Incorporate panel-derived insights into their own concussion management approach.

Pediatric Injuries

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate common pediatric sport injuries from adult injury patterns.
2. Apply age-appropriate assessment and management strategies for injured youth athletes.
3. Advise athletes and caregivers on safe return-to-play following pediatric injury.

Sport Nutrition

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe fundamental sport nutrition principles that support health and performance.
2. Identify athletes at risk of inadequate fueling or nutrition-related concerns.
3. Provide practical nutrition guidance and determine when referral to a sport dietitian is indicated.

Mental Health EAP and Cases

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize common mental health presentations in athletes and team environments.
2. Implement initial assessment and support strategies within the team physician scope of practice.
3. Activate appropriate referral pathways and emergency action plans for urgent mental health concerns.

Panel Discussion – Return to Play

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Integrate medical, functional, and sport-specific factors into return-to-play decision-making.
2. Analyze complex return-to-play cases using risk stratification principles.
3. Communicate return-to-play decisions effectively with athletes, coaches, and the multidisciplinary team.