The Los Angeles Rams are teaming up with the NFL Physicians Society (NFLPS) and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) for the third consecutive year to provide a medical student with the opportunity to complete a clinical rotation with the team's medical staff. Launched in 2022, the league-wide program aims to increase and diversify the pipeline of students interested in pursuing careers in sports medicine and, over time, help to diversify NFL club medical staffs.
As part of the program, students from medical schools across the country have been matched with NFL clubs for one-month clinical rotations focused on primary care sports medicine and/or orthopedic surgery. The rotations provide students with the opportunity to learn from and work directly with club medical staff as they deliver care to players across the league. Student clinical rotations will begin as training camps open for the 2024 NFL season next month.
This season, the Rams will provide RAIMEL BROOKS from Charles R. Drew University with a one-month clinical rotation working with the team's Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance REGGIE SCOTT and his staff.
During the one-month rotation, students will observe and participate in the care of NFL players, working directly with and under the supervision of the orthopedic team physicians, primary care team physicians, athletic trainers, dietitians, mental health clinicians, strength and conditioning coaches, equipment managers, and others to gain medical knowledge and exposure to patient care in sports medicine. Students will also become familiar with return-to-play protocols and on-field treatment considerations for NFL players. By the end of the rotation, students will understand the basic elements of all facets of care provided to NFL players from an orthopedic, primary care sports medicine and athletic training perspective.
The Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative is part of the league's broader commitment to ensure that staff and leaders in the league office and at NFL clubs reflect the racial and gender makeup of America. The inaugural program for the 2022 season comprised students from the four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) medical schools – Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Morehouse School of Medicine. The program has since expanded, and in 2024, student participants will join clubs from 21 total medical schools.
More information on the 2024 program can be found here and a complete roster of the 2024 participating students can be found here
