Ringside physician in combat sports: is it something for you?

Bouts in kickboxing, muaythai and mma take place under the supervision of a ringside physician. These volunteers, who receive a modest fee, make it possible for thousands of people to take part in the sport. Dutch combat sports needs more ringside physicians. Might this be something for you?

To work as a ringside physician you must at least be a qualified medical doctor (basisarts) and hold a registration in the Dutch register of healthcare professionals (BIG-registratie). The current pool of ringside physicians includes qualified medical doctors, doctors in specialist training, sports physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, intensivists, psychiatrists, general practitioners and occupational health physicians.

The ringside physician is present at combat sports events and sees all participants before the bouts. Using a checklist, the physician assesses whether the athlete is 'fit to fight'.

During bouts the ringside physician assesses whether a participant can continue with a particular injury. The bout is stopped if medical safety cannot be guaranteed.

If an injury or wound is identified after a bout, the ringside physician provides medical care or refers the athlete to the emergency department. Above all, he or she is the link between the athlete and specialist care, such as ambulance services or the out-of-hours GP service.

Does becoming a ringside physician sound interesting to you? Are you a qualified medical doctor with a BIG registration? Then contact the coordinator of Fighting Doctors, Dr Soeresh Bhatoe. He can tell you more. Through him you can also shadow an experienced ringside physician to get a taste of the work in practice.

If you do decide to become active as a ringside physician, experienced colleagues will guide you through the introduction. You will learn to work with the toolbox developed for ringside physicians. The Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit (Dutch Combat Sports Authority) and the Nederlandse Vechtsportbond (Dutch Combat Sports Federation) organise annual refresher training and exchange of experiences.

For more information, email Dr Soeresh Bhatoe at soereshbhatoe@gmail.com

Photo: Matthew Tosh, CC BY-SA 2.0