How does a physician become an NFL team physician?

The majority of team physicians are fellowship-trained in orthopaedic surgery, general surgery or internal medicine. This means the physician has completed four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, four to five years of residency, and one year of fellowship training. Most NFL team physicians have previous experience as a team physician at the high school and/or college level. Each NFL team’s medical staff is chosen by a team’s front office.

Many team physicians also serve as a team physician for other major sports teams (NHL, MLB, NBA) in their cities.