Sport & Exercise Medicine Physician

Job Description:

Sport & Exercise Medicine Physician

Change Pain Medical & Allied Health Clinic — Burnaby, BC

Position title:

Sport & Exercise Medicine (SEM) Physician

Department:

Medical Services — Musculoskeletal & Rehabilitation Stream

Reports to:

Medical Director (clinical/professional);
Operations Director (administrative/scheduling)

Works with:

Anesthesiology & Interventional Pain, Physiatry, Psychology/Counselling, Physiotherapy, Kinesiology, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Pharmacy, Clinical Admin

FTE / sessions:

Full time

Compensation model:

MSP fee-for-service via clinic billing. Administrative compensation

Effective date:

August 1st, 2026

Version / review cycle:v1.0 — reviewed annually by Medical Director & Operations Manager

1. Position Summary
The Sport & Exercise Medicine Physician provides non-operative musculoskeletal (MSK) and exercise-based medical care to patients living with persistent and complex pain. The role sits at the front end ofChange

Pain'sinterdisciplinary model:accurateMSK diagnosis, de-escalation of unnecessary imaging and intervention, restoration of function through graded activity, and appropriate triageinto or away from interventional, psychological, and rehabilitative pathways.

This isnota sideline sports practice transplanted into a pain clinic. The patient population is predominantly chronic(3 months),frequentlydeconditioned, often carrying central sensitization, mood comorbidity, medication complexity, disability claims, and prior failed treatment. The physician is expected to practise biopsychosocial, function-first medicine and to work as a peer within a team rather than as an isolated consultant.

2. Scope of Practice
The physician practises within the full scopepermittedby their CPSBC licence class, their certification, and their demonstrated competence, and within the limits ofChange

Pain'sclinical privileging framework. Scope is grouped below asCore,Credential-Dependent, andOut of Scope.

2.1 Core Clinical Scope (expected of all SEM physicians in this role)
Assessment and diagnosis

Comprehensive MSK history and physical examination of the spine, upper limb, lower limb, and pelvis, including regional and special testing.

Differential diagnosis across mechanical, inflammatory, neuropathic,nociplastic, referred/visceral, and systemic causes of pain.

Screening for red flags (malignancy, infection, fracture, cauda equina, inflammatory arthropathy, vascular pathology) and appropriate urgentescalation.

Screening for yellow flags — fear-avoidance, catastrophizing, low self-efficacy, sleep disruption, mood disorder, trauma history — and referral into the psychology/counselling stream.

Assessment of central sensitization andnociplasticpain features; explanation of pain neurophysiology to patients in plain language.

Assessment of concussion and post-concussion syndrome, including persistent post-traumatic headache, cervicogenic contribution,vestibulo-ocular dysfunction, and return-to-learn/return-to-work staging.

Recognition and management of the Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) spectrum, disordered eating, bone stress injury, and over training presentations where they intersect with chronic pain.

Ordering and interpreting plain radiography, ultrasound, CT, MRI, bone scan, DEXA, EMG/NCS, and relevant laboratory investigation.

Applying evidence-based imaging stewardship: avoiding low-value imaging, and explicitly counselling patients on incidental and age-normal findings to prevent iatrogenic distress.

Non-operative management

Individualized, graded exercise and loading prescription (strength, mobility, aerobic conditioning, tendon loading, motor control, pacing).

Activity modification, ergonomic and biomechanical advice, load management, and flare-up planning.

Bracing, orthoses,…