Deapartment of Sports Medicine

Brief Historical Survey

The Sports Medicine Department is one of the major medicine-biology departments at the NSA. Even when the Higher School of Physical Education was established, its curriculum included courses on First Aid, Hygiene and Health Care, which are a part of the subject area of sports medicine. The Section of Medical Supervision on Physical Culture was first established as a part of the Curative Physical Culture Department and in 1973 the separate Sports Medicine Department was founded with the Sports Massage Section included in it. Prof. Dr. Petar Slanchev was the first Head of the Department.

The academic staff of the Department employs 8 professors and associate professors. Members of its faculty have occupied governing positions at the NSA. Prof. Dr. P. Slanchev was Rector in 1974 – 1979 and Chairman of the Specialized Scientific Council of Medicine, Physical Therapy and Kinezitherapy; Prof. R. Kossev, Dr. Y. Alexandrov, Senior Researcher, and Dr. L. Ilinov, Senior Researcher, were Vice Rectors on science research in different periods; Prof. Dr. M. Toteva was the Dean of the Kinezitherapy Faculty during a period of 10 years. Since the establishment of the Department, Prof. Dr. P. Slanchev, Prof. Dr. M. Toteva, Assoc. Prof. St. Petkov and presently Assoc. Prof. Dr. Iv. Maznev have served as the Head of the Department. At present, 4 associate professors are teaching at the Department. The Ecology in Sport Section is also incorporated in it.

Study Activities

The study activities at the Department are carried out in the form of, lectures, practice work and seminars. All B.A. and M.A. students of the three Faculties take the sports medicine courses. The lecturers at the Department also work with the students on the mandatory module of Medical and Biological Issues included in the Ph. D. Program. The study program is annually updated which aims at providing the students with the current developments in science theory and practice.

The Department also offers a number of optional modules which enrich the students’ theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Research Activities

The research activities at the Department are viewed as a means for improvement of the teachers’ qualifications and hence the quality of the study process. It has well-established traditions of many years. The object of research are a number of issues such as the morphological characteristics and physical work capacity of active and former athletes and of children practicing different sports as well as of non-athletes; sports traumatology; nutrition; bio-stimulation and doping; sports massage; kinezitherapy; soft-tissue and manual mobilization recovery methods for athletes and for somatic disfunctions; studies on the effect of environmental pollution on sports at school and on the provision of normal ecological conditions for sports competition activities, etc. The members of the Department organize and participate in a number of annual scientific seminars, symposiums and congresses at which they present the results of their research and experimental work.

Requirements for the Students

The Sports Medicine Section

1. 1. The practice group work and lectures are compulsory for all students at the Coaches’ and Teachers’ Faculties and at the Faculty of Kinezitherapy, Tourism and Sports Animation.
2. 2. Additional scheduled classes are organized at the end of each term for the students who, due to valid reasons, have been unable to attend the regular classes.
3. 3. The students’ Individual practice during group work classes is registered in a special record book, obligatory for all students.
4. 4. After completing the practice group work on each section of the study materials, the students take a written test assessed in grades valid for the final assessment of their work.
5. 5. The Sports Medicine Course is taken in the … semesters and is completed with a written examination. Each examination paper is assessed by two lecturers one of which is of academic rank.

The Sports Massage Section

This course is mandatory for the students at the Coaches’ Faculty and optional for the Teachers’ Faculty. It is taken in the 7 semester of the intramural and in the 8 semester of the extramural course of study.

1. 1. The student is required to attend the sports massage classes wearing a training outfit specified by the tutor.
2. 2. In order to receive credits on this course, the student is required to attend all practice sessions and to pass the examination successfully.
3. 3. Theoretical knowledge and practical skills are continuously assessed during the 6 and 11 practice sessions. If successful, the results are considered as valid and are recognized as results on the theoretical part of the final examination.
4. 4. A manual (in the form of a notebook) has been published to facilitate the normal study process and each student is required to use it.
5. 5. The final result on Sports Massage is formed after a theoretical (written) and a practical examination. After completing the course successfully, the Teachers’ and Coaches’ Faculty intramural students receive 2 credits and the extramural students - 1 credit.

The Ecology of Sport Section

1. The course is optional for the B.A. students and for the M.A. students. It provides mandatory-optional and free optional credits.
2. In order to receive credits on the Ecology of Sport course, the student is required to attend all lectures and to pass the theoretical examination successfully or to defend a scholarly essay.
3. Extra scheduled classes are available at the end of each term for the students who, due to valid reasons, have been unable to attend lectures.