Occupational form
Sports Medical Clearance Form
A sports medical clearance is a pre-participation exam for a league, school, or camp. It is not a return-to-play after concussion (that is a different form). You are screening for conditions that make this sport unsafe today, not certifying future performance.
What the league is actually asking
Use the organization's current form. Hockey Canada, a university, and a municipal camp do not share a PDF. If the form is a two-line 'fit for hockey' stamp, you can still do a proper screen and attach it. Do not stamp if you did not examine.
The useful parts are cardiac history (exertional syncope, family sudden death, known cardiomyopathy), respiratory disease, musculoskeletal problems that change contact or landing, bleeding risk, and one-eyed or single-kidney questions some forms still ask. A blood pressure and a listen to the heart are not optional extras.
Clearance is time-limited
Write the sport and the season. 'Fit for all sports indefinitely' is not an exam. If you need a cardiology opinion before contact, say not cleared pending that — do not clear 'as long as they take it easy.'
Who signs
Physician or NP as the form requires. A parent cannot substitute. For minors, the history often comes from a parent; still examine the athlete. If the athlete is 16 and the parent is in the car, get the history from the person who plays.
How to complete the exam
- Sport, position or event, and level (school, club, contact).
- Cardiac: personal exertional chest pain, unexplained syncope, family sudden death under 50, known conditions. Heart sounds, rate, BP.
- Asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, seizure — with a plan that actually exists (VCS, glucagon, action plan).
- MSK: last injury, surgery, current bracing, whether they have finished rehab.
- Concussion history as history, not as today's clearance to return from an acute concussion.
- Outcome: cleared; cleared with named restriction; not cleared pending named test or consult.
Worked example (fictional)
Midget hockey — murmur on exam
Fictional 16-year-old. Do not copy onto a real league form.
Sport: ice hockey, contact, 2026–27 club season. History: no exertional syncope, no family sudden death. One concussion 2023, returned via protocol, no residual. Exam: BP 118/70, HR 64, grade 2/6 systolic murmur at LUSB, louder sitting forward? no — louder supine, no click. Femoral pulses present. Lungs clear. MSK: old left AC sprain, full ROM, no instability. Outcome: not cleared for contact today pending cardiology / echo to characterize murmur. May continue dryland as cardiology allows. This is not a concussion return-to-sport form. Parent and athlete informed. Referral sent.
Why these forms get athletes held at the bench
- Stamp without BP or cardiac questions.
- Cleared despite a murmur you were going to 'watch.'
- Using this form as Rowan's Law medical clearance after a concussion last week.
- Expired last-season physical presented as this season.
- Wrong sport (cleared for non-contact when the team is collision).
Draft the sports clearance from the exam
In Scribeberry, open Forms, search for sports medical clearance, or upload the league's current PDF. Generate from the encounter and your notes, then edit every field before you sign. Scribeberry does not pre-map this form. You still review and sign.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the concussion return-to-sport form?
No. Pre-participation clearance is a baseline screen. Return after concussion is a separate medical clearance, and in Ontario it is tied to Rowan's Law. Do not mix them.
What if I hear a murmur?
Do not clear contact until you have a plan to characterize it. Write not cleared pending. Convenience for the first game is not a reason to skip that.
Can I clear with an inhaler as a restriction?
Yes, if asthma is controlled and the form allows restrictions. Name the sport conditions (cold ice, outdoor running) and that they carry a salbutamol inhaler. Uncontrolled asthma with ED visits this month is not a restriction — it is not cleared.
Does Scribeberry send the form to the league?
No. Scribeberry helps you complete the PDF. The athlete or parent files it. You keep a copy in the chart.
Forms
