PEPonline
Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline

An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862

Vol 5 No 3 March 2002

 


Who Will Step Up and Take Action?
Aliisa Seppala, MA, EPC, ATC
President of NAEP affiliated with ASEP
Kearney, NE  68845



THIS IS A QUESTON I HAVE been asking myself for about one year now.  Who will step up and take action?  I am referring to professional exercise physiologists, professors of exercise physiology, and students.  Yes, I said students.  Who is going to take a stand for this profession and for the only organization that is pioneering the forefront of the professionalization of exercise physiology? 

A History is in Order
Frankly, I did not get it.  For the longest time, I did not understand why I should belong to ASEP and why ASEP was important to exercise physiology.  To make that statement and also graduate from the College of St. Scholastica, under the education of Dr. Tommy Boone is ironic.  He one of the founding visionaries who created ASEP.

Let me further explain myself.  As a junior, beginning my undergraduate exercise physiology major, I was clueless.  I thought that all I needed to do was pick my major and, when I got my degree, everything would be as it should.  I would find a job.  I would have respect of my fellow medical profession colleagues.  Everything would simply fall in place. 

Even under the teaching of Dr. Boone and how he talked about the profession, the whole matter seemed far away and distant, as if it would not affect me.  What could I do about it anyway?  I was just a junior in college.  It was not until I got further into my athletic training courses that I realized the importance of a title.  How a title created boundaries so that other professions could not impede on what you do.  Also, it sets standards for professionals to abide by and, in turn, gain respect from other professions. If you haven't read the following articles (What's in a Name? and What's in a Title?), you should do so.  Go to the ASEPNewsletter (February, 2002).

I learned that just because you have the education of an athetic trainer does not mean that you are an athletic trainer.  You need to pass the national certification to become a certified athletic trainer and acquire all the rights and privileges that are allowed to those professionals.  I learned also about how people call themselves athletic trainers and, yet they had not passed the certification.  The latter totally undermines the profession and is very offensive to those who put in the time and effort to become certified.  Fortunately for athletic trainers, they have progressed with both course work and certification to be a respected profession in the medical field. 

After I had realized the importance of having the title “Certified Athletic Trainer”, I looked at the profession of exercise physiology.  It has always been my other focus in education and a career path that I was spending a lot time, energy, and money.  There was no structure.  All I found was chaos.  People called themselves exercise physiologists who do not have a degree in anything close to it.  Also, let’s face it.  How many people really even know what an exercise physiologist is or have even heard of it? 

Graduate School and Reality
Reality really started to hit when I decided to go straight into graduate school at St. Scholastica.  I longed for a better understanding of exercise physiology.  I wanted more.  Along with the increased knowledge came the increased awareness of the state of our profession.  The words Dr. Boone had been speaking were finally sinking in.  I believe it was my awareness of the professionalization of athletic trainers that helped spur on my understanding.  But, it does not take that much critical reflection to understand is issues before the student in an exercise physiology program.  It begs the question:  Why are we the only profession in the medical field, besides athletic trainers, who are not licensed?  I demand more than just a discipline. I did not spend five years of my life and thousands upon thousands of dollars to just to be compared to people who do not even have a degree.  I refuse to have a meaningless degree. 

So, where does this leave me?  The passion to fight for exercise physiology as a profession is very much alive in me.  But, at time, I was only a graduate student.  What could I do or say?  Who would listen?  Then, out of the blue, as though it took time for the ideas to come together, a classmate and I started asking questions.  We tried to throw some things together, but the year ran out before anything could be done. 

It did not stop there, however.  My classmate and I both tossed around the idea of starting a "state association" wherever we would end up.  But, to me, it was only an idea or more like a dream.  How could I start something like that?  Who would listen to a fresh-out-of-school master-prepared exercise physiologist? 

After Graduate School
Well, here I am, six months out of graduate school and one state association started.  It is officially registered with the state of Nebraska.  In short, what inspired me to start the Nebraska Association of Exercise Physiologists (NAEP)?  The only logical answer is because I love this profession.  I want it to be respected, to have the privileges that other well-developed professions have.  I do not want to see this profession die, and I did not see a lot of other people stepping up to the plate to fight the good fight.  And I do believe we are fighting the “good fight”.  We are doing the right thing.  ASEP is doing the right thing. 

The Challenge to You
If you feel that desire inside to do something.  If you find yourself asking the same questions that I have asked.  Please listen to your heart.  Exercise physiologists across the country need you.  ASEP needs you.  I challenge you to take stand, regardless of whether you are a student, a professional in the career field, or a person with the PhD degree.  It is up to all of us to stand up for our profession.




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