ASEPNewsletter
Vol
3 No 4
April
1999
ISSN
1097-9743
The ASEPNewsletter
is devoted to informative articles and news items about exercise physiology.
It is a monthly magazine of news, opinions, exercise physiology professionals,
and events that shape exercise physiology. While it contains views and
opinions of the Editor
who oversees the ASEP Internet Websites, visitors can have a voice as well.
We welcome interested practitioners, researchers, and academicians to e-mail
the Publisher their thoughts and ideas or to respond directly via the ASEP
Public Forum.
Copyright ©1999 American Society of Exercise Physiologists.
All Rights Reserved.
May
1999
Table
of Contents
Congratulations
ASEP!
The
American Society of Exercise Physiologists has been chosen as HMS
Beagle's "Web Pick of the Day." The ASEP web site is featured
on their web page. Our site will then be listed on Beagle's "Favorite
Web Sites" page for 30 days. Later, it will be permanently catalogued
in BioMedNetLink; their comprehensive,
evaluated database of biological and medical websites.
HMS
Beagle is a biweekly webzine for biological and medical researchers,
with a daily digest of the highest-quality Web resources and published
material. HMS was recently selected as one of Yahoo's top 32 "incredibly
useful" Web sites, and has more than 100,000 visits to every issue.
At least a 1000 readers check their daily updates each day.
Just
Thinking
Tommy
Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP
As
we look to the new millennium, what will become of the jobs in exercise
physiology? Will the marketplace improve with new physiological measurement
tools, new data analysis techniques, and new ways of communicating what
we do? Or, will our professionals need new training and new skills
to meet the challenges of the future? These are not ridiculous questions,
and each one needs an answer. To make sure the profession is ready,
ASEP is committed to professional development, certification, and education
of exercise physiology professionals.
ASEP is also aware of the challenge before it by professionals from other
healthcare professions. Take physical therapy, for example, "What
are the changes under consideration by its leaders that stand to impact
exercise physiology? Where are they headed, and how do they plan
to get there? Some insight into these questions can be gained the
29th Mary McMillan Lecture by Sahrmann (1998), who is a distinguished leader
in physical therapy for more than 30 years. The lecture covered a
lot of material, but one item in particular is critical to physical therapy's
vision of the future and it influence on their identity and practice.
According to Sharmann (1998), physical therapy must "continue to develop
the concept of movement as a physiological system."
Why is this point important? First, what do we know? To begin with,
the core of physical therapy's professional identity is "movement" (American
Physical Therapy Association, 1995). What now appears to be important
is the notion that they shouldn't limit movement to "...impaired by a lesion
in a specific anatomical system." Second, since medical specialties
are based on body systems (Kendall, 1980), physial therapy professonals
are eager to establish themselves as experts with movement recognized as
a physiological system.
This is important because it is physical therapy's opportunity to become
established, just as exercise physiologists have done with expertise in
their knowledge of the physiology of human movement. Physical therapists
are suggesting that they should "...consider all of the systems contributing
to movement" (Sahrmann,1998), including the cardiopulmonary and metabolic
systems. Hence, if physical therapy is the movement expert in the
healthcare setting, what will be the influence on exercise physiology if
it also becomes the exercise expert?
Is there any liklihood that physical therapists can graduate with the same
level of knowledge and skill as exercise physiology graduates? Today,
more than ever before, exercise physiologists are teaching in physical
therapy departments. More precisely, they are teaching exercise physiology,
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and research courses to physical therapy
students. They are helping physical therapists use and expand their
scientific foundation.
This article points out several small changes in physical therapy.
Perhaps, one important fact we can learn from them is that expertise and
responsibility can not be taken for granted. Whether we like what
they are doing or not, we will need to consider what we should be doing
that is consistent with our professional and ethical practice of exercise
physiology. To do our role well, we must consider not only how we
might profit in the public sector but also the outcome of our actions on
our graduates.
Address
comments to: Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH,
FASEP
References
1.
Kendall, F.P. Fifteenth Mary McMillan Lecture: This I believe. Phys Ther.
1980;60:1437-1443.
2.
Philosophical statement on physical therapy (HOD 06-83-03-05). In: Applicable
House of Delegates Policies. Alexandria, VA: American Physical Therapy
Association; 1995:33.
3.
Sahrmann, S.A. Twenty-Ninth Mary McMillan Lecture: Moving precisely? Or
takethe path of least resistance? www.apta.org/pt_journal/Nov98/sahrmann.
President's
Report
Dr.
Robert Robergs has just recently submitted his "President's Report."
To read the complete report, click on March,
1999.
Student
Chapters
Letters
were mailed from the National Office to ASEP members encouraging them to
develop an official ASEP Student Chapters, which reminds me that the Student
Chapter at the University of New Mexico is online.
If you are interested in starting a chapter, contact either Dr. Robergs
or the ASEP National Office (218-723-6297).
JEPonline
Be
sure to click on the April
1999 JEPonline
issue of ASEP's exercise physiology journal.
There are several research articles for your enjoyment.
More
ASEP members....
That's
correct! We are an organization of 254 members and still climbing.
To become a member, print the
Membership Application and forward it to the ASEP
National Office, or call an ASEP representative at (218) 723-6297,
or visit additional web sites for more information via the Table
of Contents. Just for fun:Current
weather at ASEP National Office
Guest
editorials
The
Physical Therapy Mindset!
by
Lance Tarr
Occupational
Medicine and Exercise Physiologists
by
Chris Johnson
Can
ASEP Make a Difference?
by
Dr. Mannie Hall
The
ASEPNewsletter
is seeking guest editorials -- brief commentaries on a wide variety of
issues. Everyone involved in: health, fitness, rehabilitation, and sports,
including medical, business, management, psychology, teachers, and students
-- is welcome to share insights, concerns, points and counterpoints on
any issue that impinges upon the exercise physiology profession.
To
contribute a guest editorial, send, FAX (218)723-6472), or e-mail (tboone2@css.edu)
an essay and a brief biography. Send your contribution to ASEP National
Office, College of St. Scholastica, Department of Exercise Physiology,
1200 Kenwood Ave., Duluth, MN 55811.
The
Physical Therapy Mindset!
Lance
Tarr, MS, CSCS
ASEP
member
I
wish to draw to your attention the American Physical Therapy Association's
(APTA) mindset at present concerning exercise physiologists (among other
disciplines seeking recognition). Below I list verbatim that which appeared
in the West Virginia Physical Therapy Association (WVPTA) Bulletin Vol.
40, NO.1 March 1999 Spring Issue in an article written by Michael LaMothe,
PT, President, WVPTA:
"While
at Combined Sections Meeting in Seattle in early February I was made aware
of potential state issues that are coming up. For example, the ACSM is
mounting a campaign to develop a certification exam for anyone with a Masters
in Exercise Physiology to become a Clinical Exercise Physiologist. The
general interpretation of this is that they wre looking to be reecognized
as a specialist with teh ability to treat/rehab any person with any disorder
or disease process i.e. a Physical Therapist. They are looking at this
as a means to expedite licensure at teh State level in the future. This
is already becoming a reality as there is licensure recognition of Ex.
Phy. in Louisiana as of the last year. APTA is starting to make Take Action
Packets that will be available for chapters and individuals to use in a
variety of situations. These packets are already being sent out. The first
one is available on ATC's and many more are coming (Kinesiotherapists,
Ex. Phys., etc.). These packets will give more information on skills and
backgrounds of these various degrees. I will have a copy of teh first Take
Action Packet at teh March Meeting in Sutton if anyone woould like to have
a look at one."
I note
the ASEP's attempt at outreach to our brethren professional organizations
and suggest we do not neglect exchange with the APTA. I, for my part, continue
on our ASEP Accreditation and Licensure Committees. In addition, as a committee
member of our state association, the West Virginia Association of Exercise
Physiologists, I continue my attempt to bring our organization under the
guidance of the ASEP as I strongly feel unity from the national level is
the best course of action.
As
I am closely involved in a PT arena by way employment over the past 10
years, a committee member of our state's professional association involved
in by-laws, scope of practice, and licensure submissions to our state legislature
over the past two years, and believe in the ASEP mission, I offer my services
in this state in whatever capacity you may feel I can serve.
Thank
you Lance. What do you think? Any ideas!
Occupational
Medicine
and
Exercise Physiologists
Chris
Johnson, MSS, CEP, CLC
I just
visited the ASEP website for the first time. It has caused me to
think about something that ASEP members may be able to incorporate into
the ASEP exercise physiology scope of practice.
Although
I am a licensed clinical exercise physiologist in Louisiana, I do not have
the typical exercise physiologist background of education nor do I practice
as a typical exercise physiologist. I attended the the University
of Southwestern Louisiana and did not know what I wanted to do until 3
years into college, at which time I promptly went into General Studies
to facilitate graduation. As you realize, many schools do not have
Exercise Physiology as a major. Following graduation, I got my master's
degree from the US Sports Academy in Fitness Management.
My
professional work deals with Occupational Medicine. I have a lot
of experience performing the following testing and rehabilitation concerns:
Functional
capacity evaluations (testing of injured workers to determine work level)
Ergonomic/job
analysis
Pre-placement
screenings (testing to see if potential new hires can perform job), and
Work reconditioning
programs (and others....)
The reason
I am writing to the ASEP members is because a few of the "Movers and Shakers"
in this industry are Exercise Physiology trained. Dr. Brent Ruiz,
Vice President of ARCON, who trained me to perform Job Analysis and OSHA
inspection walk-throughs, told me some time ago that exercise physiologists
have many advantages in performing these functions and are a major asset
to business and Industry.
Occupational
medicine services that tie into the ADA (started in 1992) can be a fairly
new wing or service arena that exercise physiologists can venture into
and be respected for their knowledge as well. Although there are
some people doing what I do, I would bet that exercise physiologists who
are employed in full-scale occupational medicine comprise less than 10%
of the total.
Interestingly,
as was pointed out in the ASEP website, exercise physiology is not just
cardiac rehabilitation. While I worked two years in cardiac rehabilitation,
I must say that it wasn't that challenging for me. In fact, I would
probably have changed careers had I had stayed in it much longer.
In my opinion, I believe we are more than pulse checkers, met calculators,
and ECG watchers! While each can be challenging, collectively, it
does not interest me.
If
there is an interest in Occupational Medicine and how exercise physiologists
can get involved, I would love to address specific questions, topics, and
so forth. The services that I perform are normally done by physical
therapists and/or occupational therapists at a higher wage rate (unfortunately)
than I am getting paid. On the positive side, however, I think that
I may be paid better than most clinical exercise physiologists.
I do
not know the ASEP position on the subject, but I think that the universities
are turning out too many exercise specialists or other variants of the
same. Most of these young, new grads almost certainly must get a
master's degree to get a decent job, and still there are tons of them (if
they are lucky) working at fitness and/or wellness centers making $7-11/hour!
Many of my friends teach at the high school level, even if it isn't in
their field of study. If we had a system like the therapists had
a few years back that created a shortage of sorts, we may be in a different
situation!
The
economy of scale is not in our favor right now. As long as exercise
physiologists accept the $7/hour fitness instructor position with a master's
degree, the harder it will be to attain professionalism. However,
what is in our favor is the aging population in the United States!
This fact will not change, but hopefully reimbursement will.
I look
forward to responding to questions ASEP members may have regarding occupational
medicine via exercise physiology.
Can
ASEP Make a Difference?
Dr.
Mannie Hall
Referencing
your recent forum topic (3668 ASEP hits and 4 public opinion hits!) commentary,
you ask a simple question -- What is the deal?
The
focus of ASEP concerning certification or registry should be on the role
of the Exercise Physiologist (EP) within the health care system, especially
managed care. Why? Consider the following questions:
Is there
a viable role for the EP as a patient care team member and (more importantly)
will the insurance industry pay for the services rendered?
What is
the leading cause of death in the United States? Is it possibly heart
disease?
Are 50%
(1 out of 2) of the deaths attributed to heart disease?
Is heart
disease associated with life-style choices over time?
Do certain
primary risk factors contribute to heart disease?
Has the
American Heart Association (AHA) recently added two new primary risk factors?
Could the new primary risk factors be physical inactivity and obesity?
Do EPs
know something about exercise, body composition analysis, weight management,
sports nutrition, and risk factor analysis?
Do physicians
know very much about exercise prescriptions and body composition analysis?
Is the
managed care system concerned about preventative medicine (also referred
to as wellness)? Does wellness save money?
Will the
insurance companies pay for preventive medicine specialists (such as EPs)?
Is reimbursement
important to this process?
Does it
take both a national and "grass roots" effort at the state level to obtain
reimbursement?
Is ASEP
attempting to pursue the reimbursement option?
Is there
a well defined list of competencies which articulate the skills and capabilities
of EPs? Where is the list?
Realistically,
what can EPs do within the managed care system? The answer is simple,
but the process is difficult. The national effort is noteworthy,
but the state-by-state structure is very limited. A quick fix may
be Medicare, but the long term battle will be fought at the state level.
The trouble will be the aggressive opposition waged by PTs.
ASEP
needs CAAHEP (www.caahep.org), more members, and the respect of physicians.
ASEP needs to reach out to physicians and gain their support or understanding.
Also, it is very important for each exercise physiologist to answer the
following questions:
Are we
really professionals?
Can we
define who we are and what we do?
Can patients
or the public benefit from our knowledge.
Can we
help people live longer and more productive lives?
Can EPs
make a difference?
2nd Annual
Meeting
of ASEP (October 14-16, 1999)
Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
Conference
Facility - Wyndham Hotel
Inquiries
-
Robert
A. Robergs, Ph.D., FASEP
Conference
Organizer
President
- ASEP
Director
– Center For Exercise And Applied Human Physiology
Johnson
Center, B143
The
University Of New Mexico
Albuquerque,
NM 87131-1258
Phone:
(secretary): (505) 277-2658
FAX:
(505) 277-9742
Hosts
-
Exercise
Science Program and the
University
of New Mexico Student Chapter of ASEP
The
University of New Mexico
ASEP
TOC
ASEP
Public Forum for Exercise Physiologists
Check
it out! Also, check out the following comments posted:
Tue
Mar 16 17:07:33 US/Central 1999.
Response
to Stature in the Medical Community
Kelly
O'Reilly
Greetings
from Houston. I am contributing to this forum as an opportunity to vent
some of my own frustrations with this field. I have just recently stumbled
upon ASEP and am optimistic about its potential. I have read much of Dr.
Boone's writing on the state of exercise physiologists in today's working
world. I felt like he was reading my mind regarding the many concerns that
face our field.
I consider
myself a clinical exercise physiologist since I primarily work in cardiology,
doing cardiac rehab and exercise testing. I share in the frustrations of
not being recognized by co-workers, physicians, patients, etc. and do not
have a very good answer for the inevitable "what does an exercise physiologist
do?" Jokingly, I often say I am a non-entity in the medical field, but
unfortunately that has a large ring of truth to it.
The
issues I am most concerned about are: licensing/certification; degree recognition;
degree program structures; and, with reticence, titles. These issues are
intertwined and it is hard to talk about one without bringing points in
from the others. I think the "title issue" has less to do with the degree
earned and more to do with licensure or certification. I don't know which
one would be better, but I do see the need to set a standard, regardless
of what it's called.
I was
thinking about other fields like engineering, teaching, PT, nursing, psychology,
Social Workers... they all have various degree levels and different areas
of specialization. The one recurring theme I kept landing on was a way
for them to achieve recognition from peers, employers, and the general
public... a LICENCE or CERTIFICATION of some sort. I suppose if you had
a degree in physical therapy you could call yourself a PT but no hospital
would hire you without a license, as with teachers, nurses, etc.
I believe
all of these fields are "recognized" at the state level, with fairly straightforward
reciprocity between states. My guess would be that there are federal governing
principles for each state to follow, probably brought forth by a well-in-tuned
organization as an advocate (possibly like ASEP?). So I strongly believe
we need a method of recognition also. This would help alleviate some of
the dissent about degree status. Institutions could use licensing as a
basic structure and then delineate salary status based on degree (as is
often done in nursing).
At
least ACSM is on the right track with their certifications. Although, one
of the problems I have had with ACSM is that, while they do have certifications
in different areas (which I think are along the right lines), NOBODY cares.
Or at least, not very many cardiac rehab programs I have known. ACSM is
not recognized as a governing body, especially with respect to legal issues
in the medical field and it makes little difference in the job market if
you are certified or not. It also makes little difference to the insurance
companies and reimbursement factors. So why spend the $600?
I have
many other thoughts but have to close for now. I will keep my eye on ASEP
and this forum in hopes we can help each other establish solid, productive,
and satisfying career paths.
Professionalization
As
you may know, letters were sent to specific ASEP members requesting their
thoughts and ideas in written form to be published in the Professionalization
of Exercise Physiologyonline
journal.
Hello
everyone!!!! Heads up, with a smile!!!!!
We
have THREE papers submitted:
Shane
Paulson, MA
Lance
Tarr, MS, CSCS
Elaine
George, MA
Their
thoughts about EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY can be found in the March and April
issues of PEPonline.
Interesting
Web Sites
Have
you run across an interesting exercise physiology site? If you have
and would like it to be posted, please let me know via my email.
Take a
look at this
web
site. It belongs to an ASEP member!
You may
also want to take a look at JC's web
site. His world of exercise physiology!
Clinical
aspects of exercise physiology.
Melissa
Knight-Maloney
HMS
Beagle (The BioMedNet Magazine)
Miningco.com
(Guide
to Sports Medicine with links to Exercise Physiology)
ASEP,
Professionalism, and Standards
Tommy
Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP
Health,
fitness, sport, and rehabilitation organizations can be found on the internet.
They diligently market themselves and their product or service. They
understand that persistence in marketing efforts is imperative to success.
They aren't going away.
However,
what are they promoting or selling and why do they have members?
What do they offer that is important to their target market? Who
is likely to want the service or association? What can ASEP do to
gain an edge over the competition for exercise physiologists? These
are important questions that need answers if ASEP is to find an edge on
the competition.
In
short, ASEP's value to exercise physiologists is that it gives them an
edge over their competition. How? Because ASEP exists to promote
exercise physiologists and only exercise physiologists. Because it
will (by October, 1999) provide the only national certification for academically
prepared exercise physiologists. Because it exists to think about
and analyze present and future issues to improve the profession.
ASEP is a success because the members "thought" they could make a difference.
Profile
of an ASEP Member
Do
you have the key traits of an ASEP member? Have you thought about
joining ASEP? Do you know what it takes to be an ASEP member?
I've thought about the ASEP member, where they live and work, the people
with whom they work with, and why they became an ASEP member. I can't
say that I have the answers, but my sense is that they are looking for
new opportunities, hope, and respect for what they do.
Every
week I talk with other exercise physiologists who tell me how excited they
are about ASEP. Usually, their comments include something like, "We
need this organization. It is time to define who we are and what
we do." They believe it will bring professionalism to exercise physiology.
Who
are they? They are the undergraduate and graduate students from colleges
all over the United States. They are the bachelor and master prepared
professionals in health, fitness, and rehabilitation centers who have common
characteristics and similar problems. They are the PhD exercise physiologists
who are compelled to find a better solution to their problems than that
which has been defined by sports medicine.
ASEP
is the organization for the development of exercise physiologists.
It is about our self-image, and our future. With hard work and our
imaging skills, we will produce positive results. Visualization is
important to realizing possibilities in the future. For example,
picture the way you prefer to be in the future. Then, take action
to invent the future. It isn't as crazy as it sounds. We become
what we think about (Earl Nightingale).
Success
is not determined by what is, but by what we think. Stated differently,
what you think is what you get. What is your vision, hope, and dream?
"Without a vision, people perish" (Proverbs). Develop a vision for
your professional work. Write it down and do something everyday to
realize it in your professional work.
Exercise
physiologists with a vision survive. Why? Because a vision
provides the purpose and the strength to visualize a better future.
The ASEP Vision is:
1.
To be recognized as the leading professional organization of American scholars
and practitioners in the study and application of exercise physiology to
fitness, health promotion, rehabilitation, and sports training.
2.
The Society is dedicated to unifying all exercise physiologists in the
United States and worldwide to promote and support the study, practice,
teaching, research, and development of the exercise physiology profession.
3.
Through proactive and creative leadership, the Society empowers its members
to serve the public good by making an academically sound difference in
the application of exercise physiology concepts and insights.
Think
positive and dream of the day when all exercise physiologists, not just
the PhD exercise physiologists, will have the same chance of success.
Don't be afraid of joining ASEP or asking questions to fine tune your outlook.
Analyze and identify the experts who are willing to help. Dedicate
yourself to "never giving up" because "results come to those who put in
the effort, there is no other way" (Walde, //Ricnum.net/article147.html).
Professionalism
and Standards
Through
the work of ASEP Accreditation Committee, a national effort is underway
to develop national educational standards. The importance of establishing
standards is obvious to those who have either studied the problem or living
the problem. It is a question of integrity. Do we continue
with the same sinking lifeboat or do we jump out and swim for our integrity.
To
ASEP members, it is imperative that they implement an exercise physiology
curriculum to complement the ongoing professionalization of exercise physiology.
To those who don't understand, they look upon the ASEP agenda with suspicion.
Whether viewed as hope or threat, the standards are important to establishing
exercise physiology as a profession. National accreditation, state
licensing of exercise physiologists, academically-grounded certification
of exercise physiologists are necessary steps in professions regulating
themselves. The public sector is thus assured that the exercise physiologist
operates according to established standards of practice.
The
American
Society of Exercise Physiologists is leading the effort to professionalize
exercise physiology. Most importantly will be the emphasis placed
on courses and content expectations for teachers and students. In
time, there will also be emphasis placed on new accreditation standards
for teacher preparation. Exercise physiology teachers will have to
demonstrate specific skills and, in particular, apply exercise physiology
concepts and strategies to the public sector. There will be increased
emphasis on problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
The
new standards will have a profound influence on the professional development
of exercise physiology. It will encourage new relationships with
state and federal agencies, increase the likelihood of reforms linked to
public needs, and facilitate coordination between ASEP and other professional
organizations. The newly created, dynamic affiliation and partnership
with organizations world wide will encourage an integrated understanding
of the importance of exercise physiologists to health, fitness, sports,
and rehabilitation.
ASEP
is the force behind this revolution of professional-development.
With the graduates' ability to demonstrate specific knowledge and research
skills, the public's view of the profession will evolve accordingly.
The
professionalization of exercise physiology is a reality. National
certification, accreditation, standards, and a scope of practice will increase
the probability that all exercise physiologists will access good paying
jobs where they are treated with respect and admiration for their requisite
body of knowledge and skills.
ASEP
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