Rising to the
Level of "Profession"
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
Director of Exercise Physiology
Laboratories
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Office
Duluth, MN 55811
THE title of this article is
taken from an email I received from a colleague. His question was,
"Tell me how exercise physiology can ever hope to rise to the level of
"profession" when EPs don't have and never will have the power to prescribe
treatment, as say, the physical therapy profession currently enjoys?"
At first, I wanted to write back and say, "Please read and re-read my articles
in the ASEPNewsletter and the PEPonline
journal, and you will find the answer to your question." I didn't
however because the question deserves a response more than I would normally
write via email. An equally important question after he reads my
response is, "Will it help him understand that "...the power to prescribe
treatment...." has nothing to do with professionalism? Will it help
him to understand my professional position, my passion and concern, as
a college professor, for exercise physiology students, and the drive
behind the Society?" Frankly, I don't think so but hopes and dreams
are important to change.
In the July issue of the
ASEPNewsletter
(1998), ASEP published what is probably the first article in the history
of exercise physiology that addressed "...professionalism: myth or reality."
In short, there are six basic characteristics of a profession -- which
are:
It is intellectual with responsible
standards of education and practice with high personal responsibility.
It is based on systematic, theoretical
views and ideas that are readily researched and published.
It has a relationship with professional
colleagues regulated by a Code
of Ethics.
It has a formal professional
association supporting a professional philosophy and culture.
It is organized internally to
promote its members.
It is recognized legally by
a certification board staffed by professional members.
If exercise physiology is intellectual
and based on systematic, theoretical views and ideas that are researched
and published, which most would agree is the case, then exercise physiology
meets these two characteristics of a profession. However, meeting
two of the six characteristics isn’t enough to be defined as a profession.
All of the characteristics must be applied and understood. So, in
a real sense, the way in which exercise physiology has always functioned
(i.e., within the context of sports medicine), it is no wonder exercise
physiologists have referred to themselves as working within a discipline.
Also, at no time, in the relatively brief history of exercise physiology
has there been a concerted effort to think otherwise. Exercise physiologists
have simply failed to think beyond sports medicine to a more logical extension
along the continuum of professionalization.
At one point I realized that
exercise physiology would remain a discipline without its own Code of Ethics.
Moreover, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that a sports medicine
Code of Ethics is not an exercise physiology Code of Ethics. ASEP
provides the first-ever exercise physiology organization to support professional
relationships with colleagues regulated by an exercise physiology Code.
Then, to comply with characteristic #4, the ASEP Charter
was written, incorporated in the state of Minnesota, and published on the
internet. Exercise physiologists have their own formal professional
association with a specific philosophic orientation. The Society
is organized internally to promote its members, and is legally certified
and staffed by a Board of Directors, thus fulfilling #5 and #6 characteristics
of a profession.
While I would like to think
that my brief comments demonstrate once and for all why exercise physiology
is a profession, I understand that change in how we think about a topic
doesn't happen without a reason. My reason is simple, however.
As Chair of the Department of Exercise Physiology, I care about my students
and what I do as a professional. I also understand that ASEP is not
a cure for the lack of an organized history, but it does focus on positive
things. It opens all of us to new ideas, and it arms us with a way
to think that is surprisingly at the heart of our need to define our professionalism.
My comments may be unsettling
to some, but not to the members of ASEP. They understand that college
professors must make a commitment to their students and the profession.
The conditions that many of our graduates continue to work in are simply
not good. We need to hang together or, otherwise as Benjamin Franklin
put it, we shall surely hang separately. Separateness is not a solution
we can live with. More of the same will only continue to fragment
the field.
Stated somewhat differently,
if exercise physiology is to achieve greatness, all exercise physiologists
must contribute their very best to ASEP and the profession. Here,
courage is the power to stop fighting professionalization and to stop serving
two masters (i.e., sports medicine and exercise science). The net
result with redirected thinking is breakthrough solutions and ideas for
achieving good things for our students and others to whom we are responsible.
In particular, academic exercise physiologists should work harder in helping
their students access jobs, in obtaining credibility, and professional
status.
All of this is made better
within the context of having one's own profession. For example, will
exercise physiologists benefit from ASEP's efforts to professionalize the
field? Of course they will. Will ASEP require new standards
of academic performance (such as certification and Code)? Of course,
and logically both enhance what exercise physiologists do. Will ASEP
increase professional credibility? Yes, and it will do so in a much
better way than the present-day exercise physiologist under the sports
medicine model. Yes, for all of the obvious reasons.
It is really interesting
that some exercise physiologists seem to lack a certain understanding of
the need for visionary thinking. I'm sure they feel they are important.
Other exercise physiologists have the same rights to their ideas, beliefs,
dreams, and their way of thinking. All exercise physiologists are
important to this discussion, and every single exercise physiologist has
a right to his/her own future. Biomechanists have their own organization,
if not organizations! Nutritionist, sports psychologists and others
have their own professional organizations. Why is it that we can't
have our organization? Well, you should be able to see the lack of
serious thinking when exercise physiologists are somehow denied their right
to an organization that is specifically for them.
Walt Disney said it best,
"If you can dream it, you can do it." Several years ago, I dreamed of a
professional organization for exercise physiologists. ASEP is that
organization, and it is for real. The organization is moving forward
with a significant number of accomplishments in just one year on the internet.
But, like any organization, progress is directly linked to how fast its
members choose to get involved, depending on their work and professional
schedules. I find it exciting that more exercise physiologists are
coming on board in much the sameway that other organizations got their
start at some point early in their history.
However, regarding exercise
physiology, how will concepts like profession, professionalism, and professionalization
evolve? Are you, the reader, satisfied if someone who literally works
in another career altogether defines your profession? This is what
has happened and still is happening within the context of sports medicine.
Would you feel better about what you do if you had the opportunity to define
your career? The answer is obvious to me and others agree.
Of course you would and, thus life as usual in the present-day exercise
physiology way of thinking is a dead concept. It is wrong to believe
that our students will prosper if conditions stay the same.
The power of an exercise
physiology organization like ASEP is that it shapes options for the future.
It provides the first-ever-organized opportunity to put the pieces together
to impact regulatory change in academic stability. It increases visibility
and enhances the image of exercise physiology. It also allows for
setting the agenda, determine the direction, and make the decisions about
the future of the profession. ASEP is the exercise physiologists'
gateway for change.
But does that mean that exercise
physiology is like law, theology, or medicine? No, but that doesn't
mean that exercise physiology is not on the road to becoming a profession.
The spirit behind a dream teaches us how to live, how to help others, how
to assimilate thoughts, and how to transform exercise physiologists from
technicians to professionals. Frankly, it has nothing to do with
physical therapy or health care per se. It is about realizing one's
future while not waiting in line forever to have a turn. It is about
stopping the confusion as to what is exercise physiology, and believing
in one's right to organize around his/her feelings and expectations.
It is, therefore, O.K. to think as an exercise physiologist, to look out
for what you do and how your work impacts others, to recognize the need
to professionalize, and to want to succeed as an exercise physiology professional.
In summary, professionalization
is always ongoing. We are just beginning the process. It depends
to a great extent upon our adaptability, dedication, and shared decision-making.
We must see exercise physiology not as it is, but as it can become.
For those of us who are dreaming the same dream, we are no longer alone
anymore. The answer to our hopes and dreams of exercise physiology
rising
to a profession is in the hands of the members of the American Society
of Exercise Physiologists. Each member is important to every other
member and, collectively; they will reengineer the exercise physiology
profession.
In response to my email friend,
Galileo Galiei (1564-1642) said, "You cannot teach a man anything.
You can only help him discover it within himself." I hope that I've
been of some help.
