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ASEP Survey results...
A reported 200
completed surveys and 81 partial surveys were received during the ASEP
call for responses over recent weeks. Thanks to all those who offered
feedback on their relationship with the field and profession of
exercise physiology!
Editorial
Why am I associated with ASEP?
Dr. Don Diboll, Member, Board of Directors
Presently, I am an associate professor of
exercise physiology as well as chair of a small department in the
California State University system. My department serves two
undergraduate programs, one that prepares future physical education
teachers and the other that prepares future, as I refer to them,
exercise physiologists.
One primary reason I am involved with the American Society
of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) has to do with the question that I
often receive from students, prospective students, and sometimes
parents. In general terms, the question asks What can I do with
this degree? Over the years, this has become a troubling question
for me. The individuals asking this question are looking for direction
related to their future career opportunities. They want a clear answer
to help them make a sound decision. For the individuals who ask this
question with respect to physical education, the answer is relatively
simple and clear. An undergraduate physical education degree will most
likely lead to becoming a credentialed teacher in a K-12 school system.
Students in this program generally know what they are getting into. The
job opportunities are fairly well understood, as well as the potential
starting salary and opportunities for professional growth and
advancement.
However, for the potential exercise physiologist, the answer is not as
simple. Often I have students interested in becoming physical
therapists. Our program is an excellent undergraduate preparation for
that. Physical therapy is a fine profession and I have no problem
assisting students who want to prepare for that career. However, for
those students who are not interested in physical therapy but would
like to work in the allied-health care arena in a capacity related to,
for example, health promotion, fitness, or athletic performance
enhancement, then my response to their question becomes difficult,
if I am honest with them. The answer to this question becomes
difficult because the professional opportunities for an undergraduate
prepared exercise physiologist are not what they should be. Granted,
there are some opportunities in these areas, but they are often
misleading in terms of number of desirable opportunities,
qualifications, salary, and opportunities for career advancement.
Unfortunately, more and more job opportunities that seemingly are ideal
for an exercise physiologist are being filled by physical therapists
and nurses. This is due to state legislations that define standards of
professional practice for the various allied-health professions, as
well as reimbursement practices of medical insurance providers.
Why has it come to this? Physical therapists and nurses have
organizations exclusive to themselves that work on their behalf to
broaden and strengthen their place in the allied-health care arena.
These organizations have helped physical therapists and nurses maintain
a clear professional identity through licensure. Also, these
organizations benefit their memberships through lobbying efforts
with state legislatures and other governing bodies regarding who can
provide specified health care services and which professionals can bill
for payment via medical insurance. The ultimate goal of these
organizations is to secure and expand the professional opportunities of
their memberships. Until 1997, the year ASEP was founded, exercise
physiology did not have a professional organization exclusive to itself
that worked in the same capacity for its membership. There are many
fine organizations that might be thought to represent exercise
physiologists, but they do not or cannot. This is demonstrated in their
mission statements and/or membership demographics (i.e., many of these
organizations have members from a variety of professions; therefore
they cannot represent one profession only).
A question may be asked with respect to the benefits of the
professional certifications related to exercise, fitness, personal
training, etc. that presently exist and how these may help exercise
physiologists. On the one hand, a few, not all, of the certifications
are beneficial from the standpoint of improving ones knowledge base and
skill set. I have two that are helpful from that standpoint. On the
other hand, the present state of the certification realm has not
helped exercise physiologists. To begin with, there are over two
hundred different certifications from a variety of organizations
available today. These certifications are an end in themselves. In
other words, they are not part of a larger picture that will help
establish professional credibility in allied-health care to the degree
that, for example, licensure will. The vast majority of these fitness
professional certifications do not have academic degree requirements
that meet nationally recognized standards. Many have no academic degree
requirements at all. In short, certification, in the long run, will not
truly help those who have them. If anything, the vast number of these
certifications will hinder efforts toward establishing professional
identity for exercise physiologists. Potentially, certification
programs might be useful in the capacity of continuing education
opportunities for those who have already achieved a recognized,
respected professional status. However, certification by itself is not
the answer.
The answer to establishing a recognized, respected presence
in allied-health care for exercise physiologists is a professional
organization exclusive to exercise physiologists, clearly defined
standards of practice, an accreditation process that establishes
national academic program standards, title protection, and ultimately
licensure. The purpose of ASEP is to be this professional
organization that works to achieve these objectives. That is why I am
associated with ASEP. When my students ask me what they can do with
their degree, I want to be able to honestly and confidently tell them
that, if they work hard and stay the course, then there will be a
promising professional future that awaits them as exercise
physiologists.
Ask the Professor
with Dr.
Don Diboll
Q.) Hi. My name is Tom
and I was wondering why is an understanding of metabolism, especially
energy metabolism, so important to exercise physiology?
Thanks for your
help.
Tom
A.) Dear Tom,
I believe this is an often asked question by students. In part, this is
likely due to the fact that energy metabolism involves content and
principles that are not the easiest to grasp. However, I believe there
are good reasons for students to at least have a good understanding of
the concepts and principles of energy metabolism, including a basic
understanding of the metabolic pathways. The following are a few
reasons that come to mind.
To begin with, students need to understand metabolism if they are
going to understand the big picture of human physiology. Human
physiology is an integration of numerous systems and processes. For
example, a clear understanding of why maximal oxygen consumption
increases with chronic aerobic training requires an understanding of
the aerobic metabolic process in skeletal muscle. If a student does not
understand metabolism, then they likely do not have a complete grasp of
other physiological processes and how they all work together.
Next, students who want to become professionals in exercise physiology
need to know what they are talking about. Exercise physiologists
can be sure they will be asked basic questions related to why or how by
clients. Exercise physiologists need to be able to answer such
questions. [Setting them apart from and above the many
non-degreed personal trainers who compete for some of the same jobs.
-Ed.] Also, exercise physiologists will be in a position to support or
refute claims made about products (e.g., ergogenic aids; weight-loss
products) clients may have heard about. These claims should be
addressed accurately, or at least, researched further so that an
informed judgment can be made.
Lastly, a working knowledge of energy metabolism is important from an
applied perspective. For example, different training protocols
(i.e., high-intensity, short-duration vs. moderate-intensity,
longer-duration) enhance different aspects of the metabolic pathways.
Individuals using these training protocols should know why they are
using them and how to potentially modify them to achieve a desired
outcome.
So, even though developing a good understanding of energy metabolism
may be challenging, in the long run, I believe it is worth the effort.
It will be beneficial to the overall understanding of exercise
physiology and will enhance ones ability to apply knowledge in a
professional setting.
Important Dates to Remember - Annual Meeting
& EPC Exams!
April 7, 2005 Exercise Physiologist Certification Exam
Minneapolis, MN
April 8 & 9, 2005 ASEP 7th
Annual Meeting and Conference
Hilton Minneapolis /St. Paul Airport
(100 % of last years attendees stated they would recommend the
ASEP conference to a colleague.) CLICK
HERE for a Microsoft Word schedule of events (also PDF)!
ASEP is a member of
the Health Profession Network
Check out the HPN Links!
And keep in mind: For
more information on professional scope of practice, professional
standards and code of ethics for exercise physiologists, accreditation
of academic programs, board certification examination, and other
important tasks already completed by ASEP in establishing a profession,
visit: www.asep.org
ASEP
Contact Information
Please use this web page (click above) and new email address: contact@asep.org
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©1997-2005 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights
Reserved. All materials posted on this site are subject to
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