Copyright ©1997-2002 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights Reserved.
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ASEPNewsletter
Vol 6 No 11 November 2002 
ISSN 1097-9743
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Academic Programs
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reddot.gif (297 bytes)Code of Ethics
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reddot.gif (297 bytes)Conditions of Service
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Conflict of Interest
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Discipline
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Goals and Objectives
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Incorporation
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Job Search Strategies
reddot.gif (297 bytes)Licensure
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reddot.gif (297 bytes)What is ASEP?

This monthly newsletter is designed to update the members of the ASEP organization and the general public on the current events regarding ASEP.  The newsletter will contain actions recently taken by the Board of Directors as well as any recent information, decisions, and future goals of ASEP.  There will be featured updates from the chairpersons of the leading ASEP committees, news briefs regarding the recent advances in the professional development of exercise physiology and guest editorials.  If you would like to contribute to this newsletter or if you are just looking for general information regarding ASEP, feel free to contact me at the following e-mail address.  Also, don't forget to sign up for the "ASEP E-mail Updates" of this newsletter. 


Letter from the Editor....

GREETINGS "PROFESSIONALISM" FANS!  This month’s ASEPNewsletter marks an important step forward for ASEP.  The newly appointed chair of the Licensure Committee, Mr. Matt Wattles, has announced the new members of the Licensure Committee as well as his vision and goals for his leadership tenure with the committee.  Mr. Wattles has merged key members from the ASEP affiliated state organizations to assist in unifying our path towards professionalism.  This is the most significant revamping of the committee membership since the beginning of ASEP. 

State organizations offer an important spin from the traditionally academic centered leadership of exercise physiology.  Non-academic exercise physiologists find themselves scattered after graduation.  The state organizations offer an opportunity for those who are in other sectors of employment to unify, critically reflect, and help exercise physiology grow.  As many of us who are in academic institutions understand, it is often very difficult to induce change in the programs we teach in without outside assistance.  An active state organization may offer the external push to induce those needed changes. 

I find many exercise physiologists inside the academia unreceptive when the issues surrounding professionalism (accreditation, certification, and licensure) are brought up in conversation.  This is such an interesting paradox.  How could individuals, who spend their days employing their critical thinking skills, fail to openly receive or fail to discuss new perspectives regarding the field itself?  How could those who have been trained to be so open, be so closed?  Many exercise physiologists in academia are out of touch and afraid of what they would discover, and even worse, what they would have to do, if they truly thought about exercise physiology becoming a profession.  As a result, to avoid the effort and the possibility of offending the “good old boys” that created our present status, they scamper into their offices to scan through their e-mails, plod through their papers, and just avoid the entire issue.  This is a prime example of when a lack of action becomes an unethical action in itself 

A lot of the changes that must occur in exercise physiology must start in academia.  These changes can be made much swifter and, in many cases will not even happen, without an active state organization inducing external pressure for the colleges and universities to change. With those changes, the dominoes will begin to fall and earning professional status will become a reality.  Mr. Wattles has proven to be an active and open leader.  I personally feel many will be impressed with how much he achieves with the Licensure Committee during his tenure. 

Jesse Pittsley
Editor, ASEPNewsletter 
jlpittsley@yahoo.com 


Letter from Matt Wattles....

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU for taking time to read my purpose and goals for leading the licensure committee.  I’m honored to have been offered this position and I look forward to working hard towards professionalism.  As you can see, the members of the committee were selected from a variety of states to help diversify the committee.  My main goal right now is to find out how I can best support the state organizations toward gaining licensure.  I know first hand how much time it can take to run an EP association and my first goal is to make this process as easy for others as possible. To help with this process, I am developing a questionnaire that I will send to each state president.  I will submit the results of this questionnaire to the ASEP board and from there we can determine strengths, weaknesses and formulate a plan to deal with each state issue. The state associations will work together to form a national licensure template and a case for licensure.  Certain issues have recently arisen that make our push for licensure a top priority.  Steve Jungbaur, President of Indiana’s state association, has contacted EPs across the country with his concern about reimbursement and the future of EPs in hospital based cardiac rehabilitation settings.  This letter was fueled in part by an August 7th 2002 email to AACVPR members regarding Reimbursement Update.  I have posted Steve’s email and the AACVPR email on Reimbursement Update on the IDAEP website. Some of the goals I am developing for the Licensure Committee include:

1.  I will attempt to strengthen state associations by increasing communication through state presidents and key members.  I will do this by setting up an email based discussion board specifically for the Licensure Committee.  The discussion board will allow the state organizations to share their successes, failures and frustrations.  This will help presidents to “learn from other’s successes and mistakes”.  It will also allow the committee to communicate with each other on a daily bases if we choose.  It will help me to communicate more effectively with the committee and allow me to get information out to everyone quicker. 

Members of the Licensure Committee
1.   LaGary Carter, GA 
2.   Matt Wattles, ID
3.   Steve Jungbauer, IN 
4.   Matt Lehn, IN 
5.   Clinton Brawner, MI
6.   Tommy Boone, MN 
7.   Aliisa Seppala, NB 
8.   Ron Mendell, OH
9.   Rob Robergs, NM
10. Jeffrey Janot, SD
11. Jason Young, WI 
2.  I will also share any relevant information with ASEP members in ASEP’s monthly Newsletter.  This will inform ASEP members what we are doing in each state to promote the EP profession.  This will also be done to build momentum within the membership.  As the membership see the monthly success that we are having at the state levels, excitement will build and more and more EPs will step up to the plate to help us push the committee’s agenda.  I also see this as an excellent tool to recruit more and more state associations.  Remember, once one state has successfully implemented and accomplished a goal, it will be very easy for others to implement it in their states.  The committee will be creating templates every step of the way.  These templates can be used by each state that is successfully affiliated with ASEP. 

3.  I will set goals for each state association to accomplish.  The committee needs to begin to working towards developing our profession.  In the near future, I will ask each committee for input on future goals of what we would like to see accomplished.    I have developed our first goals.  They are as follows:

(1)  We need to increase the visibility of the profession at the state level.  The first goal will be to establish EP Day in each ASEP affiliated state.  Indiana and Nebraska have already successfully implemented this in their states.  EP day will increase the visibility of our profession in each state.  A template letter has already been created for you.  I will send this letter to you in the next few weeks.  All that is needed is for you to send the letter by certified mail and or email to your governor.  More than likely your governor will proclaim EP day.  In the event that he or she doesn’t, we will develop another letter to ask why, and demand our day.  We will achieve this goal in every state.  Once EP day is proclaimed in your state, you will be sending a press release to the various media in your state, i.e., newspapers, and updating your website with this press release. 
(2)  We will draft EP licensure and a case for licensure in each state.  Again, this is already completed.  I will send each state a licensure draft.  Indiana, Minnesota, and Idaho have licensure drafts.  We will use a general template that can be updated for specifics in each state, but the legalities surrounding ASEP and the EPC must remain.  It is my opinion that the licensure draft will help to promote membership and increase visibility of the profession in each state.  This will also be used to bring in future state affiliates, as they will be able to use the template for their state licensure. 
3.  I will ask the committee to identify all the EP educational programs in affiliated states.  Once these are identified, the committee will begin sending information on licensure to each school’s department chair explaining how licensure will affect their students in the job market and future careers.  The Licensure Committee can work with ASEP’s accreditation committee to find out specific school chairs.  We need to sell the chairs on the fact that we are serving the best interests of the EP students.

4.  It is important to reach the students of EP programs in states with ASEP affiliated state associations.  The state associations will work to bring an ASEP student chapter to each college or university in those states.  This will increase membership in the respective state associations and help to develop future EP leaders. 

5.  The Licensure Committee will contact key EPs in their respective states.  This will involve a little detective work, but should be fairly easy.  We need to identify EPs through other national and state associations, ACSM, AACVPR, etc.  We also need to find out what hospitals, universities and medical facilities in your state employ EPs.  We need to inform the EPs of those states that the state association is attempting to both promote the field and the successes of the association (successfully implementing EP day, licensure draft, etc.).  We need to let them know that we are in the process of gaining licensure in the state and explain what licensure would mean for them (more jobs, greater job security, possible increased pay and possible medical reimbursement, etc.)  These EPs need to join their respective state organizations association.  If they won’t, we need to find out why.  Why wouldn’t an EP want to support and promote their profession? 

These goals will be placed on a timeline.  It is up to the leaders of the state associations if they would like to tackle these goals themselves, as many already have, or delegate them to other officers and members.  The committee will attempt to accomplish these goals in 2003.  I would like to have a number of these goals accomplished before ASEP’s National Meeting in February.  We need to show the membership how serious the committee is about promoting our profession in the respective states.  It is time for the EPs in the trenches to stand up and promote our profession. 

Matt Wattles, MS - President IDAEP 
Idaho Association of Exercise Physiologists
8725 W. Wall Dr.
Boise, ID 83709
Phone: (208) 407-7530
Fax:  (208) 362-4538
Website: http://www.idaep.org
Email: mwattles@idaep.org


"October 29th"....Exercise Physiologist Day in Nebraska!

The NEAEP just witnessed the signing of Exercise Physiologists' Day Proclamation in Nebraska. Along with Wisconsin and Indiana, Nebraska has also reserved October 29th for this day. Other states are also working toward this goal. Aliisa Seppala MA, EPC, ATC, coordinator of the project in Nebraska, is asking everyone to join in and promote exercise physiologists on this day.  Make signs, send out e-mails, etc... I have sent e-mails to all the EP departments in Nebraska telling them about the recent event. 


       
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