Values and Beliefs: Change is Possible
Jocee M. Volk
Board Certified exercise Physiologist
Graduate Student
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
“Our eyes are placed in front
because it is more important to look ahead than to look behind.”
-- Unknown
As I think back over the past year at St.
Scholastica and my previous four years at Minot State University, I am
forced to “face the music.” The “music” is that thought that anyone
who is a graduate in my "general" career field (i.e., exercise science,
kinesiology, or human performance vs. exercise physiology), can apply for
the same jobs that I'm prepared for.
In my undergraduate years, I would say
that I was naive to this fact. Yes, I was told that anyone could
sit for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exam as long as
he/she had a bachelor's degree and met the requirement criteria.
But, at that time, I didn’t really think or care a whole lot about it.
Now, I think that I should have cared more. At the time, I was looking
forward to finishing my first degree.
If I had done a bit more research, I would
have realized that my undergraduate course work was priming me to be a
fitness professional in a field with little opportunity for financial advancement
or stability. In order to be seen as a professional in the public’s
eyes, I was told that I should obtain a sports medicine certificate.
Other options included the ACE certification or even an online or weekend
warrior certificate.
Now, this makes me wonder how many people
really look into a person’s certificate or research the academic
background of personal trainers, strength coaches, health club instructors,
and so on. I bet that not many people do. Patients and clients
expect that professionals, and only professionals, coach, teach, practice
with, and give them advice.
Now that I have essentially completed the
master's degree in exercise physiology, I am more interested in my field
and my options. I have some friends who will also be graduating from
different master-degree programs with a similar career path. They
will have degrees in exercise science and kinesiology with concentrations
in exercise physiology.
Although they will not have a specific
degree in exercise physiology, they plan to sit for the ACSM exam.
On top of that, they are already calling themselves exercise physiologists!
But, they are NOT exercise physiologists! It is rather disappointing
that there are some prestigious colleges and universities allowing their
students, or even tricking their students into believing they are exercise
physiologists when they are not. They should be called what they
are (i.e.,kinesiologists or exercise science specialists).
Unfortunately, there are just too many
subtitles to keep up with. Combined that with the failure to update
academic programs, and you get confusion that allows colleges to get away
with a product that has little real career value. Physical therapists,
occupations therapists, nurses, and others in the field of medicine all
have specialized bodies of knowledge. So, why doesn’t exercise physiology?
Change is needed, not only at the graduate
level, but also at the undergraduate level. Why is this? Exercise
physiology as a profession needs to have standards and regulations just
as any other “profession” does. What better place to start than by
having a pre-exercise physiology option as an undergraduate, so one can
be prepared to study the field as a graduate. Thus, “professionals”
in the field of exercise physiology will be true professionals and not
fakes, which brings me to the question: "What is a profession?"
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
states, “a profession is a calling requiring specialized knowledge and
often long and intensive academic preparation.” Theology, medicine,
law, and teaching are all considered professions. These “professions”
all have a required specialized body of knowledge obtained through a specific
academic route.
Unfortunately, the non-professional path
of academic preparation doesn't help. Anyone who wants to call him-
or herself an exercise physiologist can do so. And, at the present
time, even ASEP allows these students to sit for the EPC exam. While
this is logical today, it will need to change at some point in the future.
The American Society of Exercise Physiology is making important attempts
towards professionalizing the field. As a graduate of an exercise
physiology-degreed program, I can no longer sit back and wait for something
to happen! I need to join in (and you need to join in, too) and help
with the professional development of exercise physiology.
I feel that ASEP is the right way to go
when it comes to defining and uniting the field. ASEP is a national
non-profit professional organization. It is committed to the advancement
of exercise physiologist. Founded in 1997 in the state of Minnesota,
ASEP provides a forum for leadership and exchange of information to stimulate
discussion and collaboration among exercise physiologists active in all
aspects of the profession. ASEP works to set standards for exercise
physiologists through ASEP approved curricula in universities and colleges
in the United States [1]. In order to succeed, however, members
of ASEP must not only be willing to take risks, but also be out in front
of the change [2].
Members are recognized as leaders in the
change process. They are scholars and/or practitioners in the study
and application of exercise physiology to fitness, health promotion, rehabilitation,
and sports training. They belong to ASEP because they sense a need for
a unified voice that speaks to the academic, medical, and law communities
about problems confronting them in their professional development [3].
Professional unity and power of self-regulation
are important to the political integration of exercise physiology into
the public sector. Without accountability for what we do, we will
not be granted the rights to an autonomous profession.
References
1. American Society of Exercise Physiology.
(2004). Information about ASEP. What is ASEP. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/WhatIsASEP.htm.
2. American Society of Exercise Physiology.
(2004). Information about ASEP. The Importance of Change!
[Online]. http://www.asep.org/WhatIsASEP.htm.
3. American Society of Exercise Physiology.
(2004). Information about ASEP. Who Belongs To ASEP.
[Online]. http://www.asep.org/WhatIsASEP.htm.
