PEPonline
Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline

An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862

Vol 5 No 5 May 2002

 



Exercise Physiologists Locked in the Past 
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, MA, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
 
Duluth, MN 55811


“If you don’t like what exercise physiology has become, then do something about it.  But do it honestly and with total commitment.”
HOW MANY TIMES has this scenario played itself out when speaking about certifications:  An exercise physiologist initiates a conversation about the importance his certification versus your certification.  Slowly, the discussion reaches an emotional peak that “my certification” is better than “your certification”.  As usual, somebody often times walks away a bit frustrated.  There are many reasons for the support of a specific certification.  One reason is that the certification is the consequences of an association with a particular organization.  Another reason is thinking that is locked in the past.  Both reasons are certain to frustrate any candidate in support of a different certification.  The frustration distracts from professional power.  It also allows for a different way to think about exercise physiology.  Such is the fate of thinking locked in the past.

Sooner or later exercise physiologists will come to understand that their fate lies in forming a relationship between organizational thinking and membership commitment.  Once such a relationship is established exercise physiologists do not find it hard to support a common vision.  The relationship comes with a price, however.  And, it seems that some of our colleagues never succeed from unlocking themselves from the past.  They are trapped in their own big picture of “what is exercise physiology”.   As members of ASEP, we will need to try harder to understand the other person’s psychology.  Is it because the exercise physiologist is concerned about reputation or social standing within different organization?  Is it self-interest?  Or, is it a desperate attempt to keep the past from being forgotten?  In some ways, it is also likely that the exercise physiologist feels threatened and finds security in relying on past thinking. 

Why would an exercise physiologist not want to change on behalf of new possibilities?  By not interacting with new ideas and allowing the new network of connections help students and young professionals in the field, the exercise physiologist may begin to think all kinds of strange ideas.  Never have I realized the impact of a slave mentality where some of my colleagues appear anxious, if not, scared to think differently.  Their confused thinking and doubt that ASEP is “the” door to the new exercise physiology is motivated partly, if not significantly, by the continuation of past thinking.  It is my thesis that developing certifications for the wrong reasons is a huge failure in straight thinking.  The moment that the wrong certification is embraced, the magic is gone.  Therefore, the professional exercise physiologist must not allow him- or herself feel obligated to another organization and/or certification. 

Point blank, it is not enough for exercise physiologists to work on behalf of an organization.  They must work for the right reasons.  As an example, anyone who judges that other certifications are equal to or better than the ASEP Board Certification [1] for exercise physiologists is wrong.  Even the notion of thinking about offering something other than the EPC exam is meaningless when time and energy are misplaced from the ASEP effort.  To understand this point is largely the reason for the founding of the ASEP organization.  Now, exercise physiologists have a professional organization that is focused entirely on the student and the self-actualization of exercise physiologists.  It was founded with the belief that exercise physiologists are professionals who need their own professional certification.  Those who understand this strategy should rush to the support of the EPC exam.  Support is everything, especially when it puts an end to the actions of yesterday. 

Exercise physiologists who live with the ASEP vision [2] cannot tolerate deviation from it. 
They have come to understand why it is important to the professional development of exercise physiologists.  And, yet there are still problems.  It is still not clear how long it will take exercise physiologists locked in the past to get free from it.  The cost is high when good men and women refuse to share in the 21st century view of the emerging profession of exercise physiology.  The politics involved is about big money.  But, of course, it is about the personal investment too.  The problem is, in most cases, not an absence of insight why ASEP is important.  Rather, the problem is one of good people persuading themselves that it is okay to continue repeating the mistakes of the past. 

To say that students should continue to sit for certifications other than the EPC simply does not make sense, especially if students are poised to refer to themselves as exercise physiologists.  This means that the person who supports certifications other than the ASEP-EPC exam is not either thinking straight or is not thoroughly committed to the ASEP organization.  I suspect that my view is too narrow for some ASEP members.  Yet, it takes commitment to develop a profession even when there are differences in opinion.  It is a matter of feelings and passion.  Ending the old way of thinking for the new way of thinking is an absolute not a relative undertaking.  It is a sprint not a jog.  It is a commitment not just membership.

Professional commitment is everything.  My professional oath to develop and market ASEP is imposed on me as a duty to preserve (and give life) to the emerging profession of exercise physiology.  It is not possible for me to serve ASEP and other organizations with the same intensity and commitment when they differ so greatly in purpose and vision.  After all, if you know the ASEP strategy but fail to act accordingly, it is logical that you (and the ASEP organization) will have difficulty in accomplishing its goals and objectives.  This is an important lesson to learn now not later.  Membership by itself changes nothing.  But, as a member, if you are willing to launch an idea on behalf of ASEP, regardless of how small or big it may be, the consequences of your actions set the stage for something great.

In truth, we, the ASEP exercise physiologists, have no power nor does any organization without devoted members who are not just willing but eager to act on behalf of ASEP vision.  The idea that diversity in thinking will keep an organization afloat is less than impressive and, ultimately, the closest to failure a person can envision.  Delivery in goods is everything.  It is, in essence, the very heart of the organization that allows for success against all odds.  All of this is of course another way of saying that ASEP members have a direct and one-to-one responsibility first to ASEP and, then, to other organizations.  It is a matter of managing one’s feelings and therefore the consequences of thinking right or wrong about the implementation of ideas and the role of such thinking in the professionalization of exercise physiology.  It is about sharing a common set of goals and objectives, a common perspective on what ASEP is about, and a common drive to coordinate behavior with results.  Thinking that is shared, thinking that embraces a vision, and thinking that is built upon commitment is a shared responsibility [3]. 

An organization that operates from a shared evangelical culture is in position to market not only compatibility, but power to the members.  With power and influence an organization has potential to counter the use of the same by others.  It is all about influencing behaviors, decisions, and actions within an organization and conflicts of power between organizations.  This is important to understand as marketing is to any organization.  Equally important is the capacity to influence as well as the energy and personal willingness it takes to no longer ignore our students.  If everyone is on the same page and shares the same assumptions about how to achieve the ASEP goals, there will be a minimum of conflict.  This is exactly what is necessary in raising the value of the EPC exam in the public sector.  It is understood that something that is important or is said to be important is sought by many, especially if it is symbolic of new public sector opportunities defined and/or coordinated by the ASEP perspective.

Power comes from making the “right” decision.  But what is the right decision.  A good decision is one that provides the organization control over its resources while positioning itself to cultivate the organization’s activities to benefit its members.  Why is it that some members in the organization are in a good position to understand this thinking, and others are not?  This question, yet to be debated, is in need of an answer.  ASEP exercise physiologists need to understand where their members are coming from.  It is critical to be able to identify the role of members who may have a significant influence or capacity to take action.  As one might imagine, it is crucial to the success of the organization to have every member declare ownership with official responsibilities and directives not to replicate the past but to strategically encourage the expansion of opportunistic thinking on behalf of our students. 

There is an old saying that knowledge is power [4].  There is also the understanding that absolute commitment is power, and it certainly is true with organizations.  The commitment that produces the specificity in directional thinking is not only necessary, but also knowledge of the organization’s strength.  Members who are well placed in the organization help in sharing the message, and in giving advice and assistance to other members and/or potential members.  They help others develop the will to succeed and to attract members who will be effective in interacting with those who behave differently.  Commitment, therefore, is power as is reality that results from perception and reputation derived by first impressions.  Commitment is imperative for organizational success.  It is the “gold medal” that says to everyone that the members agree among themselves about what they should be doing to support the ASEP organization. 

In effect, then, the organizational consensus improves communication and, thus it is easier to interact and make decisions on behalf of all members.  With this better understanding of the collective efforts of the members, those most responsible for change can readily ask for what is necessary to get the job done.  To the point, it is absolutely imperative that the ASEP Board of Directors [5] moves to embrace the “Exercise Physiologist Certified” exam as the professional certification for exercise physiologists.  Members and, in particular, the members of the Board of Directors must create the undeniable perception or belief that the EPC exam is irreplaceable.  This means sharing the importance of the EPC exam with students and faculty alike.  It requires an awareness of the distinction of the exam as the professional credential of exercise physiologists.  This is, above all, the framing of the certification process for students in the field as it should be.  And, thus the most straightforward implication of the ASEP certification has to do with professionalism not certification per se.  By staking out the ASEP position, by taking action that supports the ASEP vision, we can (as members of ASEP) compel those who come later to accept our thinking and position on the matter. 

It is also my belief that the ASEP organization should be forewarned about its influence or the lack of it if we, the members, fail to recognize the need to change and to adapt to the pressing needs of our students in the public sector.  We must avoid being trapped by the inertia of our thinking that is “something other” than ASEP-based.  We must recognize the need for change and to be changeable professionals.  Hence, we need flexible thinking to accommodate the ASEP new reality of exercise physiology.  We need patience and authority in decision making while also recognizing that we may be wrong even when we believe we are doing the right thing for the right reason.  Perhaps, Theodore Roosevelt, making a speech at the Sorbonne in 1910 said it best:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”  [6]
Because “to win” is so important to the future of ASEP and exercise physiology, victory is a function of energy that is also power.  Victory is a worthy cause requiring the best in us.  It is the only way to make the quantum leap, to challenge the seemingly impossible, and to help the curious come to understand the members’ desire to see ASEP succeed.  The credit belongs to the person with a conscious shift in vision, as we see with the ASEP membership.  It is they whose faces have been marred by association with past thinking that has failed to empower the students, and it is they who have devoted their efforts to transform the “invisible” non-PhD exercise physiologists to a visible healthcare practitioner.  We need all of us, even those who remain locked in the past, to clarify, to reflect, to model, and (where necessary) to fill all of the empty words and spaces with the message we care about our students.  If we do that, we will create the professional view of exercise physiologists through lenses of our own ASEP perspective [7] and we will be successful in realizing our vision, goals, and objectives [2,8]. 



References
1.  American Society of Exercise Physiologists. (2002). Information for EPC - Exercise Physiologist Certified - Candidates: A Guide. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/EPCManual.html
2.  American Society of Exercise Physiologists. (2002). ASEP Vision. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/vision.htm
3.  Boone, T. (2000). Making a Professional Commitment. Professionalization of Exercise Physiology - Online. Vol 3 No 3 February. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/ProfessionalCommitment.html
4.  Boone, T. (2000). The Idea of Power and Professionalism. Professionalization of Exericse Physiology - Online. Vol 3 No 5 May. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/Destiny.html
5.  American Society of Exercise Physiologists. (2002). Charter. [Online].
http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/execbod.htm
6.  Nixon, R.M. (1982). Leaders. New York, NY: Warner Books, p. 345.
7.  Boone, T. (2000). The ASEP Perspective. Professionalization of Exercise Physiology - Online. Vol 3 No 8 August. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/ASEPperspective.html
8.  American Society of Exercise Physiologists. (2002). ASEP Goals and Objectives. [Online]. http://www.asep.org/asep/asep/goals.htm

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