PEPonline
Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline

An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862

Vol 11 No 4 April 2008

 



Great Things Grow from Small Beginnings
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN
 
Change your thoughts and you change the world.
– Harold R. McAlindon, Writer
 
The content of this presentation was conceived during a conversation between a young lady, her parents, and me in my office at St. Scholastica.  It was a time during the semester when I needed a lift, but I never dreamed how helpful it would be (especially for me).
 
After the exchange of names and polite conversation, the mother explained that for months, she had been thinking about exercise physiology as a career for her daughter.  She had even looked at my book, Exercise Physiology as a Career [1].
 
After answering several questions, especially with respect to the ASEP definition of exercise physiology, the four of us walked down the hallway of the Science Building to the different labs.  The parents were interested in the hands-on experiences their daughter would get at St. Scholastica.  As you might imagine, I found this both interesting and exciting.  I, then, explained that 8 of the 11 courses have required labs.
 
Also, I said that your daughter will be taught how to use the CO2 rebreathing procedure to estimate cardiac output along with calculations and analyses of VO2, HR, SV, a-vO2 diff, BP, MAP, SVR, DP, MVO2, CPO, and an equal number of respiratory measures. 
 
Of course "your daughter" will know how to administer and functionally interpret 12-lead ECGs, exercise prescriptions, lean muscle tissue/fat ratio analysis, and a host of other physical assessments to prepare her for the Board Certification exam that she will take at the end of her academic program.
 
After spending a few moments walking from the Exercise Physiology Laboratory to the Anatomy Lab, I said to the parents that Sharon would graduate with a thorough background in applied anatomy. 
 
To try an impress them, of course, I mentioned, for example, if you were flex the shoulder joint, it would involve "five" muscles and "four" nerves.
Suddenly I heard the mother say, "Which nerves are you referring to?"  Her question surprised me."  Then, she asked, "What order of importance would you identify each nerve?" 
 
She smiled and said, "I teach anatomy."  It was then we had reached the Anatomy Lab on the second floor.  After unlocking the door, we went inside and took a quick look at the dissected cadavers.  I told them that the graduate students at the master's level do the dissection, but undergraduates get the opportunity to study from their work.
 
While in the lab, I showed Sharon various muscles and nerves and described the dissection process.  Her daughter was rather taken by the idea of learning the “actual” origins and insertions of muscles.  She had been earlier by a teach in another school that it was a meaningless memorization process.
 
Then, as is generally the case, we walked back downstairs and talked a little bit more about exercise physiology.  I told them that the academic major at St. Scholastica is accredited, and that there are only four accredited exercise physiology programs in the United States.
 
I was impressed and uplifted by the parent’s sense of thinking that accreditation was important when choosing a school to attend.  That may sound a bit simplistic to some, but it has been a very sobering thought for me. 
 
For many years I didn't struggle with the challenge of whether an academic degree was credible or not.  For reasons I tend to understand but still have difficulty accepting at a personal level, I spent 25 of my 40 years as a college teacher studying and supporting the American College of Sports Medicine.
 
I got a great deal of enjoyment going to the annual meetings, presenting research abstracts, and meeting up with friends.  It was fun.  And, what academic EPs have done since 1954 has helped sports medicine grow to what it is today.  It did nothing to help the students at the undergraduate level.  I didn't know that then.  I do now. 
 
Suddenly, Sharon's mother asked, "Do you think the title of the academic degree is important?"  For a moment I was entranced and remained so as I listened to what they were saying.  The parents were also considering the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. 
 
I didn't want to come across too strong, so I said very softly: "Yes, I think it does matter.  A degree in Kinesiology, even should the academic courses be somewhat similar to the course work required of exercise physiologists, isn't the same as a degree in Exercise Physiology."  She smiled and said, "We agree." 
 
Please appreciate that as a co-founder of ASEP, along with Dr. Robergs. I understand that no one forced me to support other organizations.  But, at the same time, I've become responsible for my own actions.  I don't blame my colleagues for disagreeing, although it is difficult to deal with their indifference.  And, yet, at the same time, I do know that power, politics, and money are intimately linked to organizations and their survival.
 
To my surprise, Sharon's mother was very understanding and supportive of ASEP and its vision.  Most parents and students looking to attend St. Scholastica have not looked at the ASEP website.  It was rewarding and self-gratifying to know that they understood the "connecting elements" of ASEP, professionalism, and the power to achieve credibility.
 
I like to think that the ASEP work is a sensible solution to the kinds of things other healthcare professions have fought over and continue to do so after decades of commitment to their work.  They, too, argue their right to exist.    
 
In fact, it is in this context that we within ASEP don't have a choice.  We may think we are acting freely but, frankly, it is the professionalization process is pulling our strings.  
 
Once the “thinking” begins, then, we never stop believing in our right to be who we are.  After all, we are eagles, not chickens!  The right to our own organization, to fly high if you will, is just what it means.
  
We become what we say, and we become what we think.
 
ASEP will never quit on students even though it is hard work or politically incorrect (according to some colleagues).  And, while I've never run a marathon, the work of building a profession is more than a couple marathons back-to-back with new challenges around every turn.
 
There are the right attitudes to develop and fears to conquer, and seeking excellence is but part of daring to think differently.  There are goals for this month, next year, and the decade after to achieve, knowing all too well there will be dark moments where we fall short of a perfect 5 much less a 10 in the eyes of those who look up to us.

Somewhere, I read that “You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather is.”  It seems to me that the leadership of the ASEP organization is doing just that.  Individual members are growing and they are doing it on their own, which reminds me of the following few thoughts:
 
Reflection leads to new ideas.
Ideas are viewed as possibilities.
Possibilities lead to encouragement.
Encouragment brings hope.
Hope gives rise to a vision.
Visionary thinking leads to beliefs.
Beliefs become shared action.
Action gives life to a new reality.
 
Our new reality is the ASEP organization.  It alone allows us to be who we are and who we want to be.  It allows us to change the way things are and make things happen as we believe they should.  The concept has never been so simple.  The ASEP leadership has taken the complexity out of being an exercise physiologist. 
 
Now, you do not need a doctorate degree!  Sharon’s parents knew this, and (in discussing ASEP with them), her mother said: “It's not the size of the organization that counts.  It's the thoughts that live within it, it's what's inside each of us that counts.” 
 
Great things grow from small beginnings.

 

References

1.  Boone, T. (2006). Exercise Physiology As A Career: A Guide and Sourcebook. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press Publishers, Inc.
 



Copyright ©1997-2008 American Society of Exercise Physiologists   All Rights Reserved.