Marketing Exercise
Physiology
is Every Exercise
Physiologist's Responsibility!
Mark Kaelin,MS, CSCS
Exercise Physiologist
Southern Indiana Rehab Hospital
Just
like any other product or company, exercise physiologists need to sell
and market their professional services. It does not matter where
they work (e.g., in a hospital or outpatient clinic setting, the college
or university environment, at the local gym or in a wellness center, or
even as a personal trainer or a strength coach). To help insure a
rewarding and financially solvent career, members of the public sector
need to know why they should use the services of an exercise physiologist.
By acting responsibly in marketing the emerging profession, both the career
of individals and collectively exercise physiologists in general benefit.
Marketing is therefore every
exercise physiologist's responsibility! In so doing, however, it
is imperative that members of the profession think long term. In
a prior editorial published in PEPonline,
it was pointed out that the reader can not measure exercise physiology
with a 75 year-old yardstick. Point in fact, it has taken decades
for many professions to develop. The American Society of Exercise
Physiologists, as a professional organization, and the emerging profession
of exercise physiology needs time to develop and to mature. During the
maturation process, exercise physiologists should be actively involved
in recruiting members to the profession.
Of course, the question is
"How can exercise physiologists help?" One answer (and a short one
at that) is that exercise physiologists simply need to work as a team.
Who doesn’t enjoy a team effort! Every weekend millions of Americans
are glued to their TV sets, watching their favorite team attempt to win.
Our homes and offices are filled with references to working together to
accomplish a mutual goal.
“...when the group does well,
everyone benefits....” -- Rick Pitino
“There’s no I in team.”
Unfortunately, many times,
professionals get caught up in day to day living and they abandon goals,
teamwork, and discussions of long term planning. When asked, they
explain their behavior by saying, “Did you say, plan for the future, heck
I’m just trying to make it through today!” On a personal note, as
a father of 17-month-old twins and half of a 2-parent working household,
I understand emotionally and physically what it is like to be too busy.
But, realistically, everyone is busy!
“The successful
person has the habit of doing things failures don’t like to do. They don’t
like doing them necessarily but their disliking is subordinated to the
strength of their purpose.” -- EM Gray
Building the profession of exercise
physiology will take teamwork and courage, and vision. Perhaps, it is a
beginning and a positive way to think about getting involved, but building
a profession does not have to involve 1000s of countless hours of sacrifice.
It is possible to make a significant difference by evaluating "your" current
position and by observing areas in which YOU can make a contribution.
All of us can improve upon what we do, and we certainly can impact career
opportunities and even help promote others in realizing new dreams and
possibilities. So, your saying to yourself, “Great, another article
filled with platitudes and self-help slogans." Guess what?
Platitudes and slogans can not pay the bills, but courage, teamwork, and
synergism can. To repeat, courage, even at a personal level, teamwork
and belief in each other, and the positive synergy to make dreams happen
can pay bills! Of course, a good foundation for professional development
takes time and, when done correctly, it helps to insure better paying jobs.
With increased financial stability, there is more money to pay the bills
and to secure one's family.
But, again, it isn't that
hard to hear such statements as, "I am too busy." “I just don’t
have the time”. Or, “I need tenure, first, then I can work
on that.” Any of these statments sound familiar? No one has
enough time. We have to make time for what is important to us.
It is possible to build your career and your profession simultaneously.
For example, many Ph.D. exercise physiologists are required too perform
research and apply for grant money in additional to a variety of other
academic responsibilities. Similarly, many medical school faculty
members have clinical as well as academic responsibilities. Why not
contact a local or regional medical school faculty member to see if they
would be interested in working on a joint effort. It is possible
that with your expertise there are opportunities that you are not aware
of. The opportunities can help to further your career and actually
add a variety of options to it as well. Ask questions and seek out
contacts with other professionals. Let them know what your professional
training is and how you can help them and thereby help yourself too.
In so doing, you also end up helping the profession grow by exposing exercise
physiology to other professionals.
Remember one very important
point. You do not need to be a Ph.D. to conduct research. If you
are a bachelor or master prepared exercise physiologist working in a wellness
center, hospital, or clinic, then think about designing a research project
to answer questions about service, rehabilitation, and so forth.
Do your homework before contacting a physician or a company, know your
subject matter, and be organized. If you do these things, the chances
are good that you will get the opportunity to direct the project, maybe
make more money, and certainly inform others of your ability as a leader
and researcher. If you should need some special advice or direct,
consider contacting the ASEP research committee and, where possible, use
the backing of ASEP.
Developing markets, cultivating
referrals, expanding the research on the efficacy and usefulness of exercise
and exercise physiologists should be done by all exercise physiologists
(regardless of academic degrees). However, exercise physiologist
should not lull themselves into thinking that conducting research is the
only way to build their profession. Marketing can be done in a variety
of mediums. For example, writing an article for a local newspaper or magazine
or addressing the public on the benefits of exercise at community meetings
are very effective in increasing the public's awareness of exercise physiologists
and ASEP.
In summary, where possible,
take every opportunity to educate the public about exercise physiology,
in general, and about exercise physiologists, in particular. In doing
so, you will help to insure your professional future and your colleagues
will benefit, too.
Copyright
©1997-2001 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights
Reserved.
ASEP
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