Copyright ©1997-2005 American Society of Exercise Physiologists   All Rights Reserved.


        Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline    


         ISSN 1099-5862   Vol 8 No 5 May 2005 
 


 

Editor-in-Chief:   Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, MA, FASEP, EPC
 
 

A Statement About Principles and Possibilities
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Director, Exercise Physiology Laboratories
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811

“Success is not a secret.  It is hard work and commitment.” 

To get an idea of where this article is coming from, think about the following:  Physical educators are educated about physical activity and encourage exercise for health reasons.  The clear fact is that they are part of the health movement.  They may even be responsible for today’s emphasis on fitness.  Yet in a bizarre divide from historically endorse clinical conditions and treatments, physical therapists are showing their political power.  Through demonstrated changes in their licensure bills, they are determined to win out over other health and fitness experts.  This is in itself a stupefying testament to the politics of big organizations.  Perhaps, what’s far worse is that instead of a logical and sound approach to accrediting exercise physiology programs of study, we have sports medicine mirroring the ASEP initiatives!  Accrediting fitness professionals, regardless of their academic degree, is cure for nothing.  Does anyone really believe that it is the right thing to do?  “No.”  Once again, the thinking of the members of a big organization is led by a failed logic.  It is insidious and pervasive.  We also have personal trainers on the horizon.  Who are they?  Where are they educated?  Is their education worth a penny? 

Admittedly, these are interesting times.  Throughout the United States, if not the world, there is an interest the almost unimaginable benefits of regular exercise.  However, to hear that physical therapists believe they can do their work and the work of exercise physiologists is a bit much.  Similarly, with the burgeoning number of personal trainers at far lower levels of educational achievement than required of others, it is a mockery of exercise physiology.  One can also look at the anticipated economic exploitation of individuals who deserve attention from credible professionals.  Is it a problem?  Is American really going to take healthcare advice from personal trainers?  The truth is that many people do not know “what is exercise physiology” or “what an exercise physiologist does?”  In terms of a standard of practice, real problems exist for exercise physiologists.  Ultimately, they are responsible for nurturing their profession, which is overwhelmingly true for all professions.  In a word, it is rather disconcerting to see so many exercise physiologists engaged in the “wait and see” what happens to the ASEP organization before they get involved if they do so at all.

However uncomfortable it is, people don’t like to embrace something new until it is has either become law or sanctified by rational persistence.  Looked at objectively, it is just a matter of time.  And, to be fair, today’s concerns about health and fitness from a variety of fields of study may be the path to a better future.  But, until that end is realized, it is probably best that each healthcare profession protects its original contribution to the genesis of better healthcare.  Exercise physiologists are only beginning to spread their wings.  No doubt the battles ahead are likely to be lengthy and costly if not devastating to those who are not prepared.  If exercise physiologists are to ensure that exercise physiology survives, then it is up to them to “get with the program.”  To a large degree, this means restructuring the undergraduate education of college students.  Far too many students graduate after mastering the topics of exercise science to find that the plan was no plan at all.  Forced to go back to school because of reduced wages or no jobs at all, they suffer further at the hands of disinterested college professors.  For some students, it makes sense.  Others are confused.  Still others are angry at the system.  Never before have so many academic exercise physiologists been so out of touch with their students’ reality. 

A little digging beneath the sports medicine view is instructive.  So, here is a little history of sports medicine.  In 1954, the American College of Sports Medicine was founded.  The founders comprised a mix of professionals.  Hardly anyone understood exercise physiology then or what it was to become.  Here is the first clue that something is wrong.  ACSM was never an exercise physiology organization, which is why it embraced its rampant rise as a multi-professional organization.  This is heartbreaking for those who have remained loyal to ACSM.  To be sure, they will be among the last to turn their backs to ACSM.  After all, for many, they helped grow the organization by supporting the certifications.  Indeed, in the 80s and 90s, it was expected of all academic exercise physiologists to require their students to the national meetings.  Understandably, the effort helped to build the economic based of sports medicine.  But, unfortunately, students from poor academic backgrounds remained poor after graduation.  And there’s now an important question about just how important the graduate research is without the opportunity to make it financially.

In 1997, the ASEP organization was founded on the belief that all exercise physiologists, not just the doctorate prepared ones, deserved the benefits of a quality education.  Obviously, this was an extremely important step in the right direction.  As a snapshot analysis of the ASEP leadership, their efforts to build the first-ever professional organization of exercise physiologists have enhanced immeasurably the professional status of exercise physiology in the United States.  In other words, students are no longer alone in the battle to buy back their right to a quality education with increased career opportunities in the public sector.  From the ASEP point of view, the conditions today are far better than 10 years ago.  It isn’t perfection by any means, but its movement in the right direction for the right reasons.  Contrast this with staying the same or engaging in failed logic, the net effect is positive.  The historical developments of most healthcare professionals bear this out, especially when the investment in a career-driven education puts college education professionals in a higher-income bracket with greater respect and credibility.  There can’t be dispute on this point.

The truth is that all organizations take time to grow.  This is primarily to allow for adequate time for the new thinking to replace the old.  Hence, it is no mystery why ASEP is a small organization.  And, although the membership is divided somewhat equally in doctorate and non-doctorate exercise physiologists, the stunning news is that everyone is committed to the professional development of exercise physiology.  Instead of just the doctorate prepared professionals leading the non-doctorate professionals, everyone is carrying out different responsibilities to make ends meet.  This is worth remembering because it speaks to the core of why ASEP is important.  It is the home for [all] exercise physiologists.  It should come as no surprise, then, to learn that about one-half of the presenters at the 7th ASEP National Meeting were non-doctorate professionals.  Members of other healthcare professions understand this thinking and, frankly, the future of exercise physiology depends on it.  Make no mistake: ASEP is unstoppable.  Time is on its side.  Critics of ASEP and its leadership are way off base.  Anyway, the real story here is “exercise physiology” -- not ASEP.  Or, to put it another way, the ASEP critics are confused.  As non-exercise physiologists, it is incongruent to think that they control exercise physiology.

Meanwhile, everyone wants part of the emerging markets in healthcare.  You can hear the following statements almost everyday:  “We are the experts in exercise prescription.”  “We know more about treating clinical diseases and dysfunctions than you do.”  “It is obvious that we are part of politically huge organization, and do as we please.”  “We have ‘the’ certification for dealing with aging.”  “You guys aren’t athletes.  You have no idea how to develop muscular strength.”  The list goes on and on.  Rather than finding a way to work together, to profit together as professionals on behalf of clients, it is a war (or, at times, a hijacking).  None of this is new.  Organizations have challenged each other’s right to exist for decades.  Politics is part of the growth process.  Pulling the strings of the leaders of another organization might be considered terrible, but it happens.  One only hopes that the leaders of the different organizations will respect the rights of others to disagree.  One of the cruelest ways to show power is using the “power card.”  Thanks to the size of some organizations, sadly as it may be, they bully their way into getting what they want.  Critics of this thinking might argue otherwise.  However, this argument parallels the recent events against the ASEP organization.  The unfairness needs correcting.

Those who have studied the science of organizational battling understand that the leaders can’t conduct their politics as they wish and not face consequences.  In time, the lack of integrity of the leadership along with the inflated self-worth will make it difficult for the organization to compete effectively.  The alternative, of course, is to work together.  But, that isn’t possible when the other person says, “You must do my way and only my way and, then, I will recognize you.”  Talk about an absurd snobbery in full view.  For the people involved, it is a type of mental blindness that keeps them caught up in yesterday’s thinking.  This is why the ASEP leadership decided to stay the course, to tell the ASEP story, and to compete with integrity until their very last breath.  It is simply too easy to do otherwise and, yet this is exactly what happens all too quickly.  This way of thinking quickly devolves into their imprint on your head.  You now belong to them!  The truth is, none of this is new.  Evidence points to it throughout the business world.  Academics is business, too.  Professionalism requires a business foundation or, at least, harmony between ethical thinking and business implications as important fabrics of dealing with clients and the public sector. 

The ASEP battle for exercise physiology is the struggle to end the sports medicine power over exercise physiologists.  This sort of thinking is new.  In fact, it was just a few years ago that sports medicine flat-out claimed the right to exercise physiology.  The era that spanned ACSM’s influence over exercise physiology ended with the founding of the ASEP organization.  Suddenly, exercise physiologists without the doctorate degree could call themselves exercise physiologists.  Try to imagine that it was not possible to do so before 1997.  Sad as it is, such thinking was imposed on everyone without the doctorate degree.  Those with the doctorate degree, even if the actual degree was in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science, could refer to themselves as exercise physiologists.  They were the kings and everybody else was less than that.  It is rather eerie and unsettling to say the least.  What a change students are experiencing with the founding of ASEP!  The organization now features exercise physiologists with the master’s degree and, yes, exercise physiologists with the bachelor’s degree.  Today’s ASEP member has the opportunity to be board certified.  It’s heartening to see how far exercise physiology has come, and that it is in the direction to benefit all exercise physiologists.

Moving ahead for a few years, exercise physiology will have won a significant position in the healthcare community.  Employers will seek out exercise physiologists in key positions.  With the advent of increasingly complex but extremely useful computer programs, the exercise physiologists’ cardiovascular education will increase both their responsibilities and earning power.  Women will become increasingly important to the profession.  In other words, the hidden agenda of the sports medicine myth will no longer confuse exercise physiologists.  The improvement in healthcare will be largely influenced by regular exercise.  If you’re a young college student, your chances of getting a good paying job are excellent.  There will be greater scientific uniformity in educational programs and opinion.  Clearly, accreditation will be required of all exercise physiology programs.  Board certification will be required of all graduates to practice exercise physiology.  And, to give credit where it’s due, ASEP deserves the prize for beginning the professional approach to the 21st century exercise physiology.  The first wave of significant changes is evident now.  The second and third waves of professional growth and stability will be evident with students as they graduate and take over the control of the profession.