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


        Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline           


         ISSN 1099-5862   Vol 8 No 4 April 2005 
 


 

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

Take Charge of Your Profession:  Exercise Physiology
Jennifer Underhill
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811

“Professionalism is NOT the job you DO.  It’s HOW you DO the job” – Unknown Author

EVERY DAY people wake up early, shower, get dressed, and head off to their daily job to pay the bills.  Some have gone to school for years just to get where they are and do what they do.  Some ended up in the job they are in by default and luck.  And others have had very little education and are in their job because they have no other options.  In today’s world a job can no longer define who a person is or his/her character.  People today work because they have to.  The idea of doing a job that one truly loves is long lost and forgotten.  A job no longer defines who a person is, but rather, for some, it imprisons them to a life of un-fulfillment.  But shouldn’t someone enjoy and love what they do?  They have gone to school for years, even decades, and paid obscene amounts of money to educate themselves to a level that they need so they can get the job they want.  A job should not be a chore or a burden; it should be fulfilling and gratifying.

Now that students have gone to school for a long period of time and studied a field that they have grown to love, they should be working in a job that they love and are proud of since they have been preparing for this field since, well kindergarten almost.  The field that they work in and love becomes their profession.  The Oxford English Dictionary defines a profession as “the occupation which one professes to be skilled in and to follow: (a) a vocation in which a professed knowledge of some department of learning or science is used in its application to the affairs of others, or in the practice of an art founded upon it; and (b) in a wider sense: any calling to occupation by which a person habitually earn his living.” [1]

A profession in its self has many characteristics.  Those that are specific to their profession, and those that are in general characteristics of a profession.  Below is a list of Characteristics of a profession in general from Sylvia and Richard Cruess from their article “Professionalism Must Be Taught” [2]:
  •  A profession possesses a discrete body of knowledge and skills over which its members have exclusive control.
  •  The work based on this knowledge is controlled and organized by associations that are independent of both the state and capital.
  •  The mandate of these associations is formalized by a variety of written documents, which include laws covering licensure and regulations granting authority.
  •  Professional associations serve as the ultimate authorities on the personal, social, economic, cultural, and political affairs relating to their domains.  They are expected to influence public policy and inform the public within their areas of expertise.
  •  Admission to professions requires a long period of education and training, and the professions are responsible for determining the qualifications and (usually) the numbers of those to be educated for practice, the substance of their training, and the requirements for its completion.
  • Within the constraints of the law, the professions control admission to practice and the terms, conditions, and goals of the practice itself.
  •  The professions are responsible for the ethical and technical criteria by which their members are evaluated, and they have the exclusive right and duty to discipline unprofessional conduct.
  •  Individual members remain autonomous in their workplace within the limits of rules and standards laid down by their association and the legal structures within which they work.
  •  It is expected that professionals will gain their livelihood by providing service to the public in the area of their expertise.
  •  Members are expected to value performance about reward, and are held to higher standards of behavior than are non-professionals.A profession is not the summer job they had as a teen working at a retail store or food services, nor is it the job they worked in college to pay their tuition.  
A profession is the job that one chose to study about in their collegiate studies and then chose to make apart of their life, the job that will pay the bills and also fulfill them.  How many people in today’s world can say that about their job?  People need to take pride in their career and job; they need to “own it.”  Exercise physiology is a career that many choose to take on, but who really can be an exercise physiologist.  When a job position is posted wanting an exercise physiologist to do either cardiac rehab, pulmonary rehab, weight loss help, or any number of things, the people that apply for the job usually did not study “exercise physiology.”  Some come from a background in kinesiology, exercise science, physical therapy, or any number of related fields.  But what about the fact that the employer asked for an “exercise physiologist?”  Today the profession is very confusing in the sense that kinesiologist, exercise scientists, physical therapist, and a number of others claim to be an exercise physiologist.  According to the above characteristics and definition of a profession, the person studies specifically for the occupation that they choose to make their career.  They master the profession and make it part of their life.  So shouldn’t an employer who wants to hire an exercise physiologist hire an exercise physiologist?

There are people who did their undergraduate and graduate degrees in exercise physiology, they studied this field specifically and all that entails it.  Aren’t these people more qualified to work the job of an exercise physiologist?  I believe they are, but only each of you can answer that question.  But what I believe the problem is, is that people are choosing the profession of exercise physiology by studying it, but do not choose to be professional and take charge of their field.  “Ultimately we must learn to think as exercise physiologists to behave as exercise Physiologists.” [3]

In today’s world there are still complications.  So many people say one thing and do another.  People want more and/or everything, but at the some time want nothing.  People want to be the exercise physiologist that is seen as a healer, but do not want to deal with the struggle of being a professional exercise physiologist. “Society requires the healer, but there must be an organizational framework within which the services of the healer are dispensed.  In the Angle-American world, professional status is used as a method of organizing the delivery of complex services.” [2]  How is society suppose to help us advance our career by demanding a true exercise physiologist if they do not even know that the person helping them is not an “exercise physiologist.”
Professionalism is key in owning and operating an occupation.  One person fighting for a profession is strong, but a group banning together fighting for the same profession together is a fervent force.  Exercise Physiologist need to fight for their right to practice their profession.  To do that they need to band together and form a professional group to regulate and support exercise physiology.   Martin L. Perl in his article “Professionals: Their Problems, Their Fears, and Their Social Responsibilities” [4] professionals as a group (professional society) have characteristics of themselves: 
  •  Members of a professional Group should possess in common a high degree of generalized and systematic knowledge in a subject.
  •  Their primary orientation should be toward the interests of the community as a whole, not toward self-interest.
  • They should possess, through codes of ethics, a high degree of self-control of behavior.
  • The codes should be internalized through formal training and through the socialized process at work, and they should be reinforced through voluntary associations.
  • There should be a system or reward, both monetary and honorary. 
“It was sheer professionalism and inspiration and the fact that you cannot have people marching into other people’s territory and staying there” – Margaret Thatcher

In most professions people are taught to go along with the status quos of what society is doing, and usually that is knowing your place and staying quiet.  I completely disagree about this.  I think that to be a professional and truly make something your profession you need to support your occupation in everyway, which includes trying to advance it to be the best it can be.  According to Tommy Boone in his article “Cultivating the Values  of Professionalism" he states, “Exercise Physiology can be defined as a profession because the exercise physiologist (EP) requires a systematic knowledge to perform similar activities which are passed on to students… an occupation could be a profession, especially if it gives the members control over its own body of knowledge and application to society’s needs.” [5]  I believe that the key to being a profession is that the occupation is needed in society and that society is educated in the profession.  Would a patient feel secure in an exercise physiologists hands while going through cardiac rehab if they new that this person actually has a degree in biomechanics and not in what they are actually practicing?  As a patient I would feel unsafe in the hands of a person that was not educated to rehabilitate me correctly and efficiently.  As exercise physiologist we need to band together and educate society that the field of exercise physiologists needs to be worked by exercise physiologists.

There are other professionals and people that do not agree with these statements, which makes making yourself heard hard to do.  But as a society we usually fight against change, but in the end when change does occur people wonder how they ever lived without it.  Supporting exercise physiology and changing it to what is should be will be work.  People will turn their back on you or resist this in everyway, but in the end the change will improve exercise physiology immensely and people will realize it should have been this way all the time.  “I do believe the status of a profession will be hurt by these actions.  In the end a profession may win more public approval by acting openly in the interests of the community.” [4]  Fighting for exercise physiology will be a battle, but isn’t it a battle worth fighting for?  Protecting and optimizing the career that one chose to educate themselves about and make part of their life seems the right direction to go.  “One cost of entering the public decision-making process is that there will surely be painful arguments and painful divisions within the profession.  Here it is a question of putting duty about comfort.  But I am not worried that these arguments and divisions will hurt the learned society aspects if the professional society.” [4]

For exercise physiology to advance as a strong united profession, exercise physiologists must come to together in a society specifically dedicated to advancing exercise physiology.  But, in order for a society supporting exercise physiology to truly take off leaders in the profession of exercise physiology need to step forward and lead the fight for exercise physiology.  These leaders do not need to just act in words to support and advance exercise physiology, but rather they need to take an active role advancing exercise physiology by teaching it, and defining what exercise physiology should be.  “Elsewhere we have said that leaders are required to do more than simply provide excellent role models.” [2]  Some people that have been set in doing something for a long period of time are set in their ways and will not budge on new views of exercise physiology.  Now there are schools giving out specific degrees in exercise physiology.  Those schools are where the new idea of exercise physiology needs to start and be implemented.  Those students are the ones going to the work force and soon dominating the fields.  Leaders in exercise physiology need to stand up and do exactly what they claim to do, lead.  Some people fear stepping up and being ostracized, but instead they should view leading as educating tomorrows leaders.

One has to choose to be a leader for the right reasons.  One should not choose to be a leader for monetary gain on its own.  Yes, money is needed to survive in paying the bills and supporting a family.  But, being a leader cannot be about money, because if it is you may end up selling out because of some cash that is waved in front of you.  To be a leader you truly have to believe in the cause you are supporting and are willing to fight for it no matter what the cost.  Advancing exercise physiology to where it should be should be the goal of your actions.  Joining an exercise physiology association is not just being able to say you belong and you support a group, it is about joining because you believe in what they want to do and taking an active role in the organization.

ASEP has a goal of allowing exercise physiologist, no matter their level of education (undergraduate, masters, or doctorate), to re-claim their occupation of exercise physiology.  If more exercise physiologists would come together in this society more could be done.  Leaders are important to getting a movement going, and making sure that the movement is done correctly.  But a leader is only as strong as his team; I believe that’s how the old saying goes.  When society realizes that there is a voice speaking and demanding to be heard, someone usually turns around to listen.  So the key is getting these great leaders to teach people and also gather them so the force is strong and heard.  “None of us individually is in a position to change the world of exercise physiology without help from others or to change the entire face of academics without help from the college professors, but we are able to do certain important things as long as we wake up to the reason.” [3]

The key to societal organization is autonomy among the profession.  One person cannot keep speaking and expect the world to notice and change on his words.  People need to support and join the force of change before the whole of society will notice.  There is the saying of “Ten voices are louder than one, and a hundred is louder than ten.” “Autonomy is essential to a profession.  In essence, autonomy means self-governance.” [6]

People need to re-claim their professions, and also re-claim their love for their job.  Going to work everyday should not be a chore, and when someone comes home they should not dread waking up the next morning and having to go to work.  People need to re-claim professionalism, not matter their field, and take pride in a job that they chose to make a part of their life.  If more people step up and take control of their profession, professions in them selves can begin to change into something that they originally wanted to do, and something that they pictured their career would be.  Professionalism in exercise physiology is going to advance exercise physiology, and allow exercise physiologists to re-claim the occupation they want to practice in.  Professional exercise physiologists are the future of this profession, you now have to ask yourself if you want to be part of an amazing movement and regain pride in the job you go to everyday.
 


References

  1. Oxford English Dictionary. (1989).Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  2. Crues, S.R. & Crues, R.L. (1997). Professionalism must be taught. British Medical Journal. 15:7123:1674-1677.
  3. Boone, T. (2004). The Courage to Create the Future. Professionalization of Exercise Physiology Online. 7:9:4-8.
  4. Perl, M.L. (1973). Professionals: Their Problems, Their Fears, and Their Social Responsibilities. Bulletin of the Medical Library Association. 61:1:15-20.
  5. Boone, T. (2001). Cultivating the Values of Professionalism. Professionalization of Exercise Physiology Online. 4:1.
  6. Birnbaum, L. (2004). The Future of Exercise Physiology: A Matter of Ethics. Professionalization of Exercise Physiology Online. 7:12.