PEPonline
Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline

An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862

Vol 6 No 2 February 2002

 


Creating a Better Academic Degree for Our Students
Tommy Boone
Professor and Chair
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811
 
“In the public or private sector, in big business or small, we observe that there are only two ways to create and sustain superior performance over the long haul.  First, take exceptional care of your customers…via superior service and superior quality.  Second, constantly innovate.  That’s it.  There are no alternatives in achieving long-term superior performance, or sustaining strategic competitive advantage.”  --  Tom Peters and Nancy Austin (A Passion for Excellence
“Marty, it’s a dog-eat-dog world.  There isn’t any doubt about it.  We can do better!  Admit it, Marty, we are doing better.  But, if you love what your doing, or want to make it better, and if you want to help people in the public sector, then, you are invited to join the American Society of Exercise Physiologists.”  This is what I said to a student just a week ago after teaching a “professional development of exercise physiology” course.  I was absolutely sincere.  My comments were not casual or prompted by a personal gain.  The circumstances warrant an urgent probing into the meaning of exercise science.  This is beautifully expressed in the emails to the national office from non-PhD exercise physiologists who have surrendered themselves to finding the job that brings everything together.

Afflicted with academic mis-management, weakened by lack of vision and frustration, the students’ academic studies are patterned after decades of physical education courses.  It is not a problem for physical educators; it is a problem for exercise science majors.  In fact, it is a mess that isn’t worth the tuition. Undoubtedly, we must look deeper for intellectual strength essential to a change in how we think about exercise physiology.  The sons and daughters of parents leave home to enter college to hear counselors, advisors, and faculty describe exercise science.  Even with all the obvious problems faced by so-called exercise scientists, students major in exercise science in appalling numbers.  The other day a student said to me, “With all the students majoring in exercise science, how can you expect students to believe you?”  With mutual respect for the student, I said the exercise science degree has become a humdrum affair.  If you think about it, I think that this comment is not unusual.  Indeed, it is part of the problem we face. 

To be sure, though, students do get the message at graduation.  They, then, begin to ask the question, “Was it worth it?”  To be sure, some will always try and correct their disillusionment.  Others will take up interest in finding jobs outside of the field.  We should view their frustration as our failure.  Every student is important.  As I see it, as a faculty member, we owe it to our students to make the right connection between the purpose of an academic degree and a job with respect and credibility.  College professors are responsible for ensuring that the academic degree is worth the tuition.  They cannot stand back any longer from the problem.  The opportunity to teach at the college level carries with it the responsibility to do the right thing.  In other words, the gift of college teaching is earned with the struggle to do the right thing on behalf of the students. 

The same thinking holds true for exercise physiology.  To refuse to learn this truth, to keep our eyes shut to the present reality is to make impossible the realization of exercise physiology as a healthcare profession.  We have too long stood in our own way of making life better for our students.  One must admit that this is true.  We have preserved the distinctive, physical education ideals of exercise science with a stubborn if not infantile distortion of the truth.  It is time that we admit our mistake as well as the courage to understand that mistakes are natural.

“The man who makes no mistakes, who does not fail, lacks the boldness of the spirit of adventure.” 
– Hyman Judah Schachtel [1]
Who in American hasn’t made a mistake.  Everyone makes mistakes.  It seems perfectly clear that other healthcare professionals have made their share of mistakes.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  This brief essay is not about putting down academic exercise physiologists.  It is precisely the opposite because they opened the door to exercise physiology as an evolving profession.  If we want to be professionally successful, we had better become realists enough to admit that, when properly understood, the American Society of Exercise Physiologists is the answer to our students’ disillusionment and false standards of success.  Surely we know, by now, that every professional needs a professional organization.  Wherever we turn we see the truth in this sense of kinship. 

There is one direct way to know the truth of victories.  Look around you, study the internet, reflect on the thousands of sites with exercise physiology in the listings, and you will discover our huge circle of acquaintances.  To be sure, at some point in the near future, we will come together, the friendly and the unfriendly, to stop the self-deception of our present doings.  To me, this will be a good time to partner with new ideas to support the partnership between students and degree programs, faculty and teaching responsibilities, professional title and credibility, and a host of other forms of gifts that associate with professionalism.  No one else can do this for us.  We must do it on our own, and once we do, we will have achieved a personal and professional security.  It is part of my job, as Chair of a Department of Exercise Physiology, to teach anyone interested in exercise physiology its distinction from exercise science.  Perhaps, equally so, the greatest single step forward is to wholeheartedly agree that, with serious changes in title, curriculum, and philosophy, exercise science can rise to the expectation of the exercise physiologist.  No doubt, there is much to be said for all these ideas. 

My belief is that the essence of the greatness of the college teacher is the willingness to give to the welfare of the students.  Those of you who have kept up with the articles I’ve published in the PEPonline journal must be impressed, if for no other reason, my absolute persistence and determination to give life to exercise physiology.  Having said this, I would be grossly misunderstood if the reader thought that I had the final word.  There is nothing more difficult to achieve than sharing one’s passion and shaping new ideas.  Thus it is not surprising that the sense of what I’ve written may be misinterpreted.  I, for one, feel that we would be more successful if more exercise physiologists would speak up and write about exercise physiology.  I wish to stress this, because I don’t think enough of my writing to appreciate that it will make the difference in how we eventually come to think collectively about what we do.  The future is our students.  Surely most of us would agree on this point.  Whatever we can do to help them understand that the future is not decades down the road but now, today, is important.  And, one of the most significant facts is that college teachers can mold and form a new future today!

Here, it is important to stop delegating responsibilities to others.  Leaving our problems with someone else to solve isn’t the answer.  What a tragedy that we have allowed ourselves to become so involved in the politics of college teaching that we have forgotten our most precious obligation to our students.  What I’m saying is simply this:  The potentialities of our students are directly correlated with the academic degree.  Students can expect to make it very well in society today if their education lacks a sense of purpose and responsibility to the public sector.  The same principle holds for other healthcare professions.  Their arrival and acceptance by the public at large is a glowing example of their faithful understanding of what constitutes the path to professionalism.  Unless we are able to set the same high standards in our academic programs, our students will succumb to the troubles that await them outside of college.  To neglect our students by neglecting the deficiencies in the exercise science curriculum is to neglect and to reject our major responsibility toward the future of exercise physiology.

Let college teachers resolve to give more of themselves to their students, to learn how to make changes in the academic curriculum, and to conduct themselves with a mastery of professionalism.  The more I think about “making exercise science worth the tuition” the more I know that we must get totally involved in reading, thinking, and discussing the issues and concerns in the academy.  It is related to this, of course, that a more balanced perspective of ourselves and of our problems that we will demonstrate greater compassion, empathy, and awareness of the emotional problems in the life of our students.  If you don’t have this same sense of urgency, then find it.  All of us can learn to laugh at how we got to this point.  Now, though, nothing is more important than learning how to correct it.  We can still break the ice of yesterday’s poor decisions by recording positive steps in dealing with our issues.  We exercise physiologists, especially during these very beginning days of the 21st century, have the greatest opportunity to advance our ideas and beliefs.  Academic justice, respectability, and quality for all students should be our verse to share with colleagues.  I submit that now it is a matter of dignity, if not an ethical and legal concern.

During a conversation with an English professor I consider a great writer, I asked him what he thought I could do to get my point across to the reader.  He replied that he would write on the importance of the academic degree.  He said that we should emphasize the professional title and career opportunities.  Interestingly, this, above all, has been my message for several years now.  Having faith in our ability to live our dream is the basis of my message.  Not only is faith important to succeed, self-confidence and the willingness of the individual to work out his destiny are also self-evident (or should be).  It cannot be stressed too often, or too much, that dignity and authority of a professional organization is based upon the belief that they can protect, maintain, and build on the talents, strengths, and lifestyle considerations that all members of society face.  It is therefore not enough to understand fitness or to create a good weight reduction program, problems are widespread and complex.  The moment that we forget that our academic education and hands-on skills allow for powerful influences on many integrated human functions, we will dis-enable ourselves and render others less qualified in our place. 

It goes without saying, then, that we must reject the exercise science education of yester-year for a genuinely new education for exercise physiology students.  It is ridiculous, illogical not to embrace this point.  So, let us rejoice in the “ASEP perspective” and the real meaning of the findings of exercise physiology (which are more than about jumping higher and running faster).  Let us find ourselves speaking with chairs, directors, and deans about curriculum reform to demonstrate evidence of our greatness and the nobility of our profession.  To think, and to act, like this may be considered contrary to some colleagues and to our tradition.  The reason for this is that, in essence, such an attitude marks the abdication of an individual from his/her own rights and responsibilities.  Well, long ago, I knew that I did not have the answers for most problems.  However, exercise physiology is not about one person or even dozens of individuals.  Like most things in life, it is about you and me, and our responsibility to be true to our own self.  This is probably what Shakespeare had in mind, “…or he could not have followed the instruction to be true to the self by claiming that by so doing you could not then be false to anybody” [1].

The truth is that we have not learned or developed as professionals until coming to understand our innate goodness and place in society.  How brilliantly we have come so far to leave the impression of our lack of daring, boldness, and self-sufficiency.  Sometimes I think we are doomed only to not know it.  Tell me, my friends, where are you on this subject?  Have you begun the intellectual and emotional journey to find yourself and what it means to be an exercise physiologist?  It is high time that we turn the leaf on yesterday and start living in the moment. 

“Know thyself.” – Socrates
It is always amusing, even interesting to meet a healthcare professional who has turned the corner.  Their points of view are interesting.  First, they have some difficulty understanding why we got to be the way we are?  They recognize our scientific publications, laboratories, and other usual marketing factors.  But what they miss (as well as many exercise physiologists) is our lack of total and absolute respect for nurturing professional growth.  Surely no one believes that a profession can be defined simply by a publication record.  Our opinions, likes, and toys are all centered somewhere else, missing the target of power that associates with professionalism.  I do not know of any competent authority in physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and other healthcare programs who denies the importance of professional development courses.  We have been deceiving ourselves for years.  The power invested in professional development is realized in actions that direct, bind, and provide choices to students.  Why exercise science never got out of the starting blocks is interesting?  Why introductory books about exercise science continue to be written and published is a mystery?  By this, I mean why write yet another book when the impression of exercise science is little more than physical education without K-12 certification?

The problems we face and, therefore, our students face are directly a function of our lack of professional guidance.  And, the college environment, given its traditional history from which exercise science programs of study have evolved, has done little to revive the memory of something different.  The power of the environment has crippled the exercise physiology professors because they have failed to impress upon the administration the need for change.  Some would say, “We were born physical educators, and we will die physical educators.”  While this thinking isn’t true for all of us, it is true for most of us.  Instead of shaping the academic setting, its curriculum and professional expectations and beliefs, we have allowed the setting to shape us.  If you will, we are exercise physiologists within a kinesiology department, or we are exercise physiologists in an exercise science department.  Both ideas are common to me, but strange as well.  As an example, physical therapists work in physical therapy departments and, similarly, nurses work in nursing departments.  Obviously, as a collective work of “x” exercise physiologists, we either don’t know what to believe about ourselves or fear the consequences of trying.

This reminds me of a statement made many years ago by a friend in the Department of Physical Education, where I also taught.  Yes, I understand the omnipotence of the traditional influence all too well.  The colleague said, “You are not an exercise physiologist.  You are a physical educator”.  On one level, he was right when viewed from a technical level.  By this, I mean that my PhD degree is in physical education with an emphasis in exercise physiology.  Technically speaking, I am a physical educator if one’s professional title is defined by the person’s academic degree (of which I believe it does).  The academic curriculum at Florida State University at that time was an exercise physiology curriculum.  The exercise physiologists who worked in the department apparently did not request a change from physical education to exercise physiology.  Or, more obvious, it was not a consideration at that time to advertise a new degree since the inertia of physical education ruled the department.  As it turned, I’m comfortable with the title exercise physiologist.  I have always worked as an exercise physiologist.  The academic program, particularly under the mentoring of Dr. Ron Byrd, an exercise physiologist, made an impression on my very soul. 

Why is it so important for us to recognize the power of tradition or the power of inertia?  Well, for a number of reasons.  To begin with, it ought to give us a means to change.  It ought to help us emotionally to figure out what went wrong.  And, it ought to force us to think more critically about our decisions without the academy.  Our uncritical acceptance of the inertia of the infrastructure of the college environment is wrong.  Surely, we owe more to our students and the public than one more publication or a national meeting!  In short, we must be willing to see the truth and be willing to do something about it.  Why?  Because we are ultimately held responsible for our actions.  We should realize that we haven’t grown at the pace of other healthcare professionals.  Certifications that aren’t specific to all academic-prepared exercise physiologists are conditioned reflex responses of individuals without the desire to see the big picture.  Either we learn how to grow within the context of professionalism or understand that our growth has been stunted by the power of inertia and/or groupthink.  By accepting that vision precedes reality; all we need to do is humble ourselves to a common vision.

With unity and a common purpose, ahead of us lies hope and opportunity.  Is it daring?  You bet it is.  Is it hard work?  Without a doubt.  Is it hazardous?  It certainly could be.  But, if you are willing to make changes in your exercise science curriculum, consistent with the ASEP accreditation procedures, all of your students will benefit from the new exercise physiology.  I can tell you, from my own personal experience, that almost every month brings some letter, email, or conversation of encouragement.  I will never go back to the false path to success and possibilities for my students. If you have to ask, “Isn’t your thinking a bit strong or extreme?”  Then, we are not on the same page.  I wish that we were united, not divided.  You have the right to your feelings and convictions just as I do.  Nothing is further from the truth that we don’t have a right to our individualized thinking.  Moreover, it is important that we think differently but, equally important, that we learn from our mistakes as we search for the truth.  And, the truth must be revealed, especially in our deplorable inadequacy in allowing exercise science types of programs continued for decades without serious purpose or academic credibility.

It seems to me that we must reach a consensus of what is exercise physiology and who is an exercise physiologist?  Members of the Board of Directors of ASEP have done just this.  It is not a statement of prejudice, rather a statement of clarity, fact, and truth.  Whatever thought you have which crowds out ASEP’s efforts, which isn’t helping, which is very problematic, which does not embrace all exercise physiology students (not just the PhD candidates), I am hopeful that you will take lessons from other healthcare practitioners.  What a better world this would be if we were to come to a common understanding of exercise physiology.  For you and for me, everyone would benefit, especially students and their parents.  Likewise, we should reject any continuation of the same policy or doctrine of prejudice which shuts out our undergraduates in favor of our graduates.  I can’t imagine a more devastating result than to be told that “you must now go to graduate school and get a master’s degree and/or a doctorate degree” if  you want a job.  Graduate school should be an option; it should not be a requirement for a healthcare position in the public sector.  This is obvious with nurses.  Why can’t it be the same with our students?

I believe it was the great psychiatrist, Dr. Karl Menninger who said, “Attitudes are more important than facts”.  All of us who have been working for a long time know that this statement is true.  The right attitude can lead to promotion, success, and a host of good things.  The wrong attitude, even when a person has otherwise excellent skills, can lead to lack of promotion, poor success, failure, and loss of job and friends.  All of us, including me, need to constantly work on our attitudes.  Life is tough in college, and it gets even tougher after college.  The right attitude helps in unleashing the right mix to handle difficulties and challenges.  This is an important subtheme of this essay.  There are many ways to realize the academic changes that we need in our undergraduate programs.  Perhaps, the most important trigger to change in our institutions is what we decide to do.  I know you have heard the expression, “Look before you leap.”  It seems to argue that positive results associate with the right strategy.  No one is interested in wasting time or doing the wrong thing.  But, frankly, a single person with the guts and insight to speak out can be the critical force in the redesign of our thinking to achieve success.

One way to do this is to say, “Here’s the problem,” and get the students, faculty, and administrators involved in both the problem and the solution.  In other words, change may originate by the faculty especially when the administration has not anticipated the need for change.  At the individual level, commitment to change is the key to updating our thinking that drives exercise science.  Several assumptions [2] that guide this visionary process successfully are:

1. The recipients of change must feel they own the change, that they can participate in identifying the problems warranting the change, and must benefit from the proposed change.
2. The recipients, administrators and other key personnel must support the proposed change, demonstrate trust and empathy among the participants, and provide feedback to support and guide the change process. 
Defined in this way, leadership comes from within.  Every faculty member is a leader or can be a leader; it all begins with being responsible to our students.  Leadership is about asking the right questions and making the right choices to bring about positive change [3].  Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Is the undergraduate exercise science degree a credible academic program of study?
2. Is it the degree that you want to associate with?
3. Are you happy with it?
4. Can our students accomplish their goals with a major in exercise science?
5. What do exercise science students think about an exercise physiology major? 
6. Do students, non-exercise physiologists, and administrators understand the differences between exercise science and exercise physiology?
7. Does exercise science have the respect of exercise physiologists?
8. Does the exercise science degree equal the title exercise scientist or physical education?
9. Are exercise science majors prepared as healthcare practitioners or fitness practitioners?
10. What does the public think about the exercise science degree?
From a parent’s point of view, think of it this way.  “My son arrived home from college after four years of hard work and study.  After a few days of resting and enjoying the family, he started looking for a job.  The problem is that he had absolutely no idea where to look or how to find a job.  When he got an interview at the local fitness gym, he was astonished at the salary.  At home, later that same day, he got a call from John, a friend he had not seen since high school.  After the usual topics of discussion, including John’s new job as an exercise physiologist, my son realized that John majored in exercise physiology and is board certified.  His new job and salary made it possible for him to purchase a new car, to rent an apartment, and to meet other financial obligations.” 

This is a true story.  What is the problem here?  Both are recent college graduates.  Both took responsibility and demonstrated persistence.  Why is Jake having a tough time of it?  He majored in exercise science!  Majoring in the right field of study is essential for getting you where you want to go.  From the beginning, it focuses on jobs in the public sector, professionalism, codes of ethics, and standards of practice.  Knowledgeable faculty help mentor the students, guide their thinking about jobs and salary, and teach a professional identity with other professionals in the field.  It is not just possible, but an absolute truth that the exercise science degree will be updated and configured academically consistent with an academic degree in exercise physiology.  It will not be easy, and it will not be overnight.  It will happen, however.  Here are 10 reasons for creating a better academic degree for our students:

1. We have all the information we need to make the changes.
2. We are motivated to do exactly what is need for positive results.
3. We are not afraid to fail.
4. We are not afraid to dream.
5. We are not discouraged by mistakes.
6. We are ready to act.
7. We love exercise physiology.
8. We have the freedom to choose.
9. We are risk-takers.
10. We are persistent and determined.
While our hearts are in the right place, marketing new ideas is always a challenge.  Michael Sullivan said it best in the Forward of Patricia Hassel and David Palmer’s book [4], Marketing Allied Health Educational Programs.  “Deans, Department Heads, and Program Coordinators frequently carry the responsibility for marketing their programs, but have little background or training to know what to do.”  The first question is, “Why aren’t the administrators qualified to market exercise physiology?”  The second question is, “Why don’t they know more about “market niche” and a marketing plan?”  The third question is, “Why is it that the chairperson does not recognize students as customers?”

The good news is exercise physiology drives the students’ needs.  The problem is that our administrators and faculty are consistently missing their responsibility to the students and their parents.  The solution is twofold:  First, we must make the effort to become who we were meant to be.  Second, we have to be willing to make the appropriate changes in our academic setting more quickly.  As Schachtel [1] said, “Have we forgotten that ancient definition of genius, which is, ‘The courage to make mistakes?’”  Surely, it is time that every exercise physiologist should understand that the hybrid approach to exercise physiology is not exercise physiology, that “students” will eventually figure it out, that administrators will not support it once the distortion of truth is corrected.  Indeed, we should know better, and we should teach our students the right way to think if we are to free ourselves, collectively speaking, from inertia of false conclusions, beliefs, discussions, if not mis-guided dreams.

When we successfully stop being hypnotized by our past, then the price of our hard work will be a majestic organizational venture guided by professional standards, not by trial and error.  It is, of course, our responsibility to stay the course, to advance our beliefs, and to educate the public.  This is daring because it is the Declaration of Independence from our competitors for the heart of the exercise physiologist.  And, whether we recognize it or not, the future success of exercise physiology depends heavily upon our consensus of responsibility for what we do.  Well then, whatever thought you may have about the content of this article, it should be obvious that I believe “these truths to be self-evident, that all graduates from ASEP accredited exercise physiology programs are created equal.”  Ask yourself this question: “Do exercise science graduates have the right to the professional title, exercise physiologists?”  It seems to me that the answer is obvious.  One cannot possibly fail to see the distinction between exercise science and exercise physiology, just as it is clear that nursing is not physical therapy, and a physician assistant is not a medical doctor.  This is painfully clear to all healthcare professionals.
 

References
1. Schachtel, H.J. (1954). The Real Enjoyment of Living. New York, NY: E.P. Dutton & Company, Inc.
2. Harper, C.L. (1993). Exploring Social Change, 2nd edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
3. Bender, P.U. (1997). Leadership From Within. Stoddart Publishing Company.
4. Hassel, P.L. & Palmer, D.R. (1992). Marketing Allied Health Educational Programs. Santa Clara, CA: Eagle Publishing & Communications.



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