ASEPNewsletter
Vol
3 No 5
May, 1999
ISSN
1097-9743
The
ASEPNewsletter
is devoted to informative articles and news itmes about exercise physiology.
It is a monthly magazine of news, opinions, exercise physiology professionals,
and events that shape exercise physiology. While it contains views and
opinions of the Editor
who
oversees the ASEP Internet Websites, visitors can have a voice as well.
We welcome interested practitioners, researchers, and academicians to e-mail
the Publisher their thoughts and ideas or respond directly online via the
ASEP
Public Forum.
June
1999
Table
of Contents
ASEP
Advertisements
Professionalization:
A Step At A Time
Tommy
Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP
 ATURDAY
afternoon, May 1, 1999 I decided to go for a walk. Before I knew
it, I had walked quite a distance and I wondered if I shouldn't turn back.
But, the sun was out and it was warm. I decided to keep on walking.
Besides, it had not been 56 degrees with a hot sun for some 5 months!
As I walking, it occurred to me that my office wasn't too far away and
why not walk there and get my truck that I left on Friday afternoon.
Then, I could simply drive the 15 minutes back home.
After
3 hours and 15 minutes of walking, I realized that I had miscalulated the
distance. Eleven-plus miles is a pretty good distance when you are
not acustomed to it. To make matters worse, the walk from my home
to the College of St. Scholastica was essentially up a hill the entire
way. One blister and a few sore muscles and here I am writing about
it.
While
I was walking I found myself getting tired. The phrase, "one step
at a time" kept me going. It also occurred to me that "one step at
a time" might be a good title for a brief article in the ASEPNewsletter.
I have been writing for the newsletter every month for some time now.
On occasion, it is a challenge, given my other responsibilities.
But, I keep thinking that one more article will help the readers put their
thoughts on paper.
Since
I created the newsletter, I suppose I could change it to a bimonthly newsletter.
Somehow, however, that seems more like giving up than pushing on.
Perhaps it is like someone offering you a ride to wherever you're going
when the goal was to walk or jog there. So, one month at a time,
the newsletter continues. This month, the ASEPNewsletter
speaks
out on behalf of the Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline
(PEPonline)
journal.
Developing
a Profession
The
PEPonlinejournal
is about professionalization. Developing a profession takes
time. First an occupation then a profession, but only after many
steps in the right direction. Change is inevitable and professors,
in particular, must be willing partners in the change process. ASEP
is about change, respect, service, professionalism, and career opportunities.
What
is a Profession?
The
short answer is "not yet." It is better to describe exercise physiology
as a marginal
profession. It is, however, moving in the right
direction. For example, when an occupational group meets specific
needs, that group is said to perform professional work. ASEP members,
as an exercise physiology group, are working together to achieve a common
purpose and, in so doing, achieves a certain level of professionalism.
What
is Professionalism?
Professionalism
is a commitment of services that benefit the public. The safety of
the public is important. The primary way the public is protected
is by the condition of the work that is designated and/or regulated by
a professional organization. Therefore, the organization is indispensable
to the advancement of the profession.
Professionalization
In
short, the degree to which an occupational group has acquired the characteristics
of a profession is referred to as "professionalization." It
is an ongoing process. The characteristics of the ideal profession
are:
-
intellectual
-
specialized
body of knowledge
-
professional
education
-
peer accountability
-
socially
necessary, and
-
motivated
by altrusim.
ASEP is
making significant steps (one step at a time) in addressing the characteristics
of professsionalization. It is the organization for exercise physiologists
with its own professional annual meeting. It has given exercise physiologists
a "new identity" with explicit outcomes and area of service. Members
adhere to a Code of Ethics, participate in national certification efforts,
help in securing licensure, and are intervening directly or indirectly
in the upgrade of educational programs.
 President's
Report
Dr.
Robert Robergs has just recently submitted his "President's Report."
To read the complete report, click on March,
1999.
Student
Chapters
Letters
were mailed from the National Office to ASEP members encouraging them to
develop an official ASEP Student Chapters, which reminds me that the Student
Chapter at the University of New Mexico is online.
If you are interested in starting a chapter, contact either Dr. Robergs
or the ASEP National Office (218-723-6297).
JEPonline
Be
sure to click on the April
1999 JEPonline
issue of ASEP's exercise physiology journal.
There are several research articles for your enjoyment.
ASEP
membership
We
are an organization of 262 membersand still climbing. To become a
member, print the
Membership Application and forward it to the ASEP
National Office, or call an ASEP representative at (218) 723-6297,
or visit additional web sites for more information via the Table
of Contents. Just for fun:Current
weather at ASEP National Office
Guest
editorials
 The
ASEPNewsletter
is seeking guest editorials -- brief commentaries on a wide variety of
issues. Everyone involved in: health, fitness, rehabilitation, sports,
including medical, business, management, psychology, teachers, and students
-- is welcome to share insights, concerns, points and counterpoints on
any issue that impinges upon the exercise physiology profession.
To
contribute a guest editorial, send, FAX (218)723-6472), or e-mail (tboone2@css.edu)
an essay and a brief biography. Send your contribution to:
ASEP
National Office
College
of St. Scholastica
Department
of Exercise Physiology
1200
Kenwood Ave
Duluth,
MN 55811
2nd
Annual
Meeting of ASEP (October 14-16, 1999)
Conference
Facility - Wyndham Hotel
Location
- Albuquerque, NM
Inquiries
-
Robert
A. Robergs, Ph.D., FASEP
Conference
Organizer
President
- ASEP
Director
– Center For Exercise And Applied Human Physiology
Johnson
Center, B143
The
University Of New Mexico
Albuquerque,
NM 87131-1258
Phone:
(secretary): (505) 277-2658
FAX:
(505) 277-9742
Hosts
-
Exercise
Science Program and the
University
of
New Mexico Student Chapter of ASEP
The
University of New Mexico
ASEP
TOC
ASEP
Public Forum for Exercise Physiologists
Exercise
Physiology as
a
Profession in the Medical Community
Olivia
Malone
[Date
Posted: Mon Apr 26 18:53:30 US/Central 1999]
I am
an exercise physiologist with my master's degree, and I currently have
a job in cardiac rehab in a hospital. I love my job, but I am frustrated
by my limitations. Dr. Boone, I have been reading what has been posted
on this website since its inception, and I must comment at this time. Because
I work in the industry which you want to "professionalize", I can tell
you right now, that the only thing that will give the exercise physiologist
any respect in the medical community is licensure. That is it. Nothing
more.
I have
job limitations because I don't have a license. A national certification
isn't going to cut it. In fact, in my opinion, it will be nothing more
than a big waste of time and money. If the profession isn't licensed, then
it isworthless, at least in the medical community. I don't mean to sound
so negative, but I am only relaying reality. The medical field is all about
liability. Licensed personnel are held accountable for everything, including
what I do everyday. If I do something wrong to a patient, it is the licensed
professional in the room who will get sued, not me.
I love
exercise physiology. But at this time, I can only call it a science...not
a profession. Until there is licensure, there will never be a profession
in the medical community. I love working in cardiac rehab, but the only
professional in that field is the licensed nurse.
My
job experience has only shown me that if I want to be successful in the
medical field, I must enter a licensed profession. I think the exercise
physiology degree is a great degree as addition to one's education, but
to rely on it solely as a profession is totally misleading, and downright
false. I hope I don't sound too negative. There are some good thoughts
on this website, but it's not enough if exercise physiologists want to
be considered professionals in the medical community.
 Thank
you Olivia for sharing your comments and feelings. On one very important
point, we agree with you. Licensure is important for the exercise
physiologist who works in the medical field. ASEP is interested in
working with the exercise physiology state organizations (such as in Indiana,
West Virginia, and others wherever) to bring about licensure. We
believe licensure is important. But, it isn't important for all exercise
physiologists. Liability and accountability are important.
We agree as well. However, certification is not as meaningless as
you suggest. Please read the article in the May
1999 issue of JEPonline.
Note that exercise physiology work opportunties are diverse. While
licensure will be very important for certain types of work, it will not
be that important or even necessary to do other types of exercise physiology
work. Please consider the following steps in the professionalization
process:
First,
as Steve Jungbauer and Dave LaBore pointed out in their response to your
posted message, let us ground what we do in a solid academic program
that has teeth.
Second,
let us create a certification examination (such as the proposed EPC Exam)
that defines the exercise physiologists by performance on academic outcomes
and competencies.
Third,
after a demonstrated certification test and process with integrity, then
let us develop licensure for the exercise physiologists in the clinical
field.
Fourth,
please bear with ASEP members, they are trying very hard to create a profession
for all exercise physiologists (regardless of where they work).
Fifth,
as has been written before, however important clinical exercise physiology
is (and we believe that it is an integral part of the emerging exercise
physiology profession), it isn't exercise physiology. The emerging
profession is about all exercise physiologists not just those who work
in the medical community.
In
summary, we appreciate your willingness to share your concerns. Even
though other organizations have worked at becoming what they are after
50 to 100 years of change and growth, please bear with us at ASEP.
We are prone to make some mistakes along the way. Such is life when
an organization is just getting off the ground (ASEP was founded
in 1997).
Professionalization
Check
out the article in the Professionalization
of Exercise Physiologyonlinejournal.
"Defining
The Exercise Physiologist"
Interesting
web sites
Have
you run across an interesting exercise physiology site? If you have
and would like it to be posted, please let me know via my email.
Check
out Dr. Lim's new web site. He is an ASEP member, full time professor,
and owns his own swimming business! Pretty busy fellow. Keep
up the great work Lim.
Marietta
Marlins Swim
Check
out the home page of VacuMed.
A company "serving customers around the world in exercise physiology and
cardiopulmonary science...."
ASEP
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