PEPonline
Professionalization
of Exercise Physiologyonline

An international electronic
journal for exercise physiologists
ISSN 1099-5862

Vol 1 No 3 September, 1998

 

Organizing
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
Director of Exercise Physiology Laboratories
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Office
Duluth, MN 55811



What does it mean to organize? In this article, organizing is the act of coming together and working as a community to get things done. "Working together" is the key to getting others to listen and act.

The point is simple. Individuals and other organizations do not listen to just one person. This is true even if the person refuses to shop at a particular store or even should the person write the president of the store. The lost of one person's money really is not all that bad.

On the other hand, if the person gains the support of 10 additional shopers and they, collectively, report to others about the poor quality of the store. Then, there is an increased likelihood that someone is going to listen. There is power in numbers. There is little to no power when it is just a single person seeking change.

Making waves is possible with numbers. Two hundred exercise physiologists can get things done faster than 100. Three hundred exercise physiologists have more power than 200. Society listens to groups of people while very little attention is given to one person even should that person be right.

The fact is, If you want change for whatever reason, then the chance is better in creating change if you have power. Power is best acquired by organizing. Hence, when exercise physiologists are well-organized, they will be in position to compete with other healthcare professionals.

Power is presently concentrated in the hands of sports medicine organizations. They are well-organized with the power to make decisions that reflect poorly on the future of exercise physiologists. This is exactly what is going on in the United States today.

Sports medicine is steadily and systematically chipping away at the freedoms that all of us have. The rights that we are guaranteed, as a function of our academic preparation, are being taken away by actions dedicated to the development of sports medicine.

We see our lack of power as exercise physiologists in many areas. We see it in the jobs we do not get or the pay that is too little to buy food, clothing, utilities, and housing. In many cases, the cost of living is beyond the economic worth of the job.

Power is realized through the control of professional resources. The question is, What resources do we own? The answer is unfortunately not as many as we might think. Then, too, ownership of what we were prepared to do is all too frequently supplied by other healthcare workers.

Interestingly, sports medicine did not just happen. It was organized (and in a major way by exercise physiologists). The professionals who organized it held meetings, planned strategy, developed leadership, set up systems of communication, defined issues, raised funds, and built coalitions. They learned something about themselves and their strengths.

However, some of the participants failed to learn who they are. They joined sports medicine without questioning it, and as such it seemed appropriate for the time. Not all members of sports medicine are athletic trainers, physical educators, medical doctors, and so forth. A lot of the members were (and still are) exercise physiologists caught up in the health and fitness revolution.

Today, exercise physiologists are faced with certain professional issues. Organizing is the means to reclarify themselves as exercise physiology professionals. It is "the" way to move in the same direction by learning to work together to accomplish the goals that they feel important for professional survival and personal growth.

Hence, the reason for the existence of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) becomes even more valued. It represents the first professional opportunity for exercise physiologists to work together to get results. It is the American way, and it is logical given the reasons to do so.

Think about your own work place. Is there a need to organize? If so, more often than not, if you will take that first step, other people will follow. 


Copyright ©1998 American Society of Exercise Physiologists. All Rights Reserved.

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