This post provides detailed information on the exercise physiologist job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that characterize their job.
What Does an Exercise Physiologist do?
The exercise physiologist job description entails providing safe exercise programs for patients and work with physicians, nurses and other members of the health team to design and implement safe, effective exercise programs.
Exercise physiologists work with patients to enhance their ability to function independently in their own environment.
They design, implement, and maintain patient-centered cardiac rehabilitation programs, including education of patients and their families on the benefits of regular physical activity.
Exercise physiologists also develop and implement programs to improve the quality of life for cardiac patients.
It is also their duties to coordinates a wide range of medical tests in collaboration with health care professionals and interpret the results according to established exercise and medical guidelines.
This position works closely with the rehabilitation team, including speech therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, nutritionists, and physician’s assistants.
Performing stress tests as well as other measurements on patients, such as respiration, pulse rate, and blood pressure during a test is one important part of their tasks.
They evaluate patients and recommends treatment methods.
It is the duty of the exercise physiologist to oversee the treatment of patients after discharge by arranging for follow-up visits and providing progress reports to physicians.
More on Exercise Physiologist Job Description
The exercise physiologist work description also involves coordinating activities between agencies, including local community rehab facilities and outpatient cardiac services, local schools, churches and businesses in order to promote fitness within the community.
It may also entails administering non-medical tests such as treadmill exercises to measure balance and walking or running capacities, or coordination tests to evaluate balance, skills, and mobility levels.
Exercise physiologists serve as a patient’s advocate.
They perform a wide variety of administrative duties, such as keeping detailed records and filing all reports on his or her program.
It is their responsibility to monitor patient progress and explains how to improve their performance in order to become more active and healthy.
The exercise physiologist works with patients who are having trouble following exercise programs and arranges for additional health care specialists to help them reach their rehabilitation goals.
Exercise Physiologist Job Description Example/Sample/Template
The exercise physiologist job description entails the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:
- Provide exercise prescription to patients
- Instruct patients on various fitness activities and techniques to achieve fitness goals
- Provide dietary advice to help improve overall health & wellness of their clientele
- Perform testing procedures & monitor the progress of their clients
- Make suggestions on exercises and techniques based on clients’ age and sex, maintaining good body mechanics and safety measures necessary for performing the exercise of their choice or as prescribed by a physician & certified trainer/physiotherapist/occupational therapist etc.
- Provide consultation on health related issues to ensure clients are obtaining the optimum results from their exercise & nutrition program
- Perform physical assessment of clients
- Implement exercise prescription and nutrition programs for individuals, groups and teams at various physical activities
- Set up and maintain facilities for exercising, such as gym equipment, treadmills etc.
- Develop higher level coaching skills & make recommendations to clients on training, diet and participation in organized sports etc.
- Maintain client records and provide follow up services as necessary
- Assist in the establishment & maintenance of data records for exercise, nutrition, injury occurrence and prevention, weight and body composition testing etc.
- Perform tests related to genetic counseling, cardiopulmonary fitness evaluation, respiratory fitness, muscular strength, & endurance evaluation etc.
Exercise Physiologist Job Description for Resume
If you have worked before as an exercise physiologist and are making a new resume or CV, then you can apply the above sample job description to show your work experience.
You can highlight the duties and responsibilities provided in the above job description in your resume’s Professional Experience section to show that you have been successful performing the role of an exercise physiologist.
This will definitely boost the effectiveness of your resume, especially if the new position that you are seeking requires someone with some exercise physiologist work experience.
Exercise Physiologist Requirements: Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for Career Success
Here are important requirements candidates may be expected to meet to be hired for the exercise physiologist role:
- A Bachelor’s degree in any of the following areas: health, exercise science, physical education or a closely related area
- At least 2 years of experience in cardiac rehabilitation as a certified fitness professional
- Addition certifications such as Certified Cardio Pulmonary Rehabilitation Specialist (CCPRS) and Certified Fitness Professional (CFP) are preferred
- Orthopedic & neurological evaluations and advanced testing procedures including blood pressure readings, body fat analysis, muscle strength assessments etc.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to calculate circumference around thighs, waist and upper arms to record results
- Advanced computer skills
- Experience in cardiac, pulmonary and/or neurologic rehabilitation is also required
- Certified Exercise Physiologist (AEP)
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Minimum of 2 years of experience in cardiac rehabilitation programs or providing specialized exercise training to individuals with heart disease and related conditions is preferred but not required
- Certified Exercise Physiology Technician (CEP).
Exercise Physiologist Salary
The average annual salary for an exercise physiologist is $56,130 and $56,138 per year.
The best paying cities are Bakersfield, CA, $69,129; New York, NY, $65,450; Janesville, WI, $58,154; Indianapolis, IN, $57,319; and Altoona, PA, $56,354.
There are currently about 4,420 clinical exercise physiologists working in the United States.
Women make up 51.7% of all clinical exercise physiologists while male makes up 48.3%.
An hired clinical exercise physiologist is 38 years old on average.
White (65.6%) is the most common ethnicity among clinical exercise physiologists followed by Hispanic or Latino (13.4%), Black or African American (12.0%), and Asian (5.7%).
Women earned 98% of what male earned in 2021.
Conclusion
This post is helpful to individuals interested in the exercise physiologist career.
They will be able to learn all they need to know about the duties and responsibilities of exercise physiologists.
It is also useful to employers/recruiters needing to create a detailed job description for the exercise physiologist role in their organizations.
They can apply the sample exercise physiologist job description provided on this page in making one for their company.
Salary information source: salary.com, glassdoor.com, and zippia.com.