ABSTRACT
The first thing that should be emphasized is the teachers’ “professional” responsibility to teach and care for their students. This means changing the degree title, updating the academic curriculum, teaching professionalism and professional development, integrating ethical thinking and business skills into the exercise physiology courses, and the teaching of entrepreneurial fundamentals. Exercise physiology students need the ability to exhibit not just the mastery of the subject area, but the drive and business knowledge necessary to start their own exercise medicine clinics. The ASEP accredited exercise physiology degree is a healthcare major that sets the stage to graduate Board Certified Exercise Physiologists as healthcare providers to help prevent and manage chronic lifestyle-related diseases and disabilities. The second thing that should be emphasized is exercise physiologists who work in academia should support ASEP in providing the professional infrastructure for exercise physiology to grow as a new healthcare provider. This includes supporting the ASEP vision and the professional meetings. It also means promoting the ASEP accredited exercise physiology degree programs to support the practice of exercise physiology that includes the measurement, examination, analysis, and instruction for the purpose of research, counsel, and improvement of athletic performance and/or the physical and emotional health and well-being of clients and/or patients in accordance with the ASEP Code of Ethics.
