WHAT DOES AN EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST DO?
Updated: Jun 11, 2025 - The Exercise Physiologist develops personalized rehabilitation programs and writes exercise prescriptions aimed at improving patient mobility and recovery. This role includes conducting diagnostic tests such as exercise stress tests, monitoring vital signs during physical activities, and advising on nutritional needs. This position encompasses teaching health-related classes and conducting research to enhance patient care and treatment outcomes.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Exercise Physiologist
1. Exercise Physiologist Duties
- Cross-Utilization Coordination: Coordinates with physical therapy and wellness team to enable cross utilization between the POH Model in an effort to offer client maximum benefit.
- Program Development: Develop aspects of personal training programs at POH to reduce the number of injuries and accelerate recovery.
- Personal Training: Renders personal training services to POH clients.
- Health Coaching: Administers optimal health exams and provides health coaching services focusing on the integration of the 4 pillars of optimal health.
- Technology Utilization: Utilizes technology for remote health monitoring and data aggregation for POH clients.
- Benchmarking: Provides benchmark physiological information to enable long-term athletic development.
- Service Excellence: Responsible for service and operational excellence of all assigned activities to ensure the delivery of quality services and/or outcomes required to meet or exceed the expectations of POH clients.
- Professional Conduct: Exhibits courtesy, compassion, and respect to clients, residents, families, caregivers, visitors, physicians, administrators, and co-workers.
- Stress Test Administration: Administers exercise stress tests in the POH population.
- Quality Improvement Participation: Participates in quality improvement activities.
- Equipment Quality Control: Performs quality controls on defibrillators and glucometers.
- Nuclear Imaging Proficiency: Understands all aspects of nuclear imaging regarding types of tests administered and instructions and protocols for administering.
2. Exercise Physiologist Details
- Exercise Intervention Monitoring: Monitors, assesses, and provides appropriate exercise interventions for inpatient/outpatient, exercise pharmacologic, and cardiopulmonary stress tests.
- Physiological Monitoring: Monitors physiological responses including heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, respiratory rate, signs, and symptoms.
- Exercise Management: Determines exercise/test termination and recovery times.
- Documentation: Documents appropriate subjective findings.
- Culturally Responsive Care: Provides care or service, adjusting approaches to reflect the developmental level and cultural differences of the population served.
- Technical Procedure Performance: Performs technical procedures like EKGs, Holter monitor placement and scanning, blood pressure monitor placement, and event monitor placement.
- Data Management: Collects, assesses, and reports data.
- Reporting: Prepares reports for physician interpretation with department software.
- Patient Documentation: Properly documents pertinent patient information.
- Healthcare Communication: Communicates with other healthcare providers.
3. Exercise Physiologist Responsibilities
- Emergency Medical Response: Administers cardiac life support during medical emergencies.
- Equipment Troubleshooting: Checks equipment prior to testing to ensure proper operation and initiates service calls.
- Training and Orientation: Orients and trains department members, evaluates knowledge levels, determines necessary training, and institutes training plans.
- Competency Validation: Validates the competency of trainees and assesses and makes recommendations regarding competency to the manager.
- Patient Follow-Up: Provides follow-up information to patients interested in exercise, answers questions, and alleviates concerns in a timely manner.
- Exercise Prescription Design: Designs and executes individual exercise prescriptions and transition plans for patients based on medical history and other relevant personal characteristics.
- Record Maintenance and Communication: Maintains detailed records and provides timely communications to all relevant clinicians.
- Facility Oversight: Oversees the physical space of the exercise clinic.
- Documentation and Analysis: Provides accurate and concise analysis and documentation of tests.
- Administrative Responsibilities: Performs administrative duties including calling and scheduling new patients, checking insurance benefits, maintaining center supplies, and equipment.
4. Exercise Physiologist Job Summary
- Mission Support: Supports the mission, vision, and values of the hospital.
- Safety Compliance: Responsible for working in a safe and protective manner at all times, emphasizing that safety and environmental hazards are the responsibility of all employees for themselves, other staff members, and patients.
- Program Development: Develop individualized treatment and rehabilitation programs.
- Exercise Consultation: Suggests exercise programs and discusses the benefits and potential risks with patients.
- Exercise Prescription: Writes initial and follow-up exercise prescriptions for participants, following physician’s recommendations and specifying equipment such as treadmills, tracks, or bikes designed to improve mobility and flexibility while hastening recovery.
- Patient Monitoring: Monitors patient’s exertion and advises patients on continuing exercise after program completion, encouraging independence.
- Diagnostic Procedures: Conducts diagnostic procedures like exercise stress tests to evaluate patients’ health.
- Clinical Data Recording: Performs and records related clinical information such as resting and exercising blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and applies EKG leads.
- Equipment and Routine Demonstration: Demonstrates correct use of exercise equipment and exercise routines.
- Physiological Measurements: Measures oxygen consumption and lung functioning using a spirometer, measures the amount of fat in the body using equipment such as a hydrostatic scale, skinfold calipers, and tape measure to assess body composition.
- Nutritional and Exercise Advising: Advises patients about nutrition and ongoing exercise regimens.
- Education and Research: Teaches classes and conducts appropriate research.
5. Exercise Physiologist Accountabilities
- Diverse Clinical Environments: Works in both urban clinics and across remote First Nations communities.
- Integrated Health Strategies: Utilizes a combination of clinical, health education, and health promotion strategies and interventions to achieve the best outcomes for clients.
- Exercise Physiology Delivery: Delivers Exercise Physiology services across a wide range of clinical areas and health conditions including individual consultations and group-based programs.
- Client Empowerment: Empowers clients to take ownership of health and well-being and provides them with the tools to do so.
- Exercise-Based Rehabilitation: Designs, prescribes, and supervises exercise-based rehabilitation.
- Treatment Plan Assessment: Assesses the efficiency of treatment plans, modifies and refers accordingly.
- Clinical Governance: Practices duty of care, including meeting clinic standards and accountability to ensure clinical governance.
- Stakeholder Relations: Establishes and maintains good working relationships and communication with local key stakeholders.
- Clinical Program Supervision: Supervises exercise sessions for various clinical programs.
- Clinical Monitoring and Reporting: Monitors telemetry, measures blood pressure, recognizes and records significant clinical information in daily reports and monthly treatment plans.
- Exercise Prescription and Education: Creates individualized exercise prescriptions and provides health education.
- Specialized Testing: Administers cardiac stress tests, resting metabolic tests, cardiopulmonary stress tests, and measures body composition.