Exercise Physiologist Job Duties

• Exercise physiology is the study of how exercise affects the body.almost there image by Birgitte Holewinski from Fotolia.com
  
  Exercise physiology is the study of how exercise affects the body, and how the body functions during physical activity. Exercise physiologists work in a variety of environments from hospitals and rehabilitation centers to sports and fitness environments and education settings. In some cases, an exercise physiologist will have similar duties regardless of his chosen field. Other duties may be specific to her particular field.
  
  

Duties in Healthcare

• In the health field, an exercise physiologist may have duties similar to a personal trainer or physical therapist. In a clinical setting, he may take patient readings, like blood pressure, and develop rehabilitative exercise programs. For example, in a cardiac rehab setting, the exercise physiologist works with the physician to create an exercise program to safely strengthen the patient's heart and cardiovascular system. At the same time, he keeps close watch on the patient's vital signs, like ECG readings, during the session and monitors the patient's progress throughout the rehab process. He would also report the patient's progress, and any problems, to the physician. Exercise physiologists may also work with respiratory patients and diabetics as well as the obese, the elderly and people recovering from injury.
  
  

Duties in Sports and Fitness

• In the sports and fitness fields, the exercise physiologist may play a role similar to an athletic coach or personal trainer. She works with team specialists, like dietitians, physical therapists and physicians, to track the athlete's health and designs exercise programs to optimize performance. She reports the athlete's progress, and problems, to the medical team and management and may also work with the team physician to create exercise programs for injury recovery and prevention. Individuals may also work with an exercise physiologist to improve personal performance or to help them reach specific goals.
  
  

Duties in Education

• Education includes community outreach and work in academic settings. With community outreach, he may design programs and presentations for organizations like The American Red Cross. These programs may include information on the benefits of exercise in disease prevention as well as tips on starting a safe and effective exercise program. In an academic setting, he may teach exercise physiology courses at the post-secondary level, which includes designing design the coursework and tests, administering tests and gauging student progress.
  
  Regardless of whether he works in the health, sports or education fields, he should also pursue continuing education to keep himself up-to-date on the latest research.