How to Become a Health Coach?

An exercise physiologist will have a complex set of personality traits that will help you get hired to excel in this nurturing career. You'll be:

• Compassionate. Candidates in this role routinely work with patients who are in pain from an accident or injury. Therefore, you must be sympathetic, kind, and caring to their needs while you provide the necessary treatments and exercise programs so they can recover.
• Good at decision-making. As a practicing exercise physiologist, you must be able to make sound decisions that affect the health and well-being of your patients.
• Detail-oriented. People who work in this field keep extensive patient records. Therefore, you must be detail-oriented to ensure you maintain accurate information about each patient's condition and progress.
• Interpersonal. Exercise physiologists work very closely with others. It's essential that you possess strong interpersonal skills so you can manage difficult situations. You'll also need to communicate your findings and treatment plans with others, including physicians, patients, and family members.

If you want to become an exercise physiologist, plan to earn at least a bachelor's degree. the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) offers a database featuring a slew of accredited undergraduate programs or pick a related field such as:

• Biology.
• Anatomy.
• Kinesiology.
• Exercise Science.
• Nutrition.
• Physical Therapy.

The hiring staff at more and more healthcare facilities require their exercise physiologists to hold a master's degree. Universities typically offer a combination of study tracks that prepare their exercise physiology students for both clinical and research careers. You'll get additional training in areas like:

• Physical and occupational therapy.
• Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.
• Diabetes and cancer prevention.
• Rehabilitation.
• Obesity prevention and treatment.

If you plan to practice in the state of Louisiana, officials require you to obtain your license to practice. While this is the only state requiring exercise physiologists to secure this permit today, many states have pending legislation related to more formal licensing requirements.

Stay ahead of the competition and get certified now. The American Society of Exercise Physiologists offers an Exercise Physiologist Certified program that requires continuing education courses every five years, plus a passing grade on the organization's exam. Likewise, The American College of Sports Medicine offers exercise physiologists two paths to certification for candidates with between 400 and 600 hours of supervised clinical experience to earn these credentials:

• Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist (bachelor's degree candidates)
• Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (master's degree applicants)