What Are The Qualifications For An Exercise Professional? A Content-Analysis Of Canadian Job Advertisements

BACKGROUND: Numerous education and certification programs exist for individuals to become an exercise professional. Despite the general population seeking out exercise professionals and the strong interest of other healthcare providers in referring patients to exercise professionals, what characterizes an ‘exercise professional’ is poorly understood. PURPOSE: To summarize the required qualifications and certifications described in job advertisements hiring an ‘Exercise Professional’ in Canada. METHODS: A common career finding website (Indeed) and organizations that promote exercise professional career opportunities were searched for job advertisements in October 2023. The specific search terms were: “Kinesiology”, “Kinesiologist”, “Exercise Professional”, and “Exercise Physiologist”. Job advertisements that were hiring an exercise professional and described some exercise related duties were included. Content analysis was performed to summarize and quantify exercise professional job advertisement characteristics. RESULTS: Across searches, 177/1364 unique job advertisements met inclusion criteria. Job titles were grouped into six categories: Kinesiologist (n = 88/177), Personal Trainer (n = 49/177), Fitness Coach/Instructor (n = 38/177), Strength & Conditioning Specialist (n = 5/177), Exercise Physiologist (n = 4/177), and other (n = 31/177). Most positions required (n = 101) or preferred (n = 36) a Kinesiology degree. In addition, n = 48/92 (88 Kinesiology and 4 Exercise Physiologist positions) indicated a need or interest in applicants having a membership with a provincial Kinesiology affiliation, n = 8/92 a Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification, and n = 6/92 a general ‘kinesiology certification”. For personal trainer positions, most listed a ‘certified personal trainer’ (n = 36/49), with fewer providing specific certifications (n = 9/49; e.g., YMCA, Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, American College of Sports Medicine, etc.). CONCLUSIONS: Job advertisements for exercise professionals vary in their title, whether certifications are required, and specific certifications. There is a need to determine the unique requirements of exercise professional positions and guidelines for the (di)similar scope of practice across exercise professional training.