STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA
SUNRISE REPORT
ON THE
LICENSING OF EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGISTS
Licensing Board for ExercisePhysiologists is
Not
Recommended
INTRODUCTION
A group of professional exercise physiologists practicing in the State of West Virginia
have submitted an application to the Joint Committee on Government Organization proposing
licensure of their profession. According to information provided by the applicants, there
are approximately 166 practicing exercise physiologists in the state. These professionals
are employed in hospitals, clinics, gyms, and fitness centers. If approved, licensure
would protect the occupation by making it illegal for anyone to engage in the occupation
without a license approved by the governing board of the occupation.
The Performance Evaluation and Research Division of the Legislative Auditor's Office is
required under WVC ß30-1A-3 to analyze and evaluate the application of professional and
occupational groups who seek to be regulated. The analysis must be submitted to the Joint
Standing Committee on Government Organization no later than the first day of July
following the date the proposal is submitted to the Joint Committee.
The report submitted to the Joint Standing Committee shall include evaluation and analysis as to :
Definition of an Exercise Physiologist
Exercise physiologists in the state are employed in hospital cardiac rehabilitation
units, clinics, gyms, and fitness centers. Table 1 displays the work locations of the
exercise physiologists throughout West Virginia. In a clinical setting, an exercise
physiologist reviews patient medical records, collects data concerning health history
relevant to desired outcomes of the rehabilitative process and completes a health risk
profile. The physiologist will develop, prescribe, and monitor exercise programs for the
patient's rehabilitative goals and serve as a motivator for achieving these goals. In
addition, the exercise physiologist may attempt to educate the patient on health related
issues, and behavior change counseling. A full description of exercise physiologist tasks
is located in Appendix A.
Table 1
Exercise Physiologists' Work Locations
Location | Number Employed |
Hospital Cardiac Rehab. Facility | 53 |
Hospital Wellness Center | 19 |
Personal Trainer | 12 |
College Instructor | 14 |
Student | 5 |
Fitness Center Employee | 19 |
Fitness Center Manager | 4 |
Physical Therapy Clinic | 6 |
Unknown | 34 |
According to data provided by the applicants, the role of the Exercise Physiologist is:
In a fitness center or health club setting, the role of a physiologist is slightly different from that in a clinical setting. The physiologist in a fitness setting usually deals with a healthier individual who wishes to improve overall health and physical fitness. These physiologists usually act as personal trainers and assist on designing a fitness program catered to the client's needs, and assisting in motivating the person to achieve their goals.
Application for Board of Exercise Physiologists
The applicants have applied for a licensing board overseeing the profession of exercise physiologists. According to draft legislation (2000R297 shown in Appendix B) and provided to the committee, the board would be made up of five members appointed by the Governor. Three appointed members of the board would be currently practicing exercise physiologists, and shall have been practicing in the profession for at least five years prior to appointment. The draft legislation prescribes that the board would have the following duties:
The proposed board has also set minimum requirements for licensing individuals as
exercise physiologists. New licensees will be required to: have a graduate degree in
exercise science curriculum with emphasis in exercise physiology from an accredited school
approved by the board; and pass an examination provided by the board. Initially, plans are
for a $150 application fee, with an annual renewal rate of $35. Current practicing
exercise physiologists will not be required to meet the education requirements but will be
required to pay the licensing fees to continue practicing as physiologists within the
state. Marshall University and West Virginia University currently offer graduate degrees
in Exercise Science.
The Applicant's Argument for Regulation
The applicant feels that with West Virginia's aging population, and with baby boomers
aging, the need for exercise physiologists will probably increase. Currently, anyone can
be called a personal trainer and have no credentials, and the applicant feels that
licensure would protect the communities in which the physiologist is employed. The
applicant also feels that the board could attempt to educate the public on some health
issues. In addition, in a clinical setting exercise physiologists are the only
professional staff not licensed, and may not have as much access to patient records as
other professional staff because of the lack of licensure.
In their application for licensure the group states:
Licensure is needed in order to help us perform our jobs and deliver services to
patients and clients in a timely and professional manner. In the hospital setting, for
example, the ability to write in the patient's chart and to take orders from doctors has
been questioned due to the fact that there is not regulatory body overseeing our
profession. Licensure will help clarify the identity of Exercise Physiologists. Regulation
of our profession through licensure can lead to the standardization of education programs
in West Virginia state colleges and universities. Licensure will further ensure the
production of qualified individuals in the field of Exercise Physiology.
Question #12 on the licensure application states, "Within the usual practice of
this occupation, document the physical, emotional, or financial harm to clients from
failure to provide appropriate service or erroneous or incompetent service." The
applicant responded to this statement that:
Exercise Physiologists working with high risk individuals must be appropriately
educated and trained to recognize heart arrhythmias, hemodynamic changes and other
inappropriate responses to exercise. The failure to do this may result in the injury or
death of the patient. Exercise Physiologists working with day to day fitness operations
must be trained on physiological to exercise, as well as properly trained techniques on
cardiovascular and resistance equipment. Failure to do so may result in injury such as
soft tissue injuries, head injuries, fractures, paralysis or death.
Regulation by other states
Currently, the State of Louisiana is the only state that licenses its exercise
physiologists. The draft legislation is modeled after Louisiana's regulation although West
Virginia's licensing fees would be higher. According to documentation provided by the
applicant, groups in the States of Maryland and California have submitted legislation
designed to establish licensure, while groups in Indiana and Kentucky are also attempting
to obtain licensure as well.
Legislative Auditor's Findings
Finding 1: The number of practicing Exercise Physiologists in the State of West Virginia is too low to support an independent licensing board.
Currently, there are approximately 166 practicing exercise physiologists within the
State of West Virginia. The Legislative Auditor feels that this number is too low to fund
an independent board. The board has submitted draft legislation that proposes an initial
licensing fee of $150, annual renewal of $35, and replacement for a lost license of $25.
Initially if all 166 exercise physiologists in the state apply for licensure then first
year revenues would approximate $24,900. Yearly renewal fees would bring in approximately
$5,810 a year. These estimates do not include those who choose not to have their license
renewed and new applicants after the first year. Table 2 below displays the five year
estimate of monies collected by the board.
Table 2
Approximate Five Year Revenue
Year | Fee Estimate | Revenue |
1st Year | 166 new applicants @ $150 | $24,900 |
2nd Year | 166 renewals @ $35 | $5,810 |
3rd Year | 166 renewals @ $35 | $5,810 |
4th Year | 166 renewals @ $35 | $5,810 |
5th Year | 166 renewals @ $35 | $5,810 |
Estimated Total Revenue in Five Years | $48,140 |
As shown in the table, in five years the estimated revenues of a licensing board would only bring in $48,140 for an annual average revenue of $9,628. These revenues would not be enough to cover a secretary, much less pay for office space rent, equipment, supplies, and board members per diem salaries and expenses. Operation of a board would require a legislative appropriation and state taxpayer funding. Members of the group applying for licensure have suggested affiliating itself with an active board to help offset costs, but have not made arrangements or approval with another board. The Legislative Auditor estimates that even affiliating itself with another board would require some legislative appropriation, since after the first year, annual revenues would only approximate $5810.
Finding 2: Since Exercise Physiologists are employed by clinics, hospitals, and
fitness centers, the employer is already responsible and liable for protection of the
public.
One of the analysis requirements within the West Virginia Sunrise Legislation (ß30-1A-3)
is to determine
whether the unregulated practice of the occupation or profession clearly harms or
endangers the health, safety or welfare of the public...
The applicant feels that an exercise physiologist could do harm to a patient/client by
prescribing incorrect exercise programs although there are no cited cases in West
Virginia. Thus, the applicant is assuming that there is a potential risk to the
public. It is the Legislative Auditor's opinion that lack of regulation does not
clearly harm or endanger the health, safety or welfare of the public. In addition, the
Legislative Auditor also feels that the employers of exercise physiologists are
responsible and liable for the work of the physiologists. It is the responsibility of the
employer to check the credentials of an exercise physiologist and to set standards as to
who they hire. For example, two of the larger hospitals in the state - Charleston Area
Medical Center (CAMC) and Cabell Huntington Hospital - require physiologists to have
master's degrees. The liability would lie with the employers to check the educational
backgrounds of their potential employees. In a clinical setting, the patient has been
referred to an exercise physiologist by a physician. The patient's rehabilitation and
progress is continuously monitored by the referring physician. In addition, the clinical
setting also has registered nurses present during the patient's exercise program. So in
essence the public's health and safety or patient's health and safety in this case are
already protected by a layer of professionals monitoring the performance and clients of
the exercise physiologist. Thus a licensing board while it may standardize educational
requirements, would not protect the health and safety of the public. The employer is
already liable for the public's safety and for monitoring the performance of its
physiologists.
In a gym setting, clients are usually part of the "healthy population" and wish to increase their strength or maximize their health. The exercise physiologist's role is that of a personal trainer. The Legislative Auditor feels that the employer is liable for the performance of its physiologists in this setting. The employer is responsible for deciding the criteria, such as educational requirements and work experience, by which they would hire a new physiologist, and responsible for monitoring the work of the physiologist. Thus, again the public already has a layer of protection in the employer. In contrast, an owner of a gym may choose to hire a personal trainer who is not educated in exercise sciences. Thus this board would have limited effect in a gym setting. In addition, since a licensing board prevents individuals from practicing as "exercise physiologists", a person educated in that profession could still maintain their employment, but just reclassify themselves as a "personal trainer".
Conclusion
The Legislative Auditor finds that there is not a need for an additional board to
license the profession of exercise physiologists. In the Sunrise legislation, the
Legislative Auditor is responsible for determining whether the public is at risk without
licensure of the profession. This is not so in the case of exercise physiologists. The
Legislative Auditor finds that the public is already protected by employers, and by other
professionals monitoring the work of the physiologists. By evidence provided by the
applicant, employers at hospitals and clinics are restricting this profession to protect
clients. The applicant's main argument for licensure is to help "clarify the identity
of exercise physiologists." This is not the purpose of the Sunrise process. Instead,
the Sunrise process is to provide the public with protection.
In addition, the number of practicing exercise physiologists in the state is not enough
to support an independent board. Currently, there are 166 physiologists in the state that
would only bring in estimated total revenues of $48,140 over the next five years which is
not enough to cover the costs of staff, member expenses, rent, and office supplies.
Recommendation 1
The Performance Evaluation and Research Division recommends that a separate licensing
board for Exercise Physiologists should not be created.
Recommendation 2
If the Legislature chooses to create an Exercise Physiologist licensing board, then the
board should be required to affiliate itself with an existing board in order to offset
costs.