A content-analysis of job advertisements for exercise professionals in Canada: a need for clarification of qualifications

Abstract

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. The purpose of this study was to summarize the required qualifications and certifications described in job advertisements hiring an “Exercise Professional” in Canada. A common career finding website (Indeed) and other relevant organizations were searched for job advertisements. 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 for content analysis. n = 177/1364 unique job advertisements met inclusion criteria. Job titles were grouped into six main categories: Kinesiologist (n = 88/177), Personal Trainer (n = 49/177), Fitness Coach/Instructor (n = 38/177), Strength and 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, while n = 48/92 (88 Kinesiology and 4 Exercise Physiologist positions) indicated a need/interest in applicants having a membership with a provincial Kinesiology association/affiliation, n = 8/92 a Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification, and n = 6/92 a general “Kinesiology certification”. This emphasizes the need for unique requirements of exercise professional positions and guidelines for the (di)similar scope of practice across exercise professional training.