Rhea Vaags-Olafson, the director of health and fitness at the Reh-Fit Centre, shares tips for staffing a medical fitness center.
As the first certified medical fitness center in Canada, we pride ourselves on being a leader, and this includes when hiring staff. A certified medical fitness center is committed to improving community health. We deliver programs that:
- Address disease management and prevention.
- Have medical oversight.
- Are integrated with the provincial healthcare system.
- Have robust emergency response procedures.
- Are committed to hiring certified professional staff.
To ensure we offer the best to our members, our standards for staff education and certification exceed those of other fitness centers. Our fitness professionals must have a degree in exercise science or kinesiology and be certified in CPR through a nationally recognized organization. We foster continuing education, hold regular skills checks to test our emergency response process and run a variety of mock drills monthly. By doing this, the staff feel optimally prepared to manage a genuine emergency.
All of our chronic disease programs are managed by one of our clinical exercise physiologists (CEPs). This is a certification that can only be obtained after the completion of a university degree in exercise science or kinesiology. In order to become a CEP, students must complete 150 hours of practical experience, take a written and practical exam, and have a passing mark of 70%.
The CEP program is administered by the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology (CSEP). These CEPs are trained to work in a clinical and fitness settings. They can apply their advanced education, skill and experience to improve and maintain health and quality of life for individuals, especially those living with chronic conditions. Some of their duties include performing assessments, prescribing conditioning exercise, providing exercise supervision/monitoring, coaching, healthy lifestyle education and collecting outcomes for evaluation.
With CEPs leading our programs, we are confident our members and community participants are receiving the highest quality health and exercise guidance.
Medical fitness is a growing trend in fitness, but proper staffing should be a key consideration. Ensure you’re hiring staff with the proper education, credentials and training to set your club up for success.
