MEDICAL MATTERS Are we

professional? FIA Chief Medical Officer

John Searle looks at this month’s topic

achieved over the last ten years and there is much to celebrate and shout about. But it is also an opportunity to remind ourselves what REPs actually is. I guess most of us think about it as a register of people who are trained to deliver exercise in many different forms and at different levels. We are not sport- specific coaches but we are about more than physical activity. We are about exercise, that planned, structured, repetitive, goal focused physical activity which leads not only to health but also to fitness. In health terms, the fitter we are the greater the of reduction in the risk for the common illnesses of the western world’s sedentary way of life. So to be ‘on REPS’ means not just that we are appropriately trained but we have the potential to enable people to discover huge benefits for their health and wellbeing. And it is the third word in ‘REPs’ which is essential if we are to do that.

R

So what does it mean to be an exercise professional, to be a member of a profession? Well, here are the core characteristics of being a member of a profession: l Mastery of a body of knowledge and skills which we apply to our work

l Keeping up to date and making an informed assessment of new developments in our field

l Reviewing and auditing practice individually and corporately l Operating under a code of ethics and practice l Basing relationships with clients on trust and responsibility. The client trusts a professional to work in their best interest, deliver the highest standard of practice and never exploit the relationship for personal advantage

l Maintaining client confidentiality l Accept the regulation of their professionl body and being disciplined when its code of ethics and practice are transgressed.

A professional body should not only protect clients from bad practice but also provide reassurance for employers that those whom they employ have reached a certain standard of practice which will be maintained.

REPs has achieved amazing things in its first ten years. Our instructors are a different group of people from instructors in 2000. We should be proud of that. But there is still work to be done to ensure that we are truly ‘professional’ and on a level with other professions, particularly the health professions with whom we are seeking to work ever more closely.

30 The REPs Journal 2012;23(January):30

EPs’ 10th birthday gives us a good opportunity to review as well as look forward. A huge amount has been