BC Ministry Supports (Ministry of Health AHSP, Action 35)

Kinesiologists certified as clinical exercise physiologists are now recognized as allied health professionals by the British Columbia Ministry of Health.

As part of the new BC Health & Human Resources Strategy, the Ministry has launched the Allied Health Strategic Plan (AHSP) which focuses on recruitment, retention, training and redesigning of the allied health workforce. Action 35 of the AHSP describes the Clinical Exercise Physiologist Certification Support Program that aims to align post-secondary institution curriculum development and clinical training for qualified exercise professionals.

In consultation with the Ministries of Health, Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP), UBC’s School of Kinesiology is developing a qualified exercise professional curriculum pathway to prepare Kinesiology students for certification as an exercise physiologist with qualifications recognized by the Ministry of Health for positions within team-based primary care settings. The curriculum includes Work Integrated Learning courses that provide experiential learning through clinical placements to meet ~500 CSEP certification competencies.