The professional development of exercise physiologists is determined by the
quality of their professional thinking, which is in turn determined by the quality of their
critical thinking, for critical thinking is the driving force behind professionalism.
Without critical thinking, there is little reason to think exercise physiologists are
meaningfully interlocked with other healthcare professionals. In fact, it is obvious that
all the scientific papers, presentations, and posters by exercise physiologists at national
and regional meetings cannot define exercise physiology as a profession. This point is
within their understanding if they work at critical thinking as they have taught their
students to think scientifically. Yet, many academic exercise physiologists continue to
present their scientific papers without internalizing the concepts and principles essential
to the professionalism in exercise physiology (i.e., code of ethics, accreditation, and a
career specific Board Certification). Despite having the doctorate degree and after
teaching years of college and university courses, few professors have the skills to
become self-directed, self-monitored, and self-corrective critical thinkers to guide their
students’ path towards professionalism.
Keywords: Accreditation, ASEP vision, Code of ethics, Exercise physiology,
Integrity, Profession, Professional, Professionalism, Traditional thinking.
