How To Become A Clinical Exercise Physiologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clinical exercise physiologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Clinton Brawner Ph.D.

The job of a clinical exercise physiologist is to improve or maintain their patient's health through the use of physical exercise. Some of their tasks include helping people with severe health issues like lung disease, diabetes, or asthma.

This job is rather an emotional one, it gives you that feeling that you are contributing to society; helping good people get better.

They also work very closely with athletes, because athletes are prone to injuries, they help them recover in no time.

There are some skills you need to have to increase your chances of getting this job, some of them include, good technical skills, good communication skills, good knowledge of the job, self-motivation, ability to motivate others, and ability to work with a team.

As for the salary structure, it depends on the size of the organization, the country you work in, and the experience you gave on the job. In the United States, an average clinical exercise physiologist earns between $54,730 and $100,000 per annum.

What general advice would you give to a clinical exercise physiologist?

Clinton Brawner Ph.D.

Clinical Exercise Physiology Core Laboratory Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute, Henry Ford Hospital

Hopefully, the individual is graduating from a program that had a clinical exercise physiology focus and culminated in a hands-on clinical internship, not just an observation. They should plan to take the Clinical Exercise Physiology certification offered by the American College of Sports Medicine certification. Clinical exercise internships should be treated as a first work experience and should be featured on the resume. Employment opportunities for clinical exercise physiologists (CEPs) vary by regions across the U.S. and between institutions, so employment opportunities will vary. Over the next 10 years, opportunities for CEPs may improve due to an increased focus on prevention and efforts to increase utilization of cardiac rehabilitation link. However, outside of cardiac rehabilitation and clinical exercise testing, the lack of reimbursement for CEP-led services is a barrier today; however, efforts are underway to address this. The new graduate may have to initially settle for a position that they feel is below their training or not their “dream job.” The benefits of working in a less desired position that is in a clinical environment outweigh not working in a clinical environment. Similarly, working in a non-clinical exercise position is better than not working in the field (e.g., exercise) at all. Finally, the new graduate should develop a plan to stay up-to-date in the field by becoming a member of one or two professional organizations, registering to receive the electronic table of contents from a few professional journals, and look for continuing education opportunities, such as webinars and conferences.

ScoreClinical Exercise PhysiologistUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,276

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 5.55%

Black or African American 11.55%

Hispanic or Latino 15.31%

Unknown 4.83%

White 62.09%

Gender

female 51.75%

male 48.25%

Age - 36

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 36

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clinical exercise physiologist

Explore clinical exercise physiologist education requirements

Most common clinical exercise physiologist degrees

Bachelor's

64.2 %

Master's

32.1 %

Doctorate

1.5 %

Start to develop specific clinical exercise physiologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.64%
Rehabilitation	12.51%
Cardiac Rehabilitation	7.92%
Acls	5.83%
Patient Care	5.47%

Complete relevant clinical exercise physiologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clinical exercise physiologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clinical exercise physiologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clinical exercise physiologist resumes.

Research clinical exercise physiologist duties and responsibilities

Interpret ECG test results and work with the cardiologist to diagnose specific cardiac conditions.
Perform pulmonary function testing, ECG's, and BP monitoring.
Assist physicians with ACLS/BLS procedures, chest tube insertions and catheter angiogramsite management.
Utilize the components of the nursing process and the applications of nursing diagnosis in the client setting.

Prepare your clinical exercise physiologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clinical exercise physiologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clinical exercise physiologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable clinical exercise physiologist resume templates

Build a professional clinical exercise physiologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your clinical exercise physiologist resume.

Apply for clinical exercise physiologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a clinical exercise physiologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average clinical exercise physiologist salary

The average clinical exercise physiologist salary in the United States is $53,276 per year or $26 per hour. Clinical exercise physiologist salaries range between $29,000 and $95,000 per year.

Average clinical exercise physiologist salary

$53,276 Yearly

$25.61 hourly

What is a clinical exercise physiologist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a clinical exercise physiologist?

Clinical exercise physiologist career paths

Key steps to become a clinical exercise physiologist

Explore clinical exercise physiologist education requirements

Most common clinical exercise physiologist degrees

Start to develop specific clinical exercise physiologist skills

Complete relevant clinical exercise physiologist training and internships

Research clinical exercise physiologist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your clinical exercise physiologist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable clinical exercise physiologist resume templates

Apply for clinical exercise physiologist jobs

How did you land your first clinical exercise physiologist job

Average clinical exercise physiologist salary

How do clinical exercise physiologists rate their job?