Fitness Professional Scope of Practice
Wellspring recommends the minimum qualifications for a fitness professional working with clients with cancer and survivors is that they be over 18 years of age, hold a current personal training certification from a recognized body (e.g. CAN FIT PRO, CSEP, CPTN, ASCM and/or ACE), hold current CPR certification and have a minimum of 400 hours of general experience as a fitness professional.
A fitness professional working with clients with cancer will engage in a higher level of health monitoring than with other populations. Fitness professional will review the health status of clients with cancer histories on a regular basis or if there are any changes to the PARmed-X or their health status, and immediately after any new medical interventions.
A fitness professional should not provide exercise prescription for any client in the acute phase of cancer treatment (e.g., eight weeks post-operation, during high dose chemotherapy*, during stem cell or bone marrow transplant). Additionally fitness professionals should not work with clients with cancer who are participating in any clinical trials. Due to the nature of Central Nervous System Cancers, Personal Trainers should not work with clients with tumours in the spinal cord or the brain.
Fitness professionals should only work with palliative clients, clients with metastatic disease, clients undergoing radiation, clients at risk for fractures and clients with more advanced medical needs when directly supervised by a physiotherapist with cancer specific expertise.
*High-dose chemotherapy is administered as an in-patient, often before stem cell rescue, and typically results in patients being very sick. A fitness professional can work with patients who are receiving chemotherapy as outpatients (either oral or IV) and who are able to continue with most of their day to day activities.