Introduction

Welcome to Special Populations and Exercise Industry: Professional Practice!

This is a 10-week module that has two subjects to focus on: Special Populations and Exercise Industry-Professional Practice. This module is a more practical in nature than the previous modules; there will be less reading but more doing! Get ready to apply some practical skills in a workplace environment!

For Special Populations, the areas we cover in this module include:

• Researching a client’s condition
• Pre-screening and baseline testing
• Liaising with a health professional
• Programme design and delivery
• Undesirable training responses
• Stages of change

For Exercise Industry-Professional Practice the areas we cover in this module include:

• Work experience placement
• Fitness industry overview
• Different types of facilities within the fitness industry
• Different roles within the fitness industry
• How to achieve success within the Fitness Industry.

By now, you should have the following organised:

• A suitable client for your special populations assessment
• A fitness facility for your work experience
• Your work experience training agreement signed off by all concerned parties.

The fine print

This module relates to numerous Graduate Profile Outcomes (GPOs) including:

• GPO 2 - Provide appropriate referrals and follow- up actions to address nutritional requirements as part of personalised exercise prescription
• GPO 4 - Analyse and select from a range of advanced exercise options underpinned by exercise science to customise exercise assessment and programmes
• GPO 5 - Design programmes and apply exercise principles within scope of practice using understanding of the indications and contraindications for symptomatic or apparently healthy people.
• GPO 6 - Develop networks with other allied professionals to support exercise client outcomes

It supports the following Learning Outcomes (LOs):

• LO 1 - Apply professional, ethical, and culturally appropriate behaviour and industry practice relevant to the prescribed exercise workplace.
• LO 2 - Demonstrate skills for managing own and others learning and performance within an operational context in exercise.
• LO 3 - Evaluate personal and professional networks to enhance an exercise workplace and industry standards.
• LO 4 - Interact, engage, and use appropriate evidence-based exercise science resources for the development of a health improvement plan within a special population group
• LO 5 - Apply principles of exercise prescription and training when carrying out fitness assessment programmes for identified special population

To ensure a smooth learning experience, we suggest starting this module and assessment tasks at specific weeks.

Assessment and milestones

There are four (4) written case study assessments to complete for this module:

• Assessment 1 A: (Research and pre-screening), due at the end of week 23.
• Assessment 1 B: (Health professional liaison and baseline testing), due at the end of week 24.
• Assessment 1 C: (Week programme design and implementation), due at the end of week 29.
• Assessment 2: (Work experience journal and evaluation), due at the end of week 30.

This module extends upon you’re your current knowledge and will culminate in the following assessment tasks:

1. Find a suitable client (this should be sorted by now)
2. Research your client’s condition
3. Pre-screen your client
4. Liaise with another health professional
5. Conduct a series of baseline assessments
6. Design a suitable programme
7. Implement the programme (a minimum of 8 sessions must take place)
8. Evaluate the process.

Your time in this module will be spread out between your online learning and your work experience. Be sure to stay on task and lean on support from your learning and tutors to help you meet the progression and milestones for learning and assessment.

Throughout this module, you will learn ways to prescribe programmes specifically for special populations clients. As a part of this module, you are required to adjust your approach when programming for your special populations client. To enhance your learning, you will be introduced to a case study client where you can engage in activities to practice the application of skill in a simulated workplace scenario.

Keep it social

Remember to connect with other students. There is a Q&A Discussion Board for this module.

This pre-check activity is designed to gauge your current knowledge and understanding of the upcoming topics before we dive into our learning journey. Take your time, answer to the best of your abilities, and don't worry if you're unsure of some answers. This will help you keep track of your progress and see how much you've learned by the end of this module. Let's get started...