Question 1

Why should I apply to be a registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist?

Accepted Answer

Becoming a registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist displays that you meet the set standards and scope of practice of the profession and ensures that you are safe to practice and remain safe to practice throughout your career. Click here to view the Standards of Proficiency and Scope of Practice of a Clinical Exercise Physiologist.

Question 2

How much does registration with the RCCP cost?

Accepted Answer

New application fees as of 21/22 for both 6-year equivalence and international equivalence pathways is £125 and will increase following the first year to £175. Annual renewal fees are £52.50.  Visit: https://rccp.co.uk/become-registered/registration-fees/ for more information.

Question 3

Is this register recognised by the NHS?

Accepted Answer

Not currently, but it is certainly an aim of CEP-UK to work towards this, as it is currently the only quality assured qualification designed for clinical exercise physiologists to specifically work in health services (public or private), where quality assurance is provided by the RCCP and the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), who are closely allied to quality assuring many other NHS recognised professions.

Question 4

How can membership impact on my NHS Banding?

Accepted Answer

CEP-UK have modelled the quality assured registered clinical exercise physiologist knowledge, skills and experience criteria on being at least equivalent to an NHS Band 5, and a number of our leading registered clinical exercise physiologists have worked at Bands 6 and 7.

Question 5

Is joining the register mandatory for my job as a clinical exercise physiologist?

Accepted Answer

No, but becoming a registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist displays that you meet the set standards and scope of practice of the profession and ensures that you are safe to practice and remain safe to practice throughout your career.

Question 6

Do I need separate or any different levels of insurance to be on the register?

Accepted Answer

You will be required to hold professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance to access the register. You may have this with your employer so please seek guidance from them before applying. If you provide physiology services directly to patients as part of a commercial business, either through self-employment or a limited company you will be required to supply details of your indemnity insurance status. If you are required to purchase this you can gain access to discounted public indemnity and public liability insurance as part of a BASES membership. Please follow the link for more information: https://www.bases.org.uk/spage-membership-member_benefits.html

Question 7

How does this differ from the BASES Certified Exercise Practitioner?

Accepted Answer

BASES Certified Exercise Practitioner (CEP) is a professional certification providing recognition for exercise professionals with a sport and exercise science degree. BASES CEP establishes the credibility of practitioners who can demonstrate the necessary practical vocational knowledge and skills to work effectively in a clinical exercise environment, underpinned by an academic qualification to degree level.  BASES CEP is not a compulsory requirement for those applying to be on the RCCP register as a clinical exercise physiologist. However, it will certainly add credibility to any application.  When the register opens, CEP-UK and BASES will monitor how many people apply through the equivalence process who have BASES CEP and are successful. BASES CEP will then be reviewed by a Task and Finnish group to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

Question 8

Do I need to be a member of BASES to apply for registration as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist?

Accepted Answer

No but being a BASES members provides you with a “Professional Home” of people who have an in depth appreciation of your knowledge and experience as an registered clinical exercise physiologist and it provides you with a network of people, a profession-specific Code of Conduct, and in the event that you need professional assistance, some peer support. For more benefits on becoming a BASES member or the benefits of BASES membership follow:

Question 9

How does this differ from the BASES membership and accreditation?

Accepted Answer

BASES’ membership and BASES’ Accreditation are separate to RCCP registration. To become a BASES member, you will need to sign up via the website and pay the appropriate category fee.  This will then give you access to all of the exclusive membership benefits, including preferential rates on professional insurance and access to CPD.  BASES’ accreditation is a Professional Standard awarded by BASES which involves an application process and is entirely separate to RCCP registration. Clinical Exercise Physiologists are eligible to apply for BASES accreditation and also Chartered Scientist status.

Question 10

Where in clinical services can I work with this registration?

Accepted Answer

As a registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist you have displayed that you are able to work in clinical services that align with your scope of practice. Please see the Clinical Exercise Physiologist Scope of Practice for more information.

Question 11

If I work within higher education, can I apply to join the register?"

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you are delivering higher education in the field of clinical exercise physiology you will be able to go through the application process and provide evidence of your qualifications and experience. RCCP recognise that for any registrant to remain on our Register, all registrants must be practicing and as such, must abide by the RCCP Standards, which include the requirement to undertake continuing professional development. RCCP define practicing your profession broadly as drawing on your professional skills and experience in the course of your work. This definition is inclusive of roles in clinical practice, education, management, research or other areas.

Question 12

Do the six years of experience required to be a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist include formal education?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Six years is the culminative time that includes training and education (e.g., three or four year undergraduate and postgraduate degree qualifications) in addition to time spent in clinical practice.

Question 13

Do you have to have an undergraduate degree to become a Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You need to have an undergraduate degree ideally in a sport and exercise related field or a non-related undergraduate degree along with formal training (that can be evidenced with certificates) in exercise assessment, programming, delivery and evaluation in health conditions.

Question 14

How do I know if my degree is suitable?

Accepted Answer

You will be required to provide us with your degree module transcripts and certificates on application. If your degree is not relevant to Sport and Exercise Science, Physical activity or Health and does not cover elements required in the Clinical Exercise Physiologist Scope of Practice then you will be asked to provide information of further education and training.

Question 15

Do I need to submit a module transcript as evidence?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Module transcripts are an essential requirement of the application. In addition, programme/course leader letters detailing the course content can be submitted and referred to when outlining your training and competencies within the form.

Question 16

Does it matter when I did my degree?

Accepted Answer

No, however, you will still need to be able to provide module transcripts and certificates and evidence of six years' experience (including training and education).

Question 17

Do my advanced exercise instructor vocational certificates contribute to formal training?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You need to outline these qualifications on the application form, and they need to link to each of the health conditions outlined in the application form. These qualifications could be ones that previously appeared on the Skills Active framework under `level 4`, e.g., Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Question 18

Do vocational qualifications count towards my six years of training?

Accepted Answer

No, but these can be used as evidence of working with health conditions during your clinical practice.

Question 19

Do international equivalent qualifications count towards formal training?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If the qualifications meet the scope of practice and are acknowledged in a specific country and you are recognised as a regulated health professional then these can be used for the equivalence process.

Question 20

I’m currently a Fellow or Chartered Practitioner with CIMSPA does this have equivalency?

Accepted Answer

No this is a different role, but in your application to be a Clinical Exercise Physiologist you can use the evidence and qualifications you provided in your application to be a CIMSPA Fellow or Chartered Practitioner.

Question 21

Registration to become a Clinical Exercise Physiologist requires me to evidence my clinical experience. Are there a set number of hours needed per year?

Accepted Answer

You will need to provide evidence of 6 years of education, training and experience to meet the criteria. You will need to have completed a minimum of 2 or 3 years of clinical experience and are required to demonstrate the number and location of hours experience where you have applied knowledge and skills and demonstrated competence working with service users with health conditions.

Question 22

Can I use my line manager for evidence of competency?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You are required to submit a letter of support from your line manager or employer stating their support for your application. Please see the letter of support template to help you with this. It should be submitted on headed paper and signed by the relevant line manager.

Question 23

What else can be used as evidence of competency?

Accepted Answer

You need to provide a summary of the evidence of working in clinical settings within your application form. This can be supported by a logbook detailing day-to-day provision and timeframes and signed by a supervisor for confirmation.

Question 24

What happens if I have only recently come back into the field after a period of years away?

Accepted Answer

You need to be in employment within clinical practice and be able to demonstrate some continuous professional development attained during the period out of clinical practice.

Question 25

Can I use overseas clinical work experience?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The same criteria apply for international experience.

Question 26

What happens if I do not have the necessary amount of experience?

Accepted Answer

You will need to be able to display at least 2 or 3 years of clinical experience and demonstrate six years across training, education and work-based experience. If this is not the case, then you will be advised to re-apply once this is achieved.

Question 27

I completed my MSc in exercise physiology last year (2020-21), do I qualify?"

Accepted Answer

To apply you will need to have completed a total of 6 years training, education and clinical work experience.

Question 28

I am currently completing my MSc in exercise physiology; can I access the register once I graduate?

Accepted Answer

Currently, no courses are RCCP accredited and therefore you will be required to apply for registration through the equivalency pathway. Therefore, you will need to display 6 year of experience (including education and clinical work experience).

Question 29

How long will my application take to be reviewed?

Accepted Answer

It will usually take up to 4-6 weeks for your application to be reviewed and receive the notification of outcome.

Question 30

What happens if my application is unsuccessful?

Accepted Answer

If you are unsuccessful, you will be provided with feedback detailing why you were unsuccessful and your application may be placed on hold. You may choose to engage in further training or get more experience and then submit to re-apply.

Question 31

Do I need to show ongoing continuous professional development?

Accepted Answer

You will need to be able to provide evidence of ongoing CPD once you are registered. In line with RCCP guidelines, you need to evidence 10 learning activities (CPD) over a 2-year period. An example of this could be a logbook with reflection detailing CPD undertaken (e.g., qualifications, internal or external courses, conferences, etc).

Question 32

Do I need to renew yearly to remain on the register?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Registration is renewed annually for a fee of £52.50, alongside a declaration to re-affirm you are working within the scope of practice.

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