Exercise Referral Practitioner

Industries: Health and wellbeing

Overview and responsibilities

Exercise referral practitioners are health and fitness professionals who work with clients referred to them by healthcare providers due to specific health conditions which can be improved through structured physical activity.

Sometimes referred to as GP referral practitioners, they work with other healthcare providers such as the NHS to support people to meet their exercise, physical activity and healthy eating goals.

As well as delivering sessions, exercise referral practitioners also design safe and effective programmes while ensuring a safe environment. They use their knowledge and skills to review and adapt programmes depending on a patient’s needs.

Working hours

Exercise referral practitioners work within a variety of settings. They often work varied hours which may include evenings, weekends and public holidays.

Education

To be professionally recognised as a CIMSPA Exercise Referral Practitioner, we ask that you provide us with evidence of holding a relevant CIMSPA-endorsed qualification, degree or apprenticeship certificate issued by a CIMSPA Awarding Organisation Parter or Higher Education Partner or the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

If you have a qualification or degree that is not endorsed by CIMSPA or is over five years old, or if you have an international qualification, we still encourage you to apply for professional recognition. We may, however, need to ask you for additional evidence of other training you have undertaken as part of your application.