Availability and Scope of US Clinical Exercise Internship Experiences: A National Survey

PURPOSE: An internship experience is vital in the training of clinical exercise physiologists (CEP), yet the availability and scope of clinical exercise internships throughout the United States have not been described. We evaluate the availability and scope of clinical exercise internship programs throughout the United States. METHODS: Using a survey-based study design, we recruited clinicians (eg, CEP, nurses, respiratory therapists) via email to complete a 31-question survey covering facility characteristics, internship availability and scope, and knowledge/skills needed to work as a CEP. RESULTS: Of the 295 completed surveys, 74% of the respondents, representing 42 US states, reported offering a clinical exercise internship. Among sites offering an internship, 88% included a pre-internship interview, while a few (7%) included a quiz (eg, electrocardiogram, cardiac medications) for evaluating potential student interns. Internship sites reported supervising 4 ± 3 interns annually, 41% included stress testing (96 ± 124 hours), 49% included Phase I experience (55 ± 81 hours), and 95% included Phase II experience (245 ± 134 hours). Additionally, 91% of the sites included other learning opportunities, including developing individualized treatment plans (83%) and working in pulmonary rehabilitation (71%), weight management programs (59%), human performance testing (16%), and exercise oncology (13%). Overall, 88% of all 295 respondents strongly agreed that a clinical internship experience is vital for training future CEP. CONCLUSION: Our survey data suggest that clinical internships for future CEP are felt to be an important part of student training, and most (95%) internship program settings surveyed include direct patient care experience in cardiac rehabilitation.