Cardiac Rehab Exercise Physiologist PRN
About The Position
The Cardiac Rehab Exercise Physiologist reports directly to the Program Manager, in conjunction with Subject Matter Experts. The role provides age-appropriate, patient-specific care addressing patients’ and families’ biological, emotional, psychological, physical fitness, and educational needs. The Exercise Physiologist collaborates with system care partners, including health psychology, diabetes education, and other wellness programs, to support access to the continuum of care. Working with a multidisciplinary team, the role helps develop individualized, goal-oriented care plans and exercise prescriptions for patients in the Cardiac Rehab program. Responsibilities include assessing modifiable patient risk factors and providing strategies for therapeutic lifestyle changes; participating in new-patient assessment and orientation; developing and adjusting exercise prescriptions according to patient responses and ACSM and AACVPR guidelines; supervising exercise sessions and monitoring patient responses; measuring blood pressure and blood glucose and observing telemetry responses; and documenting patient responses in Scott Care and EPIC. The role also assesses educational needs, leads individual and group education, and leads warm-up, cool-down, and strength-training exercises. The Exercise Physiologist participates in emergency training and assists during emergencies, contributes to team meetings and quality improvement initiatives, communicates patient findings and program concerns, and maintains flexibility to meet changing team needs. The role requires basic working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Success Factors, Scott Care, and Epic EMR, as well as ongoing professional learning in cardiac rehabilitation and cardiovascular disease. Other duties may be assigned, and the employee must comply with Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science or a related field.
- Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, or BLS Instructor certification, required upon hire.
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), ACLS Provisional, or ACLS Instructor certification required within 180 days.
- Experience exercising special populations, including cardiac, geriatric, and diabetic patients.
- Knowledge of EKG, coronary artery disease, blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring, and treatment options.
- Knowledge of coronary heart disease, cardiopulmonary anatomy and physiology, electrocardiography, and exercise for special cardiac populations.
- Ability to communicate and understand verbal and written English and display a positive attitude.
Nice To Haves
- Cardiac rehabilitation experience.
- Group exercise leadership experience.
- Public speaking experience.
Responsibilities
- Assess modifiable patient risk factors and provide strategies to support therapeutic lifestyle changes.
- Participate in initial assessments and orientations for new participants and assist staff in developing plans of care.
- Develop and adjust individual exercise prescriptions based on daily patient responses and ACSM and AACVPR guidelines.
- Supervise exercise sessions and monitor participants for inappropriate responses to exercise.
- Measure blood pressure and blood glucose, and observe telemetry responses according to department policy.
- Document daily patient responses in Scott Care and EPIC.
- Maintain confidentiality of participants’ and families’ medical and personal information.
- Assess patients’ knowledge of cardiovascular disease, nutrition, and risk factors, and develop individualized educational plans.
- Lead patient education in individual and/or group settings.
- Lead warm-up, cool-down, and strength-training exercises.
- Participate in emergency training and assist as directed during emergencies.
- Attend scheduled staff meetings or obtain meeting information from minutes or another team member if unable to attend.
- Support and assist with performance and process improvement initiatives to promote quality patient care.
- Communicate patient findings and concerns about program issues with team members and contribute to cohesive group relations.
- Maintain basic working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Success Factors, Scott Care, and Epic EMR.
- Stay current in cardiac rehabilitation and cardiovascular disease, identify learning needs, and pursue professional development, including AACVPR Core Competencies.
- Perform other duties as assigned and comply with Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.
