Clinical Exercise Physiologist

Banner Health•Mesa, AZ

1d•Onsite

About The Position

A rewarding career that fits your life. Those who have joined the Banner mission come from all walks of life, united by the common goal: Make health care easier, so life can be better. Banner Heart Hospital cares for a high volume of heart disease patients throughout the state of Arizona and the southwest. Our physicians stand out as being active participants in national research and as providers of cardiac training to physicians from all over the United States and the world. Our goal is to offer patients excellent cardiac services by providing safe, compassionate care and the best advanced treatment options. As an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab at Banner Heart Hospital you will play a key role in supporting patients across all phases of recovery, from inpatient to long-term maintenance. The daily work includes assessing patients’ medical status, developing individualized exercise prescriptions, and leading supervised exercise sessions while closely monitoring vitals, ECG, and symptoms to ensure safety. You will provide education on lifestyle medication, breathing techniques, and risk-factor management, and collaborate with the interdisciplinary care team to support recovery and long-term wellness. Through compassionate coaching and evidence-based practice, you will help patients build confidence, improve functional capacity, and transition safely from hospital care to independent exercise. Schedule: 40-hours per week working Monday-Friday Should you have any questions, please contact Debbie Hoekstra at [email protected]. Located next to Banner Baywood Medical Center in east Mesa, Arizona, Banner Heart Hospital specializes in providing the most advanced cardiovascular care in an environment of clinical excellence, compassion and healing. We have the most advanced technology in the state of Arizona, with innovative and cutting-edge technologies. With 111 beds, we are one of the largest freestanding heart hospitals in the nation. We have also been named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals for cardiovascular care by Thomson-Reuters. Our facility includes a 28 bed cardiovascular intensive care unit that specialized in the recovery of surgical patients, cardiogenic shock, and CRRT. Our 60 bed Cardiac Progressive Care Unit specializes in fast-paced procedural recovery and our 23 bed Cardiovascular Progressive Care Unit specializes in surgical recovery. Our space also includes two endovascular suites, six OR suites, six cardiac Cath labs, and three electrophysiology labs. POSITION SUMMARY This position provides assessment, treatment, and education to cardiac patients and their families during their inpatient stay post cardiac event and in outpatient cardiac and/or pulmonary rehabilitation. Works in phase 1 rehabilitation; performs various exercise tolerance tests and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. May perform pharmacological stress testing.

Requirements

Requires a level of clinical knowledge as normally obtained through Bachelor’s degree in exercise/physiology or related field.
Minimum of 3 years’ experience in cardiac and/or pulmonary rehabilitation and/or stress testing.
Minimum experience of a 600 + hour internship in cardiac rehabilitation or equivalent clinical/patient care hours.
Requires knowledge in cardiac/pulmonary physiology, management and treatment of chronic disease, health promotion, ECG and 12-lead interpretation.
Requires the ability to work collaboratively with physicians and other healthcare providers.
Must have strong interpersonal communications and human relation skills.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification required.
Basic knowledge of research ethics.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology or related field
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) clinical exercise physiologist (CEP) certification
American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) Certified Cardiac Rehabilitation Professional (CCRP)
American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) Pulmonary Rehab Certificate
One to three years’ experience in stress testing
Additional related education and/or experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Evaluates patient’s functional abilities and limitations to determine appropriate intervention.
Develops a plan of care and exercise goals, as ordered by physician or other referral source.
Serves as a resource to new Clinical Exercise Physiologists and reinforces high quality patient care, appropriate exercise prescription and in-depth patient education.
May independently run phase I, II, III, cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation classes.
May delegate duties to team members under the direction of Exercise Physiologist Lead or leadership.
Implements individualized exercise plans that consider patients’ physical and age-specific needs and abilities.
Ensures that treatment plans are supported by standard practices and/or current literature.
Re-evaluates treatment plans, as needed, to ensure safety and maximum patient benefit.
Follows protocol with little deviation for patient assessments and exercise prescription.
Promotes and may be a resource to team for standardization of exercise testing, department protocols and best practices.
Maintains strong working relationships with physicians; provides recommendations and guidance specific to knowledge base.
Assists with training of staff so that quality of care is standardized across all phases of cardiac and pulmonary rehab and/or exercise testing.
Provides feedback to peers and assists Lead with daily department operations under direction of management.
Educates patients and family during phase 1 cardiac rehab to promote patient participation and attainment of exercise program goals.
May ambulate post open-heart patients to improve outcomes and safe/prompt discharge home.
Ambulation done both in the telemetry and intensive care unit.
Provides individualized home programs with clear instructions.
Instructs patients and families in pathology, discharge guidelines, risk factor modification, and exercise individually and through classes for both cardiac and pulmonary patients.
Provides highest acuity patient care while meeting all quality standards.
Presents educational material to team to aid in maintaining clinical relevance and application of best practices.
May be involved in Quality Control (QC) and Process Improvement (PI) projects.
Independently documents patient treatment according to professional and regulatory standards.
Maintains strong competency in policies and procedures and all required documentation.
May serve as a resource to other team members.
Supports compliance to policies, procedures and regulatory standards.
Assists with coordination of care from beginning to end to follow best practices.
Follows plan of care to accomplish functions within established procedures and scope of practice.
Makes independent judgments based on specialized knowledge.
Confers with supervisor on any unusual situations.
Utilizes solid understanding of medical devices, equipment function and quality control measurements.
Adheres to safety policies.
Troubleshoots equipment issues; notifies lead and manager if there is a need to communicate with vendor.
Assists with follow up for repairs and maintenance as needed.
Maintains a safe environment for patients, staff and visitors.
Complies with all ethical, legal and professional responsibilities.
Maintains confidentiality of all patient information.