Desiree A (MA, 2004)
I am co-owner of Ahrens Exercise Physiology, a full service exercise physiology clinic. We are located in South Minneapolis at 48th Street and Nicollet Avenue. We offer metabolic assessments, personal fitness training, and nutrition and meal plans. My company has 3 Exercise Physiologists and 1 business manager. Two of the Exercise Physiologists are EPC and the third is studying for the next exam. Ahrens Exercise Physiology focuses on individual attention and exercise prescription by educated staff. The clinic is a renovated apartment building, offering private weight training areas, cardio rooms, and changing rooms. We facilitate a variety of goals, from running a marathon to weight loss.

My Masters degree in Exercise Physiology has given me instant credibilty for working in this field. I have the knowledge and background to assist with my clients' goals. More and more prospective clients are understanding the importance of a professional educated in the field of Exercise Physiology.

Pat A (BA, 1995; MA, 1997)
Currently, I work for a small medically-based fitness management company, LifeStyle Management. We have several sites (private and corporate) that we manage the fitness facility and services. We employ about 20 professional trainers (all have degrees in the field, but I'm the only EPC!), 10 massage therapists, 10 group exercise instructors and there are 6 manager's, including myself that run the show. Each site varies in size, having between 2 and 15 staff. I currently do all the marketing for the entire company and program development. My recent projects include an overhaul of our website www.lifestylemanagement.net and developing a "Virtual Training" program, which is a personalized exercise DVD for clients with challenging schedules. I also manage our testing office, which I use as a central testing office for several of our sites (so we don't need multiple metabolic carts). I also use this office for testing and training cardiac referrals from our medical director, who is affiliated with the Minneapolis Heart Institute. My degree from Scholastica gave me an excellent knowledge base, and critical thinking skills to become an effective communicator with clients. The ability to educate and facilitate their understanding of their body, and how it responds to exercise, is very valuable to them. My technical skills learned in exercise prescriptions class and ability to have a confident, calm "bed-side" manner has allowed me to be an effective tester, trainer, educator, program developer. Most importantly, at CSS I learned how to think, not what to think. To be successful in this profession, we must unite and understand that our daily work is far more an art than it is a science.

Erin R (MA, 2001)
From January 2002 to October 2005, I worked for Arete HealthFit. Arete HealthFit is a fitness company with two private, personal training centers in the Twin Cities metro area. At Arete, clients complete a comprehensive fitness evaluation, including measurement of the body composition (via the Bod Pod), resting metabolism, and cardiovascular capacity (via a metabolic analyzer) and receive a personalized fitness program. While at Arete I worked with clients who wanted to lose weight, clients who were recovering from disease and musculoskeletal injuries, athletes, and young children. Currently, I am back in school pursuing a master's degree in management. I am learning valuable skills which I hope will help me fulfill my dreams of owning and operating my own fitness facility.

The education I received at St. Scholastica set me apart in an industry that is saturated with people who refer to themselves as "Exercise Physiologists". Most of the clients I worked with had trained at other facilities with other "professionals", but they recognized the difference the first time we talked. They came to value the knowledge that I brought to their fitness program. Consequently, most are anxious for me to open my own facility.

Shane P (BA, 1996; MA, 1998)
From 1998 to 2004, I worked for the U.S. Air Force as a Fitness Program Manager on 3 different bases over the six years. In August, 2004, I started working at Community Memorial Homes in Osakis as the Director of the Exercise Physiology Department. I own PhysioLogic Human Performance Systems, a consulting company that focuses on the wellness program development.

The College of St. Scholastica's Exercise Physiology programs prepared me with the knowledge I needed to succeed in this emerging profession. Beyond the curriculum, the individualized attention and mentorship the professors helped me build confidence into what I was learning. I don't think I'd have the same aptitude, drive or passion if I'd attended a different program.

Jocee V (MA, 2004)
I am the Fitness Coordinator for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago Center for Health and Fitness. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) has been the number one rehab hospital in the United States for the past fifteen consecutive years. The Health and Fitness Center is a 4,000 square foot facility specifically created for people with physical disabilities; spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, amputees, stroke, and blind individuals. Its purpose is to provide an arena for individuals to develop, maintain, and improve their physical well being. My duties at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago consist of managing the staff, interns, and fitness center, evaluating patients, designing exercise prescriptions, teaching educational sessions to staff, interns, patients, doctors, and therapists, teaching Arthritis and Parkinson's aerobic classes, developing at home exercise video's for persons with physical disabilities through the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD), being a lead investigator in two grant studies, along with several other miscellaneous duties.

My Master's in Exercise Physiology from St. Scholastica has allowed me to give my patients the best possible analysis, treatment delivery, rehabilitation, and professional guidance possible.

Chris B (MA, 2003)
I am a strength and conditioning coach in Duluth, MN, and have recently founded Impact Sports Training, a business dedicated to the performance enhancement of athletes. I am currently working with hundreds of local high school and collegiate athletes, as well as the UW-Superior Men's and Women's Hockey Teams. I am also the Assistant Men's Hockey Coach at UW-Superior. Prior to coming back to Duluth, I served for two years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning at PerformanceONE Athletic Development in Columbus, Ohio, as well as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League.

In 2003, I was offered an internship and worked for the United States Olympic Committee at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York and trained athletes from both winter and summer sports. In addition to Olympic athletes, I've had the opportunity to train athletes from the NHL, NFL, NFL-Europe, and MLB, and serve as a lecturer and strength coach for USA Hockey.

I am certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), certified by the American Society of Exercise Physiologists as a Board Certified Exercise Physiologist (EPC), and certified by USA Weightlifting as a Club Coach (USAW).

My MA in Exercise Physiology from St. Scholastica has certainly helped in my career advancement. I learned more in the first semester than I did in the four years I spent getting my BA. I realized, however, that I did not want to spend my career in a clinical setting, so I took my degree and went a different way. What it did was open a lot of doors for me. I got to know as many people as I could in my field, got as much experience as I could regardless of what the pay was, and made things happen. It wasn't long after graduating that I was offered a position as a Director of a large facility. I was offered the job mostly because of who I knew. Networking is very important and can certainly create opportunities. One piece of advice for those about to graduate, don't expect people to start offering you jobs just because you have a degree. You need to work for it, and it might take a while. Just like a tool, a degree is worthless unless you use it.

Sarah D (MA, 2003)
Currently, I work in Tampa, FL at St. Joseph's Hospital in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation. I work full time as an Exercise Physiologist and a case manager for about 30 cardiac patients. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I monitor up to 8 patients at a time on 3-Lead heart monitors. They follow an exercise prescription comprised of aerobic and strengthening exercises geared towards reaching their personal goals. We take their blood pressure before, during, and after exercise. Meantime, our maintenance patients arrive exercising on their own and monitoring their own heart rate and blood pressure. We are there if they have any concerns about their vital signs or if they do not feel well. I take 12-Leads if necessary for patients. I schedule patients to have lipids taken and stress tests with their cardiologists. I also teach educational classes, such as, Heart Disease and Risk Factors, Stress Management, and Exercise Precautions and Guidelines. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I work with a Respiratory Therapist in Pulmonary Rehabilitation. I work with pulmonary patients taking their oxygen levels during each exercise mode. Of course, with any hospital job, there comes tons of paperwork. Our department is extremely organized and each paper has its own spot and/or certain required signatures. It is all set up and so it is very easy to follow along as long as you stick with your work!

Having my Master's degree allows me to relate well to patients by knowing exactly what is going on and what they can do to help themselves treat their heart/pulmonary disease. I can educate them efficiently and effectively with the right information. There is no way I would have gotten this opportunity without my degree. And having my degree allows me to have more choices when it comes to deciding what jobs to apply for.

Kevin R (BA, 2004; MA, 2005)
I am an Exercise Science Instructor at Winston-Salem State University, North Carolina. I teach several courses including functional anatomy, kinesiology, biomechanics, sports nutrition, and a few others. I am also responsible for health promotion in regards to Phase III and IV cardiac rehabilitation as well as the application of physiological training principles to cardiac rehabilitation, adult fitness clients and athletes.

My EXP degree has helped me reach my goal of teaching exercise physiology in a collegiate setting by giving me a strong background in the exercise physiology field. It has given me the ability to extend my knowledge of the effects of exercise on the body to my students, whom I hope will use that knowledge to improve the uniqueness and need for the exercise physiologist profession.

Danita S (MA, 2005)
Soon after completing my graduate degree, I was hired as a consultant for an occupational wellness company. My duties include group presentations and one-on-one interventions with high-risk employees relating to cardio-pulmonary disease, obesity and diabetes. Currently my coverage area includes the Duluth area and central Minnesota, and may expand into the Twin Cities Metro area in the near future. My credential as a registered dietitian enabled me to get this position, but my graduate degree increased my hourly contract rate by $10-15 per hour. Also, when it was discovered that my MA was in exercise physiology, I was asked to participate in planning exercise challenges. My career interests lean toward chronic disease, and since most of the high risk employees I work with are at least 35 years old, I'm able to work with the types of health issues which interest me most. These include chronic joint pain and neuropathy related to diabetes and obesity, and other limitations caused by cardiac and pulmonary disease.

Joe W (MA, 2003)
Upon receiving his MA in exercise physiology from the College of St. Scholastica, Joe moved to Minneapolis to begin work on his PhD degree in exercise physiology at the University of Minnesota. Joe's research focuses on bone, muscle, and tendon and how these tissues are affected by various loading modalities as well as certain disease states. Joe recently traveled to Manchester, England to learn some of the novel and cutting-edge techniques being used by Dr. Joern Rittweger's group to non-invasively assess the mechanical and structural properties of bone and tendon via MRI, ultrasound, and computed tomography. Joe and his colleagues will attempt to use unique models like ACL reconstruction and stroke to assess the effects of various degrees of unloading magnitude and duration on the musculoskeletal, vascular, and metabolic systems.

Joe has taught a number of courses at the University of Minnesota. He has been an invited lecturer in 7 undergraduate and graduate level classes in the School of Kinesiology. He also assists the head strength and conditioning coach at Minnesota on a volunteer basis and is co-chair of the University of Minnesota Sports Biomechanics Special Interest Group. Joe has his own column in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Performance Training Journal and has written for that journal since 2004 in addition to being an editorial reviewer.

Aside from his doctoral program, Joe continued his competitive powerlifting after leaving the College of St. Scholastica and set 2 Minnesota state bench press records in the 165- and 181-pound weight classes before suffering a complete rupture of his pectoralis major muscle while competing at the national bench press championships in September 2005. Surgical repair was performed immediately after the injury and only time will tell if he can return to his pre-injury level of performance.

Azur B (BA, 2002; MA, 2003)
I am currently working at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth. I do a number of different jobs. I work for our Heart Partners program, cardiac rehab, stress testing, holter and event monitoring and EKG's. I have had a couple of title's since I have been here for the past three years, Exercise Assistant (Personal Trainer) Diagnostics Technologist (EKG Tech), and Exercise Physiologist. Depending on what job I do, I am paid by that position.

Jake H (BA, 2002; MA, 2003)
Jake joined the Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies (WHCCS) in 2004 where he serves as an Exercise Therapist/Research Assistant for several federally funded randomized clinical trials. In this role he performs initial eligibility screening and informed consents with potential participants and provides supervision and guidance to patients in supervised rehabilitative exercise and home exercise programs.

Erin H (MA, 2001)
At the time of entering the EXP program, I had decided I really wanted to teach at the college level. Because of my Kinesiology background, I always envisioned myself teaching in a Kinesiology Dept. However, almost upon the completion of my thesis for my EXP Degree, I applied for a part-time position teaching Human Anatomy and Physiology laboratories at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the Biology Dept. This is my fourth year of teaching there. The part-time position works wonderfully for me in the fact that I'm married with a daughter and am pregnant with my second baby. Other perks of the position are that I receive full state benefits at only 50% contract. Additionally, of course, I have much vacation time. Don't get me wrong, teaching is and can be a 'burn-out' job, and it does take a lot of prep time to be ready for classes, but I enjoy the students and I enjoy learning. The College of St. Scholastica, and more specifically, the EXP Program, really enabled me to do what I enjoy doing and I am grateful for that. Further, I have considered going for my doctorate in EXP at St. Scholastica if a program becomes established there. My experiences with the professors were above and beyond what I ever expected.

Todd C (BA, 1998; MA, 1999)
Exercise Physiology has been good to me through the years. After finishing my clinicals at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago I worked at Unity/Mercy hospital in their cardiac rehab departments. This lead me to an opportunity just outside of New Orleans as the Director of Community/Corporate Health Exercise Programs at St. Charles Parish Hospital. They did not have a current program and had asked me to start something from the ground up. I worked there for just over 3 years and during that time met my wife. That is what brought me to Wisconsin where I went back to school for my RN degree and license. I am currently an RN working at a small rural hospital in Wisconsin called Barron Medical Center.

Ann M (BA, 2004)
After completing my BA in Exercise Physiology at The College of St. Scholastica, I started working as a Physiology Lab Instructor for the Anatomy/Physiology course at the school. Many of the lab exercises deal with the physiologic processes that I studied in depth as an undergraduate in the Exercise Physiology program (i.e., cardiac function/ECG's, muscle contraction, respiratory function, blood pressure) and with my background, I was well prepared to answer questions and relate the concepts covered in class. Through the Exercise Physiology program I developed greater concern for promoting public health through education and effective health care policy. In the fall I will start addressing these issues by working toward a Master's in Public Health at George Washington University.

Jonathan B (BA, 2004)
After graduation I moved to St. Louis, MO and worked in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation for three years. This was great opportunity and significantly deepened my understanding of cardiopulmonary physiology, pathophysiology, and intervention. This experience inspired me to further my medical education. I am currently studying in Augsburg College's Physician Assistant master's degree program. My strong education and health care experience that I gained as an exercise physiologist strengthened my application significantly. My background in exercise physiology has also been very beneficial to my studies. Upon completion of the physician assistant program, I plan to work with a cardiology group in the twin cities.

Tim D (MA, 2004)
I currently work for PRACS Institiute, Ltd. It is the largest privately owned pharmaceutical research facility in North America. We do various types of studies for various pharmaceutical companies, and it is my responsibility to make sure these studies are completed correctly, successfully, and with high quality assurance. When completing my thesis at St. Scholastica, it was my responsibility to make sure all testing was done correctly as it was designed. In order for the findings to be deemed factual, it was imperative that every tiny detailed was observed. If not, then there can be no validation to the testing or findings. It is this learning and training that helped me understand the foundation with my current employment, and what makes me successful in all I do.

Jeremy G (BA, 2004; MA, 2005)
I am currently living in Littleton, Colorado on a small ranch. I am the Athletic Development Program (ADP) Director at the High Intensity Training Center in Highlands Ranch, CO. We use a metabolic cart to perform VO2 max and RMR tests for our Hit-Fit (recreational adult athletes) and Lighten-Up (weight loss) clients. We also use the Bod Pod for body composition tests for those clients along with our Speed-Up (ADP) clients. My clients have been (and will continue to be) impressed with my vast knowledge in the field of EXP I gained from my time at CSS.

I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through NSCA. My degree, along with that certification, will give me enough clout in the field to pursue a strength coach position with a college or professional basketball team. Another route I may choose to take is to train alpine skiers. I would like to eventually start my own business where I would cater to those who come to Colorado for extended periods of time to ski/snowboard. The business would be geared toward altitude acclimation for said clientele. I feel confident that being in a state where fitness is the focus of many, I will find success in whatever I choose to do.

Tom R (BA, 2001; MA, 2002)
I am currently working as a certified athletic trainer at The College of St. Scholastica and have been employed at the College since August, 2002. As an athletic trainer, it is my goal to prevent, identify, treat, and rehabilitate athletic injuries in varsity athletes at the college. I also work with the University of Minnesota Duluth athletic training program, educating their students when they come to St. Scholastica for their clinical rotations.

I feel the exercise physiology program at St. Scholastica prepared me well for my current career choice. Obtaining my masters degree clearly gives me an edge when applying for athletic training positions that desire, but do not require, a masters degree. It also gave me the opportunity to reinforce and expand on what I learned as an undergraduate student, and developed my ability to educate others.

Liz W (MA, 2003)
An M.A. in Exercise Physiology has provided me with a sound knowledge base for a career in electrophysiology. Currently, I am employed at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and work in the Electrophysiology Lab. I assist Electrophysiologists during pacemaker/ICD implantation, monitor electrograms for diagnostic data and operate the catheter stimulation system during electrophysiology studies and ablations. The EXP degree has allowed me to obtain a job that provides an opportunity for continuous learning and essentially improves the quality of life for patients with arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy.