While many people are already aware of the ben­e­fits of working with a kine­si­ol­o­gist, others are unfa­miliar with the pro­fes­sion. Kinesiology, human kinetics or exer­cise phys­i­ology is a four year under­grad­uate sci­ence degree offered at uni­ver­si­ties around the world. In Ontario, to work as pro­fes­sional kine­si­ol­o­gists, we must be cer­ti­fied by the Ontario Kinesiology Association. Our pro­fes­sional asso­ci­a­tion mem­ber­ship includes pro­fes­sional lia­bility insur­ance, rig­orous con­tin­uing edu­ca­tion stan­dards and a con­nec­tion to all kine­si­ol­o­gists across Ontario.

Kinesiology became a reg­u­lated health care pro­fes­sion in June 2007. Our new scope of prac­tice is as follows:

Our scope of prac­tice is rec­og­nized to be very broad has been designed to pur­posely overlap with other health care pro­fes­sions sim­ilar to kine­si­ology such as occu­pa­tional therapy, chi­ro­practic and physiotherapy.

Like med­i­cine and phys­io­therapy, many kine­si­ol­o­gists have spe­cial­ized in a par­tic­ular area of the field. For example, like the First Line team, a kinesi­ol­o­gist may treat clients together with a mul­ti­dis­ci­pli­nary team of health pro­fes­sionals such as osteopaths or phys­io­ther­a­pists. We assess move­ment impair­ments or muscle imbal­ances and treat injuries that can result from an unstable or weak area of the body. Another kin may focus on edu­cating clients about the health ben­e­fits of gen­eral exer­cise and work in more of a per­sonal training capacity. Still other kins can be found in the ergonomics or dis­ability man­age­ment areas helping people stay injury-free at work or help people return to work after a work injury or car accident.

Currently, the Transitional Council of the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario is sub­mit­ting the ini­tial reg­u­la­tions per­taining to mem­ber­ship and mis­con­duct to the Ontario Ministry of Health. The next job for the Council is to focus on Quality Assurance including eth­ical prac­tice guide­lines and con­tin­uing edu­ca­tion stan­dards. It is antic­i­pated that kine­si­ol­o­gists will begin to be reg­is­tered by the new College in late 2011 or early 2012.

Stay tuned to our web­site and announce­ments from First Line as we antic­i­pate that, once kine­si­ol­o­gists are reg­is­tered with our new College, our pro­fes­sion will be listed together with your other health care providers on your extended health care ben­e­fits insur­ance policy. You will be able to submit your First Line receipts for reim­burse­ment under your health care plan.