Clinical Exercise Physiologist Registration

Clinical Exercise Physiologist Workforce in New Zealand

Clinical exercise physiologists provide individualized and specialized exercise and lifestyle education for clients/patients across a wide spectrum of health, from the apparently healthy to those with diagnosed conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, or chronic pain or injury. 

The clinical exercise physiologist plays an important role in a multi-disciplinary team by providing specialized exercise testing, exercise programming and client/patient education (within their professional scope of practice) in conjunction with other medical and allied health professionals. 

In the New Zealand context there is, under the Treaty of Waitangi, a commitment to Maori Health, Pacific Health, and the multi-cultural NZ population.

The professional society for Clinical Exercise Physiologists in New Zealand is Clinical Exercise Physiology New Zealand (CEPNZ) link to CEPNZ website

NZ Professional Development Outline - Clinical Exercise Physiologist

Entrance to Practice

Bachelors degree in Science

Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology

500 hours of supervised clinic training

------(Apply for registration with no conditions to practice)------

Overseas trained clinical exercise physiologist

Overseas trained Clinical Exercise Physiologists registered with the following professional bodies may apply for membership of CEPNZ and registration:

Exercise & Sports Science Australia – Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP)

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology – Certified Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

American College of Sports Medicine – Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP)

American College of Sports Medicine – Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist (CCES)

British Association for Sport and Exercise Science – Certified Exercise Practitioner (CEP), Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist

Biokinetic Association, South Africa – Certified Biokineticist (BK), Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Clinical Exercise Physiologist Competencies

Competency standards for Clinical Exercise Physiologists are set by Clinical Exercise Physiology New Zealand (CEPNZ). They were last updated in 2015.

Click on the link below to download of copy of the competencies document.

CEPNZ Standards - 2015

Click on the link below to read the standards on the CEPNZ website

CEPNZ competency standards