Cardiac Exercise Physiologist

Join Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital’s team of caregivers that remain on the leading edge of technology and education, all while consistently providing patient-centered healthcare. As part of Cleveland Clinic’s Florida region, Weston Hospital is recognized as one of the top hospitals in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and Florida regions. Here, you will receive endless support and appreciation while building a rewarding career with one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world.  

As a Cardiac Exercise Physiologist, you will conduct and evaluate exercise stress tests for outpatients and inpatients based on physician orders, clinical assessments, and established protocols. In this role, you will develop individualized exercise prescriptions and oversee exercise progression for patients with cardiovascular disease in a rehabilitative setting.

A caregiver in this role works days from 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

A caregiver who excels in this role will:

• Supervise all stress testing in the inpatient and outpatient setting. 

• Review history and physical (H&P) for test appropriateness.

• Recognize contraindications to exercise and abnormal patient responses to exercise.

• Respond appropriately to all situations including exercise cessation and referral to medical professionals.

• Perform additional physiological assessments as required (i.e. cardiopulmonary testing, PFTs, oximetry, ammonia PET studies

• Responsible for coding daily procedures using current Medicare CPT and ICD10 guidelines

• Provide inpatient (Phase I) and outpatient (Phase II and maintenance) cardiac rehabilitation services to a variety of cardiovascular conditions.

• May provide patient testing before and after rehabilitation including strength, body composition, flexibility, balance and endurance.

• Provide exercise prescription for patients utilizing test data, patient status and current medication regimen, update prescription according to patient response.

• Implement concepts of cardiac secondary prevention.

• May develop and will update cardiac rehab participants’ Individual Treatment Plans. Competency in blood pressure, lipid, diabetes, smoking cessation, weight management and psychosocial assessment/plan development/reassessment and symptom evaluation

• Recognize contraindications to exercise and abnormal patient responses to exercise.

• Respond appropriately to all situations including exercise cessation and referral to medical professionals.

• Provide exercise, cardiovascular health promotion and behavior change strategy information for patients, peers and the community which may include public speaking and education classes.

• Arrange for initial outpatient cardiac rehab evaluation, recurring outpatient cardiac rehab sessions and discharge from the program.

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:  

• Master’s degree in exercise physiology, kinesiology, nursing or a similar field

• Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross

• American College of Sports Medicine Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification within one year of hire date

• 3-6 months internship or equivalent work experience working with cardiopulmonary patients and their families

• Proficient in 12-lead EKG interpretation and cardiac arrhythmia recognition

• Knowledge of cardiology, disease processes, multi-organ disease issues, and pharmacology as it relates to exercise

• Competency in patient assessment skills such as blood pressure measurement, pulse taking, telemetry, pulse oximetry, blood glucose assessment, body composition

Preferred qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include: 

• One to three years of experience

• Clinical Exercise Specialist Certification by American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)

• Training in graded exercise testing, EKG analysis and interpretation, and cardiovascular exercise physiology, including cardiac rehabilitation principles