Professional Responsibilities, Safety, and Special Populations
Domain 5 covers professional conduct, facility safety, emergency response, and adapting training for clients with special conditions. These items reward knowing exactly where your role stops and when to escalate.
Scope, consent, and records
- You may educate on general nutrition and coach exercise; you may not diagnose, prescribe, or treat.
- Keep informed consent, health history, PAR-Q+, and session notes current; store records confidentially and release them only with written permission.
- Maintain current CPR/AED certification and know the facility's emergency action plan, AED location, and immediate phone access.
Facility and session safety
- Inspect equipment and floor space before sessions: cables, collars, benches, and clear walkways.
- Spot heavy barbell and dumbbell work at the wrist/bar level; teach clients how to exit a machine or fail a rep safely.
- Stop the session for chest pain, severe dyspnea, dizziness, or an irregular pulse, and activate emergency services.
Special populations - key adjustments
- Hypertension: avoid Valsalva, heavy isometrics, and near-maximal lifts; monitor blood pressure; extend rest.
- Diabetes: check glucose when indicated; recognize hypoglycemia (shakiness, confusion, sweating) and keep fast-acting carbohydrate available; inspect feet.
- Pregnancy: avoid supine exercise after the first trimester, Valsalva, and high fall or contact risk; keep intensity moderate and hydrate.
- Osteoporosis: avoid loaded spinal flexion and rotation; emphasize posture, hip hinge, and balance.
- Older adults and beginners: emphasize sit-to-stand, gait, and balance work, progressing slowly.
Worked example
A 58-year-old client on a beta blocker reports dizziness 10 minutes into a treadmill walk. Stop, seat the client, ask about chest pain, and check pulse; call emergency services if symptoms persist or worsen. Do not resume because the heart rate 'looks fine' - beta blockade masks the usual heart-rate warning sign, so symptoms and perceived exertion drive the decision.
Traps
Diagnosing or prescribing; discussing a client's health information casually; training through warning signs; applying adult progressions unchanged to pregnancy or osteoporosis; and failing to document an incident.