“It has been a pleasure working with a UF student at the Harris YMCA this summer. UF students do a tremendous job relating, engaging, and connecting with campers. They are the type of students who consistently go above and beyond your expectations and constantly impress me with their creativity, dedication, responsibility, and overall love for working with children.”

-Sarah Jane "Cheerio" Rush, Director of Camping and Family Events, James J. Harris Family Branch YMCA

About the Department

The Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology studies the immediate and lasting effects of exercise and its use in disease prevention and rehabilitation. Degree specializations include exercise physiology, fitness/wellness, athletic training, biomechanics, sport and exercise psychology, motor learning and control and human performance.

Internship Requirements

Prior to graduation, all APK students are required to complete a 12-credit hour, full-time internship experience. This requirement is met during the semester of expected graduation. The application process begins the semester prior to internship semester.

The experience requires a minimum of 600 clock hours (40 hours a week for 15 weeks) for the fall and spring semesters and 520 clock hours (40 hours a week for 13 weeks) for the summer semester. Ideally, students become exposed to the tasks that will be required of them as professionals in the field, as well as receive opportunities to develop their skills and areas of interest within their specialization.

Common Intern Duties

Exercise Physiology - lab setting

• • Become familiar with the function and operation of laboratory equipment used for subject testing and collection of physiological data
• • Assist with current and future research in areas of scheduling, participant, interviewing, data collection, data reduction, and data analysis
• • Design and carryout an original research project in the area of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology which involves the collection and analysis of date to test a specific hypothesis
• • Assist with grant writing
• • Research and literature reviews

Exercise Physiology - rehabilitation setting

• • Instruct, motivate, safeguard and assist patients as they practice exercises and functional activities with various acute and chronic pathophysiologies (including CAD, Pulmonary, Metabolic, Musculoskeletal, and Neurological Disorders)
• • Transitioning of physical therapy patients to a comprehensive exercise setting
• • Fitness testing (to include: tests of balance, agility, gait and mobility, upper body and lower body muscular strength and endurance, and cardiovascular endurance)
• • Assess vital signs, anthropometric and joint kinematics to determine effect of treatments and/or patient progression.
• • Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress, and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes
• • Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, and coordinating treatment
• • Administer active and passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, and heat, light, sound, and electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound
• • Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, and supportive devices, such as crutches
• • Communicate with or instruct caregivers and family members on patient therapeutic activities and treatment plans
• • Project work to include news letter articles and educational presentations to be delivered through various media
• • Experience with processes of intake counseling, exercise prescription, exercise programming / implementation / supervision including progression, and evaluation
• • Analysis of exercise outcome including: improvement, compliance, and facility utilization
• • Facility / Program daily operation including: staffing, communication, and additional duties such as equipment maintenance and document reproduction

Fitness/Wellness

• • Health risk appraisals
• • Fitness testing
• • Body composition analysis
• • Blood glucose screening
• • Behavior risk identification and modification
• • Individual/group counseling
• • Plan and coordinate fitness classes
• • Assistance/involvement in physical rehabilitation
• • Design and produce (health) educational materials