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FitMed  Academy

Developing knowledge and skills in health and medical professionals for more effective patient care

Virtual and face to face delivery of the latest research and clinical practice for management of chronic disease with instructors who are world experts in their field using advanced digital learning systems.

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Exercise Medicine

in Cancer Management

Medical, Nursing, Allied health, and Fitness Professionals

Overview

This course is designed to develop knowledge and skills in the application of exercise medicine for assessment, prescription, delivery, and monitoring of exercise for people with cancer. Medical, nursing, allied health and fitness professionals will benefit most from this course because it builds on your extensive knowledge of human biology, patient care and health systems.  In this course we concentrate on developing skills and knowledge of exercise assessment, prescription, supervision, monitoring, exercise technique, motivating behavior change, prescribing safe and effective exercise for people with cancer.

Structure

This course is delivered virtually with resources provided through our learning management system. It consists of seven key components:

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  1. Background readings – key scientific, professional, and lay publications are prescribed and provided at specific stages throughout the course.

  2. Pre-recorded lecture videos.

  3. Multiple choice and true false quizzes following each major section.

  4. Discussion forums on key topics, controversies, and questions.

  5. Video demonstrations of digital tools for exercise assessment and prescription.

  6. Q&A sessions with the instructor

  7. Case studies discussion

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Want to find out more?

Introduction and course orientation

10

Cancer biology, sites, and types

60

Cancer treatments

30

Physical and psychological consequences of cancer and treatments

30

Principles of exercise prescription

  • Exercise dosage

  • FITT Principle

  • Overload

  • Progressive overload

  • Acute physiological responses to exercise

  • Adaptations to chronic exercise

  • Specificity of training

  • Variation in Training

  • Cardiorespiratory (Aerobic) training (MICT & HIIT)

  • Neuromuscular and musculoskeletal (Resistance) training

  • Strength and Power

  • Flexibility training

  • Components of an exercise session

  • Periodization

  • Auto-regulation of session volume and intensity

  • Stages of change model

60

Exercise acute and chronic effects

  • Muscular system

  • Nervous system

  • Metabolic system

  • Skeletal system

30

Exercise Medicine within Cancer Management

60

Patient Flow

  • At diagnosis

  • On referral – physician or self-referral

  • Pre- Initial consultation

  • At consultation

  • Ongoing monitoring and patient review

30

Health history

10

Pre-exercise screening

10

Virtual Practical Session 1 – Patient flow, forms and risk stratification

30

Recruiting the patient

10

Informed consent and research participation

10

Absolute and relative contraindications to exercise

10

Rating of perceived exertion and wellness check

10

Virtual practical Session 2 - Assessments of cardiorespiratory capacity

  • CPET

  • Steep Ramp Test

  • Step test

  • 400m walk

  • 6 minute walk

30

Virtual Practical Session 3 - Assessments of neuromuscular strength and power

  • Chest press

  • Leg press

  • Seated row

  • Abdominal strength test

  • Force platform tests

30

Virtual Practical Session 4 - Assessments of functional capacity

  • Timed 6 meter walk

  • Timed up and go

  • 5 x sit to stand

  • 30 second sit to stand

  • Stair climb

30

Assessments of quality of life and psychosocial wellbeing - fatigue, anxiety

  • SF36

  • HADS

  • DASS

10

Assessments of cancer specific health and status

  • FACT-G

  • EORTC

10

Assessment of body composition

  • DEXA

  • pQCT

  • bioimpedence

  • height

  • weight

  • BMI

  • hip and waist circumference

20

Virtual Practical Session 5 - Introduction to FitMed Exercise Prescription Platform

60

Targeted exercise prescription

  • cardiorespiratory

  • muscle hypertrophy

  • muscle strength

  • functional performance

  • balance

  • skeletal health

  • fat loss

  • lymphoedema

  • bone metastatic disease

  • pre-habilitation for surgery

  • neoadjuvant and adjuvant to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, steroid therapy

60

Virtual Practical Session 6 – Targeted exercise prescriptions

30

Long term planning, prescription and periodisation

20

Nutritional considerations

30

Graduation to self-management

  • Fitness centre

  • Home based

  • Group exercise

  • Park fit

  • Sport as medicine

10

Clinician, fitness professional and patient feedback

10

Case studies and scenarios

60

Total Time:

770

Topic

Approximate Study Time (mins)

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