Sask Leads Charge to Integrate Kinesiology in Public Health
- Austen Zentner
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 minute ago
On November 8, a group representing the Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan, College of Kinesiology (USask), and College of Medicine (USask) presented to more than 40 medical doctors from across Canada about a groundbreaking undergraduate practicum to bring exercise counselling into the family medicine environment.
Family Medicine Forum is Canada's largest annual conference for medical doctors and healthcare providers, with a strong focus on education and innovation in medicine. This year, that innovation brought kinesiology into the primary care clinic, with a delegate from Saskatchewan presenting about their experiences and the potential of the KIN-481 practicum. KIN-481 puts kinesiology students face-to-face with patients and arm-in-arm with medical doctors, med students, residents, nurses, and other allied healthcare providers. The 100-hour practicum, hosted at West Winds Primary Health Centre, is now in its fifth cohort. Results have been positive.
This initiative strongly supports the Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan's mission: that is, to advance kinesiology in the province. With an aging population in need of movement, high rates of inactivity across the country, and a pronounced need to reduce barriers to physical activity, kinesiologists hold the power to make a tangible change. Exercise is a modifiable risk factor in over 30 common chronic conditions, and getting enough exercise reduces all-cause mortality by over 30%. For these reasons and more, it is paramount to bring accessible exercise counselling into our medical system. This practicum aims to do exactly that.
As part of the care team at West Winds, kin students have worked with musculoskeletal injuries, cardiovascular disease, osteopenia and osteoporosis, general health improvement, and more conditions treatable by exercise.
The delegates from Saskatchewan included Dr. Cathy MacLean (MD; Director of Faculty Development at AFM, USask), Austen Zentner (BSc Kin; Executive Director KAS), and fourth-year kinesiology students Dylan Chuckrowski and Cara Mino. Austen completed the practicum during its first run in Summer of 2024, with Dylan finishing the program during the first term of 2025. Cara, co-president of Exercise is Medicine at USask, is currently enrolled, seeing patients two days a week. Unable to attend the conference was Bart Arnold (MSc Kin, KAS USask Faculty Representative). Bart has been instrumental in the development and implementation of KIN-481 and is a true believer in the importance of exercise. In addition to KIN-481, Bart teaches classes from Second to Fourth year, with a large focus on applying other aspects of the kinesiology curriculum - like motivation and movement assessment - to the real world. KIN-481 adds clinical and healthcare-specific skills on top of that, preparing graduates for careers in clinical kinesiology or other careers in healthcare.
West Winds offers a robust care team of medical doctors and residents, medicine students, physiotherapy students, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other health professionals, all in the same clinic. Now, kinesiology services are also available to patients at West Winds. Doctors and residents can refer to the in-house kinesiology student whenever exercise could serve as an appropriate and safe intervention, with students in-clinic four days a week. As part of the care team at West Winds, kin students have worked with musculoskeletal injuries, cardiovascular disease, osteopenia and osteoporosis, general health improvement, and more conditions treatable by exercise. In the practicum setting, kin students fill a vital role alongside other members of the team: they turn a doctor's recommendation for exercise into an actionable exercise program, including one-on-one movement assessments and motivational coaching. Kin students are eager to learn about the clinical environment, and doctors and residents have shown interest in integrating exercise services when appropriate.
The Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan is in full support of the Colleges of Kin and Medicine in this endeavour, and we would like to express our gratitude to all stakeholders involved. This practicum is a small opportunity to provide accessible exercise counselling to anyone who might need it, regardless of their health status or level of means. This, combined with the Leisure Access Program for low income persons in Saskatoon, is a sure sign of progress in the fight to improve access to physical activity.
Currently, professional kinesiology services are not covered under Saskatchewan's public health plan, and few private insurance companies offer kinesiology services. This practicum provides access to those exercise counselling services, and grants doctors the ability to turn an exercise recommendation into a complete exercise prescription, with support from other members of the care team at West Winds. Research is ongoing to determine what impacts this practicum will have, and what health and quality of life improvements result from kinesiology interventions.
If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity or growing the practicum outside of Saskatoon, please contact the Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan to discuss possibilities.