11.5 The CSEP Code of Conduct & Ethical Professional Practice
Key Takeaways
The CSEP Code of Conduct applies to all CSEP Professional Members and CSEP Specialists and sets standards for ethically responsible decisions; members must also follow relevant provincial and federal regulations.
Responsibilities to the client include respect without discrimination, competent and safe practice, free and informed consent, confidentiality and privacy (including on social media), practising within scope, and professional boundaries.
Business ethics in the Code include disclosing fees in advance, avoiding or declaring conflicts of interest, never offering or accepting covert payment, and advertising qualifications accurately without exaggeration.
Members share only evidence-informed practices, must label any opinion that is contrary to general scientific opinion, and sign only documents they prepared or supervised.
Members commit to continuing professional development and must report a CSEP member whose conduct appears incompetent, unethical or illegal to the appropriate authorities.
11.5 The CSEP Code of Conduct & Ethical Professional Practice
The CSEP Code of Conduct applies to all individuals who hold any CSEP certification or CSEP specialization. The CSEP-PATH Third Edition prints the updated Code in Section 12 (Professional Concepts). The Code states that professional ethics rest on integrity, competence, devotion to service and the advancement of human welfare. It does not give guidance for every situation; it sets a standard for making ethically responsible decisions. Members must also follow relevant provincial and federal laws, and ask colleagues or CSEP when unsure.
Core competencies:
- 6.1: explain the Code, especially client and professional relationships, competence, confidentiality, marketing and promotion, and record keeping;
- 6.2: give advice based on sound, current, evidence-based information, with ethical conduct;
- 6.4: follow ethical business practices with clients and colleagues;
- 6.5: plan ongoing professional development.
Responsibilities to the Client
CSEP Professional Members and CSEP Specialists have a responsibility to:
- Respect and non-discrimination: act respectfully and provide services without discrimination, as specified in the Canadian Human Rights Act and CSEP's statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
- Competence and safety: practise professionally, competently and responsibly, and take every reasonable precaution for the client's safety.
- Self-determination and consent: obtain free and informed consent from the client, or their surrogate, before providing any service.
- Confidentiality and privacy: protect the confidentiality, privacy and security of personal information in all communication, including social media. Disclose only with consent or when legally required.
- Scope of practice: practise only within scope and only where they have the knowledge, skills and abilities, referring to other health care providers as needed.
- Evidence-informed practice: apply only accepted, evidence-informed principles.
- Professional boundaries: never take physical, psychological, sexual or financial advantage of clients.
- Fairness and good faith toward clients, colleagues and the profession in all communication.
- Conflicts of interest: avoid any real or perceived conflict. If one exists, tell the client immediately and get their consent to proceed only if there is no reasonable alternative.
- Virtual services: provide them only when the same professional standards can be met safely as in person.
- Fees: inform clients in advance of any fees, keeping them transparent and appropriate.
- Professional development: continue it to maintain a high level of competence.
Responsibilities to the Profession and Society
Members have an ethical responsibility to:
- Share only evidence-informed best practices with clients, students, the public and other health care providers. An opinion that is contrary to general scientific opinion must be identified as such, and must not be used to advance their own reputation.
- Build their reputation on merit, not on anti-competitive practices.
- Represent qualifications and competence accurately, without exaggeration, including in advertising.
- Never offer or accept covert payment to secure work.
- Sign or seal only programs, reports or documents they prepared or directly supervised.
- Contribute to the profession through volunteering, research, mentoring and student supervision.
- Report to the appropriate authorities any CSEP member who appears incompetent, or whose conduct appears unethical, illegal or unbecoming to the profession.
Applying the Code: Common Scenarios
| Scenario | Code principle | Appropriate action |
|---|---|---|
| A supplement company offers a commission for recommending its product to clients | Conflict of interest; covert payment; evidence-informed advice | Decline; supplement advice is outside CSEP-CPT scope anyway |
| A trainer's website calls them a "clinical exercise specialist" while holding only the CSEP-CPT | Accurate representation of qualifications | Use the correct title: CSEP Certified Personal Trainer® (CSEP-CPT) |
| Posting a client's transformation photos online | Confidentiality and privacy, including social media | Only with explicit, informed consent; otherwise do not post |
| A client wants advice on an unproven "detox" protocol the trainer personally likes | Evidence-informed advice; label opinions | Share evidence-informed guidance; identify personal opinion as such; refer nutrition questions |
| A trainer is asked to co-sign a program written by an unsupervised student | Sign only what you prepared or supervised | Do not sign unless you supervised and controlled its preparation |
| Fees increase without notice | Fees disclosed in advance | Inform clients before charging |
| A colleague repeatedly trains clients with unstable heart conditions | Reporting obligation; scope of practice | Raise the concern and report to the appropriate authority (CSEP) |
| Offering online coaching | Virtual services standards | Proceed only if screening, monitoring and safety can meet in-person standards |
Professional Development (Competency 6.5)
Science changes; the Code requires continuing professional development. For a CSEP-CPT this means:
- collecting 20 Professional Development Credits every two years (by March 31 of even-numbered years), tracked in the CSEP PDC Tracker and subject to random audit;
- choosing high-quality, evidence-informed learning, such as CSEP webinars, PD Days, the annual conference, APNM journal quizzes, academic courses, and business-skills courses;
- adding CSEP specializations (High Performance, Pre and Postnatal, Exercise and Depression) to extend competence safely;
- planning PD around gaps identified in practice, for example a client group you are not yet confident with.
A protein-bar company offers a CSEP-CPT a secret commission for every client who buys its bars. According to the CSEP Code of Conduct, what should the trainer do?
Accept, as long as the bars meet the criteria in Canada's Food Guide for healthy snacks.
Accept the commission, but disclose it only to those clients who happen to ask about it.
Decline: the Code bars covert payment and conflicts of interest, and this is outside scope.
Accept, because the Code of Conduct applies only to CSEP clinical exercise physiologists.
A CSEP-CPT wants to post a client's before-and-after photos on social media. What does the CSEP Code of Conduct require?
Free and informed consent from the client, because the Code protects privacy on social media.
Nothing, because the photos do not show the client's name or any other identifying details.
Approval from the facility manager only, because the photos were taken on facility property.
Posting is never allowed under any circumstances, even with the client's written consent.
Which practice is consistent with the CSEP Code of Conduct's responsibilities to the profession and society?
Advertising as an 'exercise physician' to attract clinical clients who want specialist care.
Presenting a personal theory that contradicts the scientific consensus as an established fact.
Signing a program report prepared by a coworker whom the trainer never actually supervised.
Clearly labelling any opinion that differs from scientific consensus, and sharing evidence-informed practice.
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