Clinical Fitness Specialist in Deerfield, Illinois at True Health

The Clinical Fitness Specialist designs and delivers personalized fitness programs within a physician-integrated care model, and builds the community that keeps patients engaged in their health long after a session ends. This role blends clinical fitness assessment with the motivational, relationship-driven work of coaching, so that exercise becomes both medically sound and genuinely enjoyable for the patients doing it.

Working alongside physicians, RDNs, and the broader care team, the Medical Fitness Specialist translates diagnostic data into individualized programming, then extends that work into group experiences, events, and touchpoints that build a lasting fitness community around True Health.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Clinical Assessment and Testing

• Conduct comprehensive fitness intakes including health history review, goal setting, and movement screening per clinic protocols.
• Administer diagnostic testing using tools such as COSMED, DEXA, and FMS following standardized procedures and safety requirements.
• Interpret assessment results to identify limitations, readiness, and risk factors that inform exercise selection and progression.
• Complete baseline measures and scheduled re-assessments to support 90-day progress reviews and ongoing program refinement.

Individualized Program Design

• Develop individualized exercise plans aligned to patient diagnoses, clinical constraints, and care-team guidance.
• Translate diagnostic and outcomes data into clear training priorities, session structure, and progression milestones.
• Modify programming based on patient feedback, tolerance, symptoms, and objective progress measures.
• Document program updates and rationale to maintain continuity across the integrated care team.

Session Delivery and Coaching

• Deliver 1:1 and small-group training sessions with strong emphasis on safe technique, appropriate intensity, and progression.
• Coach movement quality and scaling options for patients with chronic conditions, pain, or physician-directed restrictions.
• Monitor patient response during sessions and adjust in real time to maintain safety and appropriate training stimulus.
• Escalate red flags and safety concerns promptly to the appropriate clinician per clinic escalation pathways.

Community Programming and Engagement

• Plan and lead group classes, challenges, and community events that increase adherence and reinforce healthy routines.
• Maintain ongoing engagement touchpoints between sessions using approved in-person and digital channels.
• Gather patient feedback on classes and community experiences and incorporate improvements into future programming.
• Recognize patient milestones in ways that support motivation, consistency, and long-term participation.

Documentation and Operational Coordination

• Maintain accurate, timely documentation in the patient record and any training or tracking platform used by the clinic.
• Coordinate scheduling needs and patient flow requirements to support consistent service delivery and utilization.
• Support onboarding into fitness services through orientation, baseline assessment completion, and expectation setting.
• Maintain a safe training environment through basic equipment checks, cleaning practices, and incident documentation as needed.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, or a related field, or equivalent education and training.
• 3+ years of experience in personal training, clinical exercise, or medically supervised fitness programming with modification-heavy populations.
• Experience working in an integrated care environment requiring frequent care-team communication and patient-specific constraints.

Preferred:

• Experience applying diagnostic and movement assessment results to progressive exercise programming in a clinical or physician-integrated setting.
• Exposure to community-based programming such as group classes, challenges, or member engagement models in a health or wellness environment.
• Experience in concierge medicine, hospital-integrated wellness, PT-adjacent fitness, or multidisciplinary care settings.

CERTIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

Required:

• Current CPR/AED certification maintained to clinic standards and applicable renewal timelines.
• Ability to deliver medically informed exercise coaching using diagnostic tools such as COSMED, DEXA, and FMS appropriately and consistently.
• Comfort with documentation and scheduling workflows using an EHR or comparable system, plus a consistent habit of same-day session note completion.

Preferred:

• Lifestyle Medicine or Medical Exercise credential.
• Familiarity with physician-integrated care models, including HIPAA-aware communication practices and appropriate escalation of clinical concerns.
• Familiarity with EHR platforms such as Athena and training program design and tracking tools used in fitness settings.
• Basic understanding of outcomes tracking and adherence metrics to support re-test cadence and patient progress reporting.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Frequent standing, walking, demonstrating exercises, and spotting or assisting patients during training sessions.
• Occasional lifting and moving of fitness equipment up to 40 lbs, with sustained activity during peak session blocks.
• Regular verbal communication and computer-based work for programming, documentation, and care-team updates throughout the workday.