31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment

What this occupation covers

Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment include specialized therapists who use techniques such as athletic or recreational therapy to aid in the treatment of mental and physical disabilities or injuries. They are employed by establishments such as hospitals, rehabilitation centres, extended health care facilities, clinics, recreational centres, nursing homes, industry, educational institutions and sports organizations, or they may work in private practice.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Assess patients and review reports from physicians, physiotherapists, psychiatrists, counsellors, teachers and other professionals to determine patients' current and potential functioning level
• Prepare individualized and group treatment plans either independently or through a multidisciplinary team approach, based on health concerns and on recommendations from physicians or other health professionals
• Design specialized therapy programs to maintain, rehabilitate or enhance movement, musculoskeletal functioning and performance in sports, work and recreation
• Implement treatment plans by carrying out specialized therapy sessions employing approaches and techniques such as recreational, sports or other movement therapy
• Observe, record observations and analyze patients during treatment sessions, write progress reports on patient outcomes and consult with other health professionals to evaluate treatment plans
• May provide education to clients regarding health promotion and injury prevention, management and treatment
• May conduct research in respective field of specialization.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 7 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
• 31203 Occupational therapists
• 31202 Physiotherapists
• 41406 Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers
• 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies

Excluded from this code

• Kinesitherapist (See 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment)
• Occupational therapists (See 31203 Occupational therapists)
• Physiotherapists (See 31202 Physiotherapists)
• Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers (See 41406 Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers)
• Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies (See 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

athletic therapist · athletic trainer - therapy · biokineticist · certified athletic therapist (CAT) · certified kinesiologist · exercise physiologist · exercise therapist · human kineticist · kinanthropologist · kinesiologist · movement analyst - medical · recreational therapist · registered kinesiologist · remedial gymnast · remedial gymnastics teacher (except education) · remedial gymnasts' supervisor · remedial therapist · therapeutic recreationist

Employment requirements

• Kinesiologists require a four-year bachelor's degree in kinesiology, physical education or human kinetics.
• Certification for kinesiologists is available through the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required for kinesiologists in Ontario.
• Athletic therapists require a bachelor's degree in sport therapy or a degree in health sciences with a specialization in sports injury management.
• Recreational therapists usually require a bachelor's degree in recreation with a specialization in therapeutic recreation.
• Supervised practical training is usually required for occupations in this unit group.
• Certification or membership with the appropriate national professional association or provincial counterpart may be required.