Medical-Fitness Technician
Certification Course
Part E: Providing Med-Fit Services (LM:39-44)
Learning Module 39:
Client Intake
Study the Module and do the Lab.
Learning Objectives
  • Know the components of the Client Intake process
  • Become familiar with the form for documenting a Client Intake
All the previous learning modules have focused on the knowledge needed to be a competent Medical-Fitness Technician. This section explains how to put that knowledge into practice by developing the skills needed to provide Medical-Fitness Services. As a health and fitness professional, you will be providing real services to real people -- starting with your Field Practicum. The next 6 learning modules help you prepare for that final section of this course.
Medical-Fitness Services are client-centered, which means you are to provide your services for the benefit of your individual clients. When providing Medical-Fitness Services you need to remain cognizant that the only way your clients will benefit you is by making sure your services are benefitting them -- individually.

When a new client arrives at the Med-Fit Clinic for their Baseline Medical-Fitness Assessment:
  • Introduce yourself - "Good morning! My name is (First & Last Name)." (Speak clearly and slowly.)
  • Welcome them to the clinic - "Welcome to the (Clinic Name) Med-Fit Clinic."
  • Thank them for coming to your clinic - "Thank you for coming in today."
  • Get their Name (Memorize it! -- at least their First Name, and match it to their face!)
  • Check to see if they have an Appointment or if they just "dropped-in." (Pre-booked client's go to the front of the line.)
  • Briefly explain the Clinic's current servicing" situation - "(Manager) will be right with you to get you checked-in."
  • If the clinic is running behind on its Appointment schedule, direct them to where the client can wait.
  • Depending on the facilities at the clinic, suggest what they can do until they are called for their Check-In.
  • Most Clinics let their waiting clients watch (from a distance) the other clients who are going through the Assessment process.
  • If the new client needs to change their clothes, show them where the restrooms or locker rooms are located.
When you are assigned to the next new client, have your clipboard ready (in your left hand at your side) with the forms in order. The first form linked below is designed to help you focus your services on each client individually while tracking their service progress.

After introducing yourself - "Hello, (Client's First & Last Name)?" (Confirm their name, and offer to shake their hand.) "Hi, my name is (First Name). I am a Medical-Fitness Technician, and I will be glad to help you today. Are you ready to start?" (Confirm)
Client Profile:
  • Print the form linked above and place it on a clipboard.
  • Use a blue ink pen for filling-out all clinic forms.
  • Write-in the client's First & Last Name -- confirm both the spelling and pronunciation.
  • Write-in today's Date.
  • Above the date, write the Time that you are starting their Assessment.
  • Skip the next two lines for now.
  • Identify the client as either Male or Female (Circle M or F). (Hopefully, you won't have to ask.)
  • Ask their Age - "How old are you, (First Name)?" and write-in their age.
  • Ask their Date of Birth - "What is your Date of Birth?" and write-in the date.
  • If your client is sensitive about personal information (identity theft issues), their Month & Year of birth is sufficient.
That's it! That is the client's "Profile." Nothing else matters regarding their medical-fitness -- not their marital status, not their occupation or income level, not their race or ethnicity, not their politics, and not their religion.

Your client is: Name, Age, Gender (Example: John Doe is a 37 year-old male.) Your client is at your clinic because they want answers to their main two questions: "How fit am I?" and "What should I do about it?" The steps below explain the process for YOU to help them get the answers to both those questions.
As a Medical-Fitness Technician, you cannot do anything to help your client until you know they either do not need Medical Clearance or that their personal physician has already determined their medical status to be stable enough to undergo a moderate (non-maximal) fitness test. The form below is designed to determine this next step.
Screening:
  • Print the form linked above and have it under the Medical-Fitness Chart form on your clipboard.
  • Briefly explain the screening process to your client before you get started - "I need to ask you a couple of questions as a screening for Medical Clearance, so please listen carefully."
  • Read the questions clearly and follow the instructions depending on the client's responses.
  • Make sure the client understands each question.
  • Get a definitive answer and make a mental note of their response.
  • Do not mark on the Questionnaire. You will use this same form repeatedly for all your clients.
  • After getting your client's responses from the applicable questions, write-in the spaces (1, 2, 3) for Screening (in the Client Profile section of their Medical-Fitness Chart): Y or N (or X if not applicable). All three spaces need to be filled-in.
  • From your client's Y/N responses, determine if Medical Clearance is indicated and circle either NO or YES.
  • If the screening was NO (negative), indicate that Medical Clearance is "Not Applicable" by writing-in: N/A.
  • If the screening was YES (positive), write-in the space for Medical Clearance the word: pending.
Most clients will NOT need to obtain Medical Clearance from their personal physician. If you determined their Screening to be Negative (NO), you can now proceed to the next step -- Informed Consent (see below).

However, if you determined your client's Screening to be Positive (YES) or questionable in any way, escort your client over to your Medical-Fitness Instructor. Introduce your instructor to your client and explain their screening was positive. Then let your Instructor explain to the client how they can get Medical Clearance from their personal physician. Stay with your client and listen to the instructions.

Afterwards, confirm with your client what their plan is to return to the clinic with Medical Clearance from their personal physician as soon as possible. These are the most important clients with whom you want to work, because they have the most urgent need to make a therapeutic lifestyle change.
After your client passes the Screening process, they need to provide the clinic with a signed "Informed Consent" in order to participate in the clinic's Medical-Fitness Assessment. The form linked below is designed to accomplish this step as efficiently as possible.
Informed Consent:
  • Print the form linked above and have it directly under the screening questionnaire on your clipboard.
  • The form on your clipboard is YOUR copy for your reference. Do not give your client your form.
  • Briefly explain the next step to your client - "To continue, we will need your informed consent."
  • Hand the client their own Informed Consent form, which will be provided by the clinic.
  • Instruct your client what to do - "Please read this consent form and sign it, if you want a Medical-Fitness Assessment."
  • Be sure your client knows they can ask questions for any clarification - "Let me know if you have any questions."
  • Give your client some time to read the form, but stay close by in case your client has a question.
  • If your client has any questions, refer to the item using your copy of the form on your clipboard and try to answer their question.
  • If you do not understand their question, or you do not know for certain the answer, defer to your Medical-Fitness Instructor.
If the client signs the Informed Consent form:
  • Confirm that it was completed properly with their legibly Printed Name, their Signature, and Today's Date.
  • The client's Date of Birth needs to be filled-in only IF your client is under 18 years old (month and year is sufficient).

If your client is under 18 years old:
  • If the client's parent (or legal guardian) is present, they need to sign the form also.
  • If present, the parent's phone number is not necessary.
  • If not present, the parent's name and phone number is required, so that you or the Clinic Manager can call the parent to verify their informed consent.
After obtaining a valid Informed Consent from your client:
  • Secure the completed form to your clipboard underneath all the other forms.
  • On your client's Medical-Fitness Chart form in the Client Profile section, indicate with an "X" that the Informed Consent was obtained.
  • If your client is a minor (under 18 y/o), circle the "X" to indicate that parental informed consent was also obtained.
Now you are ready to begin the Medical-Fitness Assessment for your client -- starting with their Weight-Related Health Risk Analysis.
Note: Some Medical-Fitness Clinics do most of the Client Intake in advance over the phone and/or by email prior to the client's first visit to the Clinic. In this case, the Medical-Fitness Technician is minimally involved in the Intake process. Although this may save time for the Technician and reduce the time that the client needs to spend at the Clinic, the trade-off is a loss of opportunity for the Technician to spend time with the client and develop a professional rapport (a term borrowed from the French and pronounced "ra-POOR" meaning: a friendly, harmonious relationship, especially a relationship characterized by trust, agreement, mutual understanding, or empathy that makes communication possible or easy). Whatever the case is at your clinic, adjust to your CLINIC's system accordingly.