Professional in the Spotlight - Matthew Ternes

Matthew Ternes is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and currently works at Atkins Health. As an accomplished health professional, Matthew gave us insight into how his career took off and some important points for students and other health professionals.

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You're currently on the team at Atkins Health, how did you get started there?

Matthew: I graduated from Griffith and worked as Exercise Physiologist part-time. I was working with private health and veteran based groups in Pt Macquarie then moved to Nerang, Gold Coast and created an E.P. component for the Veterans Health Organisation. It wasn’t until I did a guest lecture at Griffith University that I and met Tobias Atkins. We had a lot of things in common in regards to how people should be treated and results based programming. I was working out of two clinics at the time, my own in Canungra and another. I decided to drop it and started at Atkins Health. I’ve now been the practice manager at Atkins for 4 years and we now have 5 locations over the Gold Coast.

You played tennis at national level when you were younger. What shifted your interest from competition to injury prevention and rehabilitation for other athletes?

Having the passion within sport and exercise build the basis for that. I thoroughly enjoyed sport so being able to promote it and educate people was fun. I used to be a full time tennis coach, which got me into the teaching side of things. My mother suffered from 3 different mental health disorders, which is where my interest in chronic health began. I think also that made my approach unique. Whether it’s an older client with a neurological disorder or a younger competitor, my exercise prescription doesn't change between clients because I see them all equally as athletes.

You’re a part of the PD Revolution. What has your experience with the Parkinson’s Disease Exercise Prescription Program been like?

Doing rural placement at Pt Macquarie, I was exposed to Parkinson‘s clients that had exercise prescriptions. The results were amazing. Normally, when a client is diagnosed with a motorneurological condition, they're prescribed medication and that's it. You’ll find this causes their confidence to suffer, and we knew they needed a more holistic approach. So we began the PD Revolution at Helensvale with 3 clients. It grew, and grew, and since bringing the program into Atkins Health it’s now running at 5 locations. There are group and individual programs, PD Warrior (which focuses on dual tasks), PD dance and boxing. Every client that has started the program has improved in one way or another. It’s something I am super proud of. The important thing for me is to see clients regain their confidence and independence. We’ve grown so much, I remember about 3 years ago a PD client joked that we should run a marathon. So I spoke to GC Marathon and managed to get the PD Revolution program into the 5.7km and 700m Fun Run. Now for the last 2 or 3 years we have had a team incorporated into a community based event. It’s been great for their confidence, achievement and improvement. 

For students, what is one thing you wished you had done while studying that would have helped in your current career?

The most important thing that students need to take into account is building repore and trust within your client. Having the ability to communicate on a deeper level is an essential tool to changing the lives of your clients. For students, a great first step is to talk to GP’s, Neurologists and Community groups for insight and to be able to reach out those greater groups. Additionally, having knowledge and background of the business and communications aspects is good to know also.

If you could accomplish one major goal as an Exercise Physiologist, what would it be?

Well, coming out of university, my main goal was to be the best Exercise Physiologist. But right now, my greatest goal is to change my clients lives. While you know that you're changing their life physically, you never know just how deeply. It’s something simple, but super important.