ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal® September - October 2024 CEC Course #2: The Role of Programmatic Accreditation, Certification, and Career Advancement
1 CEC
By Ben Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM-EP; Laura A. Richardson, Ph.D., ACSM-CEP, FACSM, FCEPA; and Francis Neric, M.S., MBA
Summary:
In recent years, the exercise profession has been actively pursuing recognition as allied health professionals through the establishment of job-specific standards for programmatic accreditation, providing professional certification and credentialing, creating a professional registry (United States Registry of Exercise Professionals [USREPS]), and providing continuing professional development. The purpose of this article is to outline the pathway that the exercise profession must follow to establish a professional identity. The first step is requiring programmatic accreditation with a competency-based curriculum for students. The second step is providing board certification for students upon completion of an accredited program. The final step is to provide career advancement through continuing education. Following this path will aid in establishing a professional identity and help the underutilized and under-recognized exercise professional become the qualified exercise professional or qualified health care professional.
Membership Discount Join ACSM and save up to 50% on CEC quizzes by contacting our membership department at membership@acsm.org. Membership dues updates may take a minimum of 24 hrs. to be reflected in your account.