Would health and fitness certification help?

[engin33ring]

I just posted this in another thread before I realized this is a better place to post.

I am just entering my first year of med school and am wondering what you guys think of being certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. The certification requires a 4 year degree in exercise science which I just graduated with last month and the certification is for a Health and Fitness Specialist. . Will it be to my advantage for me take the certification test?

I plan to study PM&R, sports medicine or primary care

Thanks for any advice

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[bedrock]

I just posted this in another thread before I realized this is a better place to post.

I am just entering my first year of med school and am wondering what you guys think of being certified by the American College of Sports Medicine. The certification requires a 4 year degree in exercise science which I just graduated with last month and the certification is for a Health and Fitness Specialist. . Will it be to my advantage for me take the certification test?

I plan to study PM&R, sports medicine or primary care

Thanks for any advice

1-No one will care about that when you apply for residencies/jobs.

2-A physician that is board certified in Sports Medicine, includes and trumps all of that, which you can do through primary care or PMR.

3-Your degree in exercise science will look good when you go to land a sports medicine fellowship, but no one will really care about the certificate.

 

[engin33ring]

Very true. I was looking less at the reasons for it to look good for residency, and more about the patients that I may be able to help. I am unsure of which field I will go into but with this certification I will be required to maintain a certain level of competency with the latest fitness recommendations.

Thanks for your recommendation. I may just pass on the exam.

 

[DOctorJay]

Stick with PMR

 

[padresp]

For what it's worth, I'm a current PM&R resident and I have a few friends who have this certification (all personal trainers). The certification is very unrelated to the field, and it would not be useful for residencies, unfortunately. Take the money you'd use for that exam and put it toward USMLE World when you have to take Step one in a year.

Very true. I was looking less at the reasons for it to look good for residency, and more about the patients that I may be able to help. I am unsure of which field I will go into but with this certification I will be required to maintain a certain level of competency with the latest fitness recommendations.

Thanks for your recommendation. I may just pass on the exam.

 

[The JockDoc]

I had this certification prior to starting med school for one of my jobs, and I wasn't an exercise science major at all. In the personal trainer certification game, it's probably the most well recognized one (of many), but I still wasn't impressed with how rigorous the course and exam were. If you know some exercise basics and can recite the ACSM guidelines, you pass.

The only reason I can imagine you'd want to get this is if you want to moonlight as a trainer on the side so that you can advertise it.

One a side note, ACSM guidelines come up in therapeutic exercise, but that is tiny piece of PM&R.

 

[engin33ring]

I had this certification prior to starting med school for one of my jobs, and I wasn't an exercise science major at all. In the personal trainer certification game, it's probably the most well recognized one (of many), but I still wasn't impressed with how rigorous the course and exam were. If you know some exercise basics and can recite the ACSM guidelines, you pass.

The only reason I can imagine you'd want to get this is if you want to moonlight as a trainer on the side so that you can advertise it.

One a side note, ACSM guidelines come up in therapeutic exercise, but that is tiny piece of PM&R.

Makes a lot of sense. I guess I just wanted a certification in something that I majored in. But I also realize that I can keep up ACSM recommendation without taking the certification.

Also, the guidelines for taking the test may have changed in recent years. They now require a bachelors degree in Kinesiology

All of the following requirements must be met:

-A minimum of a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology or Kinesiology from a regionally accredited college or university.

-Current American Heart Association or American Red Cross Adult CPR certification

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Makes a lot of sense. I guess I just wanted a certification in something that I majored in. But I also realize that I can keep up ACSM recommendation without taking the certification.

Also, the guidelines for taking the test may have changed in recent years. They now require a bachelors degree in Kinesiology

All of the following requirements must be met:

-A minimum of a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology or Kinesiology from a regionally accredited college or university.

-Current American Heart Association or American Red Cross Adult CPR certification

If you can et a certification now, get it, because they will otherwise change the qualifications within a few years and exclude you. Get grandfathered in while you can.

A certification might not help you in furthering your career, but may help you in the future if you want to do some treatments yourself or teach some exercises rather than sending a pt to PT.