In a previous post, I covered steps that could be implemented to improve and protect the professionalism and credibility of the health and human performance (HHP) field. Another point of view should also be considered; what have other entities within the HHP industry employed to achieve similar ideals? The following sections will explore this question, and explain the steps taken by the HHP industry to improve standards and awareness of the HHP profession.

The Coalition for the Registration of Exercise Professionals (CREP) is a non-profit organization composed of NCAA accredited institutions (US Registry of Exercise Professionals, 2014). CREP’s mandate is to provide a medium for certifying entities (i.e., NSCA, ACE, ACSM) to unite. CREP’s goals are multiple in nature: CREP wishes to create a platform for aspiring exercise professionals to locate NCAA accredited institutions in an expedient manner. Having one website for multiple certifying bodies helps “funnel” searches to one place, allowing the consumer to compare and contrast all institutions in a relatively easy fashion. CREP’s second goal is to provide leadership as an advocate in upholding policy, regulation, and scope of practice (U.S. Registry of Exercise Professionals, 2014).  Finally, CREP wishes to promote the exercise profession while defending the scope of practice under one unified voice (U.S. Registry of Exercise Professionals, 2014).

CREP’s goals attempt to improve awareness of the HHP field, while upholding standards of the profession. However, some of the aforementioned certifying bodies still do not require undergraduate degrees in exercise science, such as the personal trainer certification from The American Council on Exercise (The American Council on Exercise, 2014). In a previous post, I advocated implementation of post-secondary education, in conjunction to affiliation with a NCAA accredited organization. Thus, my criticism stands purely against a lack of post-secondary education within some of the NCAA accredited associations.

Having a singular, unified platform for certifying bodies provides an opportunity to effectively reach out and spread public awareness of the HHP field. However, it would also seem justifiable to lobby for higher academic standards as part of a larger strategy in establishing the HHP field as a legitimate profession. Other professions such as physiotherapists and chiropractors have stringent academic degrees as part of their licensure requirements. If we wish to stand next to other professionals, it behooves us to consider, meticulously study and emulate the successful approaches of our predecessors.

References

The American Council on Exercise (2014). Personal trainer certification. Retrieved from http://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications/personal-trainer-certification/bundles.aspx

U.S. Registry of Exercise Professionals (2014). About the United States registry of exercise professionals. Retrieved from http://www.usreps.org/Pages/aboutus.aspx

-Michael McIsaac