SAN DIEGO, Aug. 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- To better prepare health and fitness professionals to be a critical link between the clinic and the community, and to best serve the patients and clients of today's healthcare landscape, the nonprofit American Council on Exercise (ACE) has launched the ACE Medical Exercise Specialist Certification.
The certification program, accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), provides exercise professionals with advanced credentials to work collaboratively with healthcare teams, developing and delivering specific and complementary exercise programs for clients with clinical issues.
"This program, the most comprehensive of its kind in the medical fitness realm, offers the best opportunity for professionals to safely and effectively work with clients who suffer from a variety of chronic medical conditions, which frankly, is a large portion of our country's population," said ACE President and CEO Scott Goudeseune. "That includes people who have completed rehabilitation or those recovering from cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic and musculoskeletal conditions."
Introduced this month, the ACE Medical Exercise Specialist Certification is the evolution of the ACE Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist Certification, launched in 2008.
"To help professionals prepare for this medical exercise role, we've developed the ACE Medical Exercise Specialist Manual, which incorporates the latest science-based assessments and programming from leading experts in clinical and post-rehabilitative exercise," said ACE Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM. "We've placed a greater emphasis on behavior change strategies and updated and expanded content around helping clients affected by a wide variety of chronic medical conditions—from cardiometabolic disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to arthritis and osteoporosis."
The type of specialized knowledge that Certified Medical Exercise Specialists possess, Bryant says, positions them to work alongside physicians, physical therapists, and many other members of the healthcare team.
"Our goal is always to provide the type of education and training that professionals need to more effectively help people live their most healthy and fit lives," Goudeseune added. "Being able to serve and provide the best care to people who need it most is at the core of this certification. As ACE expands its reach into the healthcare space, our Certified Medical Expert Specialists will play an integral role in driving our efforts."
To learn more about the ACE Medical Exercise Specialist Certification, visit: http://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications/certified-medical-exercise-specialist/default.aspx
About ACE
The nonprofit organization American Council on Exercise (ACE) educates, certifies, and represents more than 58,000 fitness professionals, health coaches, and other allied health professionals. ACE advocates for a new intersection of fitness and healthcare, bringing the highly-qualified professionals ACE represents into the healthcare continuum so they can contribute to the national solution to physical inactivity and obesity. ACE is the largest certifier in its space and all four of its primary certification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard in the United States for accreditation of certifications that assess professional competence. ACE also plays an important public service role, conducting and providing scientific-based research and resources on safe and effective physical activity and sustainable behavior change. For more information, call 800-825-3636 or visit ACEfitness.org. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.