The International Sports Science Association (ISSA) is my top pick for the best CPT certification. ISSA stands out among the fitness industry for brand recognition and quality.
Apr 05, 2022 · For the least expensive yet highly reputable option, the Fitness Mentors CPT at $399 is a popular option. The only other sub-$500 option is AFAA at $499, while ACE ($509), NSCA ($587), and NASM ($674) all sit between the $500 to $600 range. ACSM ($619), NCSF ($419), and ISSA ($828), are amongst the most expensive of the certification options.
Creighton University. Omaha, NE. # 9 in Physical Therapy (tie) Save. 3.9 PEER ASSESSMENT SCORE. MGH Institute of Health Professions. Boston, MA.
Dec 12, 2020 · The university’s Department of Physical Therapy offers the courses and are pre-approved by the Alabama Board of Physical Therapy. The series offers courses that are between 2 to 4 hours long. Attendance is mandatory for the in-person courses. And for Zoom courses, you need an electronic device with the Zoom app installed. Online Courses. For some students, …
Sep 01, 2021 · With over 1,000 courses for PTs, OTs, ATC’s, and nurses, you’ll find a course on nearly every topic and specialty available. I’ve been using MedBridge for the past year and love the interface and ease of taking any course anytime I want. You can save $175 with the MedBridge promo code “ PTProgress ” and access unlimited CEUs for just $200 a year.
Educational Institute | Course Name | Course Fees Online (Estimate) |
---|---|---|
Australian College of Sport & Fitness | Specialised Trainer | $6,000 |
Australian Fitness Academy | Certificate III in Fitness | $1,750 |
Australian Fitness Academy | Certificate IV in Fitness | $1,850 |
Australian Fitness Academy | Personal Trainer | $2,750 |
Most personal trainer certifications are good for two to three years. All reputable and accredited personal training organizations require a certai...
Most gyms accept NASM, ACE, ISSA, ACSM, NSCA, NCPT, and NCSF. All of these personal training certifications are nationally recognized and accredite...
All the All the certifications I cover are accepted across the United States and in many other countries as well. For a more in-depth look at the o...
Orthopedic Physical Therapy continuing education courses are by far the most widely attended courses in our field. If you’re interested in expanding your orthopedic knowledge, take a look at these orthopedic PT continuing education courses:
Below you’ll find some of the PT courses we like to recommend for continuing education. It’s because they check all three boxes (financial, clinical, career).
Not only does MedBridge meet the financial criteria I described above, they have over 1,500 courses that cover all interests. In terms of career development, you can enroll in any of their specialty certification study programs at no extra cost!
Courses that lead to advanced certifications or specific training end up in this category. Think about certifications that add completely new skills to your repertoire: 1 Ergonomic Certifications 2 Clinical Specialist Certification 3 Dry Needling, Graston, etc. 4 Lymphedema certification
You probably know that MedBridge is one of the largest providers of online continuing education. But did you know they provide live seminars online that satisfy the in person or ‘live seminar’ requirement for most states? I personally use MedBridge to complete over half of my CEUs each year.
Summit Education is known for live, in person continuing education courses for therapists. But, you can also take courses online if one of the 300+ courses seem interesting to you. While Summit Education does not have the largest library of online CEUs, they do have an impressive number of live courses throughout the country.
You can choose to pay for live courses ‘a la carte’ or just pay for the All Access plan, which gives you access to ANY Live CE course and the video course library.
NASM is by far the most popular of all personal training certifications at over 22,000 attempts per year. NSCA, who is also the second-most expensive certification, has the least amount trainers with their cert.
The investment in a personal trainer certification is worth it no matter which way you look at it. Most CPTs are $400 to $800 and full time trainers can expect to make this money back their first month. The education you get will also ensure a healthy knowledge for personal gains as well.
Accreditation: most gyms only accept personal training certifications that are NCCA, NBFE or DEAC – recognized so this is an important factor for aspiring trainers. These certifying bodies are considered the gold standard for fitness certifications. Price: includes the cost of the test and the cheapest study materials.
At the other end, NSCA trainers are required to obtain 60 CEUs. However, these numbers alone don’t tell the whole story, you should also consider the time periods in which these hours are required, as well as the costs to recertify. NCSF: 10 hours of CEUs and $50 to recertify every 2 years.
Fitness Mentors is the least Expensive at $399, and ACE ($599), NSCA ($712.80), and NASM ($699) are a full $100 to $300 more expensive.
Fitness certifications that wish to be accredited have to submit their programs and final exam to be evaluated on an individual basis. This ensures that they meet the highest standard and validates that the aspiring trainer has the competency for entry level employment.
The Fitness Mentors Personal Trainer Certification is the cheapest personal training certification at $399 including the digital textbook, 8 types of study materials, and the exam. This option is completely online and therefore does not have some of the unnecessary costs associated with the others.
In the example above, the PT in Colorado will see courses are available in two formats – video and text. Text courses are self-paced and available via PDF or a physical copy sent via mail. Video courses are filmed classes available to stream online or order in DVD format.
Here are the PT continuing education requirements for 20 states, in alphabetical order. This list provides a glimpse into how different states have different continuing education requirements. Hours are listed as actual clock hours, continuing education units (CEUs), or continuing competence units (CCUs):
The American Physical Therapy Association is a professional organization that represents physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapy students. And according to the APTA, any student wishing to become a PT must enroll in an accredited DPT program.
DPT students study subjects dealing with the human body. Some common study subjects include:
Live webinars differ from pre-recorded courses because of the ability to interact in real-time. Having the chance to ask questions in real-time is often better than using email.
The Future of Employment for Physical Therapists. In 2018, there were an estimated 247,700 licensed physical therapists in the United States. These therapists work in various locations. A hospital might have physical therapists on staff, but most work in private physical therapy practices.
Physical therapy is for patients who have bodily function and/or movement limitations. The limitations are often the result of diseases, surgeries, injuries, and aging. A certified physical therapist (PT) is a health professional who’s primary responsibilities are to help their patients by providing physical rehabilitation, intervention methods, and prevention exercises.
It is important to note that a Level 3 or Level 4 Exercise Referral related qualification does not mean that GPs will refer Personal Trainers clients - this simply does not ever happen (despite sales agents from some training providers saying otherwise). GPs will only refer patients to large gyms who hold contracts with them. More so an Exercise Referral qualification allows you to work with clients with common medical conditions that you may come across through employment of self employment. It is not essential to have this to become a Personal Trainer. Please note Level 3 Exercise Referral has recently been updated by Active IQ and is now called " Level 3 Supporting Clients with Long-Term Conditions" - this is the latest version of the qualification.
Perhaps the two most recognised and reptuable awarding bodies for the Fitness sector are Active IQ and YMCA Awards. (Please note that the following are not UK Awarding Bodies ACSM, NASM, ACE). Remember you will have the awarding body logo on your certificate so a reputable one is certainly wise to opt for. NOTE: There are instances when a minority of providers may choose to display the logo of Active IQ or YMCA on their site despite using a less renowned awarding body, so always double check what the awarding body will be.
TIP: If you find a provider who is on both the CIMSPA and UK Active lists then that shows a consistency in quality assurance. However the CIMSPA check should always be the most important check to make.
CPD: Some providers may give you CPD (continued professional development ) courses in addition to the Gym & PT qualification. For example, areas such as Kettlebells and Suspension Training may be learned via CPD . CPD is not a qualification, they don’t usually have exams and can be completed quite quickly, however they are still really useful additions if these are included in your PT course package, so its worth checking out what CPD is on offer as part of any package - but do not base your decision on this alone as the main item of value is your actual PT course - not CPD!
The UK fitness industry is currently worth over £4.7 billion, with in excess of 6,700 sites and 97 million members, so now is certainly a good time to be looking to start a career as a Gym Instructor or Personal Trainer.
Careers in Fitness are based in London, with locations around the UK. Their sheer number of courses is one factor that sets them apart. It’s mind-boggling. Something like 53 courses, although by the time we publish they might have added more. For those of you who might want to specialise to earn a bigger salary, offerings like Myofascial Release, Behavioural Change, World Jumping and Tri-Planar Kettlebells will give you marketable skills that other trainers probably won’t have. Want to specialise in populations like adolescents or pre and post-natal women? No problem.
Study Active are an established business with students across the UK. They have been running courses since 2012, and are REPS, CIMSPA and ActiveIQ accredited.
Personal training courses at universities are more likely to be in-person only, with little or no online component, making them best for young people who can dedicate themselves wholly to study. Companies offering personal trainer certifications almost always have a blended offer, meaning that the course is partly online/distance learning and partly in-person, or a fully online course with in-person exams, meaning they’re likely to be the best choice for those who are transitioning between careers.
It’s important to know that some Level 3 courses include a prerequisite Level 2 course within them, and some don’t. As opposed to Certificates, for example, Diplomas tend to roll up required courses into one. You might already have a Level 2 certification as a fitness trainer, or maybe not. So we’ve included information on both Level 2 and 3 courses. In the table, the cost for Level 2-plus-Level 3 is the cost for taking a combined course, where available, or the cost for taking both courses separately, if not. If there are different locations for Level 2 and Level 3 courses, only the Level 3 locations are shown. Where there are multiple options for Level 3 Personal Trainer qualification, the information given relates to the simplest/cheapest one.
The exact names of the courses differ, but the important thing is it must be certified. Having many different certifying bodies, and several organisations that look like industry standards bodies or official registers but are really just private companies, can make it quite confusing to know which courses are “approved”, “official”, or “recognised”.
Cheap and free personal training courses. Many courses at universities are completely free for young people. The terms and conditions vary, but being under 19 years of age is often enough to get a participating qualification for nothing.
Private schools often have very flexible options, such as the same course part time or full time, or taking a flexible length of time to complete, as opposed to a fixed duration of course length at a higher education provider. HE providers have just a handful of courses for personal trainers, but some training companies have really large numbers of Level 2, Level 3, or CPD courses. In some cases we didn’t list everything here – just a representative sample. For every training provider there’s a link to their website, where you can find their full list of courses and lots of other information we didn’t have space for.
If you are going to be working for a collegiate or professional sports team, the CSCS, PES, and SCCC are the three certifications they will be looking for.
The Performance Enhancement Specialist certification (PES) from the National Academy of Sports Medicine is another gold standard in the strength and conditioning space. It is created from NASM’s popular Optimum Performance Training model (OPT) that they use in their general personal training certification.
Must be 18 years old. Must have graduated high school or the equivalent. The NASM PES is accredited by the NCCA. This is one of the best sports performance certifications for becoming a strength and conditioning specialist.