What efforts are being made to make the fitness industry licensed instead of certified?
Hi Michael,
That’s a great question & such a major can of worms you’re looking to open. Yes, there are many imposters in our field calling themselves “personal trainers.” It’s a good & bad thing that there’s no licensure. The good – there’s nobody telling us how to do our jobs & charging us licensing fees. The bad – anyone can say that they’re a personal trainer regardless of their credentials. But here’s the thing – people who can afford a personal trainer aren’t stupid – they’ll weed out the imposters & hire us who are qualified. I’m with you, I pretty surprised that we don’t have to be licensed – I thought that was coming over 30 years ago!
Paul Thomas
www.homeworkoutguy.com
Hello Michael,
there are many trainers who would welcome licensure to ensure a minimal standard in personal training. Such legislation, however, is on state level. There would need to be a spokesperson for this legislation in every state, and, to my knowledge, there is not one organization that would carry that banner.
I found that even massage therapists are not required to have a licence in every state of the union, such as Kansas and Oklahoma. And many states have not enacted laws until the 1990’s and even 2000’s.
On the other hand, there are many highly respected organizations which provide nationally accredited certifications. I am sure those will meet the standards of whatever licensing may happen at some point in the future.
The information about those organizations is available but many consumers do not care enough to check credentials of trainers whose services they are enlisting.
While I am sure that there are trainers who are not qualified, there are many who are, and I am equally sure that those are in the majority.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
I understand the discrepancy of licensure requirements from state to state. It creates a hassle when a trained, licensed therapist moves from one to another. I am simply stating that I would prefer for there to be a minimum standard and some regulation and punishment for those that are not taking the time to invest in themselves and their clients. Many don’t want to have to pay for Continuing Education and don’t want to renew their CPR every 2 years also. But, in the end, it is the client that will pay for it. In massage therapy, I am very glad that any potential client can find my establishment and each of our therapists on the DoH website and verify that they are coming to a legitimate business and therapist. Thanks for your comments so far!
Hello Michael Roberts,
Let the buyer beware; it is not only our industry. I tell people that whoever or where ever they decide to train, ask to see credentials. People can tell if the trainer is educated or not and hopefully, make a wise decision. Freedom of choice is what makes our country great.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.
Not enough!
Although I would welcome licensing in this industry I don’t know how it would work logistically.
From a professional standpoint I think it’s imperative to go “with the best” certification available and to educate the public about the many discrepancies surrounding this topic.
I would love to see ALL fitness programs such as ZUMBA, CROSSFIT etc. to be REQUIRED to hold Gold Standard certifications and I would like it to be illegal to create an in house “certification”.