ACSM

Frequently Asked CEC and Recertification Questions

What is recertification?

ACSM's credentialing programs encourage ongoing competency and continuing education and strive to maintain a high standard for our certified and registered professionals. Therefore, all ACSM credentialed professionals are required to recertify or renew their credentials. The requirements for maintaining an ACSM credential vary by level, but all professionals who are ACSM certified or members of the Registry for Clinical Exercise Physiologists are required to earn a specific amount of continuing education credits (CECs) during their certification/registry cycle. Along with this educational component, ACSM charges a nominal administrative fee for recertification/renewal.

What do I need to do in order to recertify?

You will receive recertification information during the spring of the year you are due to recertify. In order to recertify without retaking the certification examination again, you must renew online at www.acsm.org/recertify and pay the recertification fee. Please keep all documentation of CECs for your records. ACSM conducts random audits each year. If audited, you will be required to provide documented proof of all credits to the ACSM National Office.

How can I earn ACSM CEC? 

Earn CEC's for educational programs, meetings, conferences, workshops, and other at home study programs from ACSM Approved Providers at www.acsm.org/cecs.   ACSM’s Education Department reviews programs that meet specific educational guidelines and are recognized as ACSM approved providers. 

Where can I view back issues of Certified News Self Tests?

Earn 4 CEC’s per issue of Certified News at www.acsm.org/certifiednews.   Issues expire 1 year after publication.  The processing fee is $15 for members, $20 for non members per issue.

Can I use CECs earned by other organizations?

The ACSM Certification & Registry Department will recognize CECs, CMEs, or CEUs awarded by other professional health & fitness or clinical organizations for attending their programs without it being pre-approved by the ACSM Education Department.  The program must be related to your certification and you must obtain documentation from that organization verifying attendance and the number of CECs earned.  ACSM does not accept CECs for certification exams, professional memberships, committee involvement or CPR training.  Please keep all documentation of non-ACSM CECs for your records in case you are audited. 

(ACE, NSCA, NASM - 0.1 = 1.0 ACSM CEC; AFAA - 1.0 = 1.0 ACSM CEC)

How do I get credit for College Courses?

ACSM awards 10 CECs per college credit hour as long as the course meets the following criteria:  1) you must receive credit for the course after you become certified; 2) you must receive a C or better for the course; 3) the course must be related to your certification.  Examples of acceptable courses are: exercise science, kinesiology, exercise physiology, human performance, physical education, athletic training, and anatomy. If you are unsure if the course is related to your certification, please refer to the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) found in ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription.  You will need to keep a copy of your transcripts for your records in case you are audited.  

How many CECs do I get for Teaching and Lecturing?

You can earn up to 30% of your CECs by teaching and lecturing.

Teaching: You can claim 1 CEC per contact hour of academic teaching at the college level as long as the coursework is consistent with the KSAs of your certification and the course is taught at an accredited institution. Credit can be claimed for teaching the course content once during a recertification cycle.

Lecturing: You can claim 1 CEC per hour of professional lecturing if it is a lecture given at the state, regional, or national level or if CECs are offered for the lecture attendees. 

Documentation stating that you taught the class or gave the lecture along with content will be required should you be audited, (ie-course catalog, course syllabus, letter from supervisor, meeting brochure showing you as a lecturer).  Keep this documentation for your records.

How many CEC's do I get for authoring or co-authoring books, journal articles, or accepted abstracts?

You can earn 10 CECs for publications in peer-reviewed professional journals, books, or accepted abstracts; authored or co-authored.

May I submit my CPR, BLS, or ACLS certification for credits?

ACSM does not award credits for CPR or BLS, as they are required for ACSM specific credentials.  Educational courses for ACLS may be applied towards your renewal.   The number of educational contact hours for ACLS training are equivalent to the number of CECs awarded (e.g. 3 contact hours = 3 ACSM CECs).  Note: This does not include the actual completion of the ACLS certification exam.   

Can I earn ACSM CECs by earning another ACSM certification?

ACSM CECs can be applied if you earned the new ACSM certification during your renewal period.  For example, if your renewal period is from 1/1/2007 to 12/31/2009 and you earned an ACSM certification, you can apply those credits to your total due for renewal.

ACSM CECs are awarded as follows:
Certified Personal Trainer: 10 CECs
Certified Health Fitness Specialist: 15 CECs
Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist: 15 CECs
Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist: 15 CECs

Specialty CertificationsACSM
Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer: 10 CECs
Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer: 10 CECs
Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist: 10 CECs

Note: Certifications earned from other certifying organizations cannot be used for ACSM certification renewal.

How many ACSM CEC's have I earned?

Login* to your ACSM account at www.acsm.org and then click on MyACSM at the top.  Under CEC/CME History you can view ACSM CEC's earned ONLY from the following:

ACSM Certified News Self Tests
ACSM Health and Fitness Journal Self Tests
ACSM Annual Meeting
ACSM Summit 
Advanced Team Physician Course

Please keep a copy of all certificates in a file for your own record.

* If you have created a login and password to www.acsm.org, use what you created.  If you have not created a login, use the first three letters of your last name followed by your ACSM ID number (i.e., member Smith; ACSM ID 123456 would use: smi123456).The password (unless you’ve changed it) is your ACSM ID number.

Please contact the ACSM Continuing Education Department at education@acsm.org if you have any questions.

If you earned CEC's from an ACSM Approved Provider or attended a non-ACSM program, these CECs will not appear on this page. You should obtain documentation of these CECs from the program organizer and keep the documentation for your records.

What should I do with all of my Documentation? 

ACSM does not require CEC documentation at the time of recertification and you should not submit any paperwork with your renewal.  Please save all CEC documentation for one calendar year following the renewal of your certification in case you are audited.  

Do CECs carry over?

CECs are continuing education credits and, as such, do not carry over from one recertification time frame to another.

What if I don't have enough credits to recertify?

You do not need to contact ACSM for that extension.

For professionals who were certified or who recertified BEFORE 2005, you are still allowed a 1 year grace period, but you are considered INACTIVE and you will not receive any benefits of being certified during this time.  

For professionals who certified or who recertified in 2005 and after, there is a 6 month grace period, but you are considered INACTIVE and you will not receive any benefits of being certified during this time.   

Your certification will be re-instated once the online renewal form has been submitted at www.acsm.org/recertify  along with the appropriate fees including a $25 late fee.  Your next recertification cycle will continue on the original schedule.

What is the yearly audit?

In order to ensure high standards of competency and continuing education, ACSM will process a yearly audit. ACSM will audit a percentage of randomly selected ACSM Recertification/Renewal Forms submitted the previous year. This audit will be conducted at each credential level. If audited, you will be required to provide documented proof of all CECs to the ACSM National Office within 30 days. If you are unable to provide documented proof within 30 days, your certification will be considered inactive and you will have one year to complete the recertification process by providing the documentation or by obtaining new CECs.

All audit paperwork will be reviewed for validity by the CCRB Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Subcommittee. If all paperwork is complete and the appropriate number of CECs are earned, the professional will be notified that his credential is valid until the next recertification due date. If after submission of CECs, it is determined that some CECs are not applicable, an appropriate amount of time will be allowed for the professional to earn additional replacement CECs.

What does inactive status mean?

During inactive status, you should not market yourself as ACSM certified or registered.  If you submit an on-line renewal during the inactive period, your certification will be reinstated and considered current.  If you fail to submit the on-line renewal by the end of the inactive period, your certification will be considered invalid.  Once your certification becomes invalid, you are no longer ACSM certified and your certification can only be reinstated by taking the certification examination again. If you renew during your 6 month inactive period, you will be required to pay an additional late fee of $25.

During inactive status, you are also not able to serve as an examiner or other member where certification is required.

What's the difference between CECs, CEUs, and CMEs?

Different professional organizations offer continuing education credits; most commonly called CECs (continuing education credits), CEUs (continuing education units), and CMEs (continuing medical education credits are for physicians only). Although each has a different contact hour requirement, most CECs require one contact hour of professional activity for one credit.

Can I use a Certificate of Attendance for CECs?

A certificate of attendance may not show CEC's earned, you will need to obtain a CEC Certificate.  ACSM only recognizes workshops or conferences that have been approved for continuing education credits (CEC), whether offered by ACSM or another organization. When a conference or workshop is approved to offer continuing education credits, the program has been evaluated by an outside professional organization and is considered to contain significant educational material.

A certificate of attendance only means that you attended a workshop, it does not guarantee that the workshop provided significant educational material or any continuing education credits.

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