HFS Scope of Practice
Minimum Requirements
Become an ACSM Alliance Member

Announcement!
The ACSM Health Fitness Instructor (HFI) will be ACSM Health Fitness Specialist (HFS), learn more by reading the FAQ's!

Become an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist

Are you a personal trainer ready to step up to the next level?  Would you like the ability to work with a wider variety of clients, including those with health risks? Then the ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist Certification is for you. 

Considered our advanced personal trainer certification, ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist are required to have at least an Associate’s Degree and are qualified to work with special populations with medically controlled diseases who have been cleared by their physician for independent exercise.

Becoming ACSM Certified says a lot about you 

It says you have chosen to become certified by the organization that’s leading the way in health fitness and clinical certifications.

Did you know?

• ACSM was the first to certify health fitness professionals … and to date we have certified over 25,000 health fitness professionals in 44 countries.
  
• ACSM establishes the exercise guidelines that all other certifications use for testing … so you know you will be certified by the organization that is setting the standards in the health fitness industry.
  
• ACSM certifications are NCCA-accredited … assuring you that our certifications meet the highest qualifications.

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ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist Scope of Practice

The ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist (HFS) is a degreed health and fitness professional qualified to pursue a career in university, corporate, commercial, hospital, and community settings.  The HFS is skilled in the following:

• Conducting risk stratification.
  
• Conducting physical fitness assessments and interpreting results.
  
• Constructing appropriate exercise prescriptions for healthy adults and individuals with controlled conditions released for independent physical activity.
  
• Motivating apparently healthy individuals with medically controlled diseases to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors.
  
• Motivating individuals to begin and continue with their healthy behaviors. 

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Requirements for becoming an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist

To become an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist you must meet all of the following minimum requirements:

Current Minimum Requirements

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in a health-related* field from a regionally accredited college or university (you are eligible to sit for the certification exam if you are in the last term or semester of your degree program)

* Examples: Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Physiology, Physical Education, Human Performance, Movement Science, Kinesiotherapy, Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Nutrition, Nursing, Physician Assistant, Health Care Administration, Sports Management, Health Science, Recreation Management/Science, Community Health, Public Health, and Health Promotion, Occupational Therapy, Biology.

• Current Adult CPR certification with a practical skills component (such as the American Heart Association or American Red Cross)

Minimum Requirements as of July 1, 2011

• Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science or other exercise-based degree.*
  
  * Candidate must have course work in anatomy, physiology, and a minimum of 18 credits in exercise science course work including courses in exercise physiology, biomechanics (kinesiology), exercise prescription, and fitness testing.
  


• Current Adult CPR certification with a practical skills component (such as the American Heart Association or American Red Cross)

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Join ACSM as an Alliance Member and Save $60 on ACSM Certification!

When you join the ACSM Alliance of Health and Fitness Professionals you will save $60 on getting certified and receive many other valuable benefits including:

• Free subscription to ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal ($55 Value)
• Free subscription to our bimonthly e-newsmagazine, Sports Medicine Bulletin ($40 Value)
• Inclusion in our Online Membership Directory
• Discount registration for our annual ACSM Health & Fitness Summit ($140 Value)
• Discounts on continuing education self-test fees ($200 value), insurance, consumer products, and more! 

You can join for as little as $90 right now. Click here to learn more and become an ACSM member today !

Enter your name and e-mail addres at the top of the page to learn more about becoming an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist and receive our free Certification Resource Guide

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