Home Certification Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist

ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist®

Scope of Practice

The Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist^® is an allied health professional who works in the application of exercise and
physical activity for those clinical and pathological situations where it has been shown to provide therapeutic or
functional benefit.  Download the 2008 RCEP application.

• If a candidate is approved between the dates of January 1, 2008 and July 31, 2008, he/she will be issued a voucher code
  that can be used immediately, but will expire on December 31, 2008.
• If a candidate is approved between the dates of August 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008, he/she will be issued a voucher
  code that can be used immediately, but will expire on May 31, 2009.
• Extensions past the voucher code expiration must be requested in writing.  If an extension is granted, an administration
  fee may apply.

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Minimum Requirements:

• Master's Degree from a college or university in exercise science, movement science, exercise physiology, or kinesiology.
• Current Certification as a Basic Life Support Provider or CPR for the Professional Rescuer
• One of the Following: ACSM Exercise Specialist^® certification (current or expired) OR 600 hours of clinical experience

Clinical Hours

The RCEP Practice Board requires varied clinical experiences across all practice domains and completion of the attached
matrix as part of your application. 600 clinical hours are required for candidates who have not passed the ACSM Exercise
Specialist^® certification. Please provide as accurate an assessment as possible of your total clinical experiences. Only
hours associated with exercise assessment, prescription, supervision, counseling, and education in which you assisted in
or played a direct role in providing services will be accepted. These hours may be obtained with patients with comorbid
conditions. For example, if you work with a patient with Coronary Heart Disease and Parkinson’s Disease, the time
you spent working with the patient may be counted in two practice areas IF you were providing exercise evaluation or
programming specific to each of the conditions.

All application materials must be sent to ACSM (be sure to keep copies for your records). Your site
supervisor/validator(s) may be contacted to verify your experiences. RCEP candidates taking the exam for the first
time must register through ACSM and allow an additional 3-4 weeks for their applications to be reviewed.

First-time RCEP candidates must submit the following to be considered for the exam:

• Application
• An official copy of your university transcript noting the degree completion
• A summary description of the program of study as written in the university catalog or university department
  materials related to the Clinical Exercise Physiology practice areas: cardiovascular, pulmonary,
  metabolic, orthopedic/musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, immunological/hematological
• A completed clinical experience documentation form if candidate has not passed the ACSM Exercise Specialist^®

Once all of the required application materials are received at the ACSM National Office, your application is reviewed
by members of the Committee on Certification and Registry Boards for academic standards as well as clinical
experience. Within 3-4 weeks of submitting the complete application, you will be notified of your eligibility status.
If you are approved to take the exam, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. If you do not meet the RCEP eligibility
criteria, your exam fee will be fully refunded and you may reapply once you fulfill the requirements.

*Cancellations for the ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist application will be charged a $75 processing
fee which will be handled through the ACSM National Office.  Requests for an application cancellation can be e-mailed
to certification@acsm.org. Cancellations for the exam must be made at least one business day in advance of the
appointment through Pearson VUE^®.

RCEP retest candidates do not register through ACSM, but need to complete either the online application
at www.pearsonvue.com/acsm or call (888)-VUE-ACSM (888-883-2276) to enroll for a test.

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Exam & Workshop Costs

• Workshop $250 (Register before the Early-Bird deadline for $225!)
• Certification Exam (ACSM Alliance or National Member) $239
• Certification Exam (non-member) $299
• Retest $155.50
• ACSM Exercise Specialist^® save $30 on application
• Workshop Candidates save $30 on application

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Study Materials

To order study materials, please click on the above links, visit www.lww.com or call 1-800-486-5643.

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Workshops

 ACSM experts prepare you for the most rigorous and well-respected exam in the clinical industry.  Prepare for your exam
in a classroom environment, learn from the experts, and study with your peers.  This newly developed workshop is designed
to develop and enhance the knowledge base of the participants.  The primary focus of the workshop is to address the following
practice areas that are less known by clinical exercise physiologists: orthopedic/musculoskeletal, neuromuscular,
immunological/hematological.  Additionally, there will be a review of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic practice areas. 

Register now for the RCEP workshop Sptember 25-26, 2008 at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI.

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