With all AAHFRP distance education programs you have one year to complete the exam to receive CEC credits. If you have extenuating circumstances, an extension may be granted.

Yes, simply complete the CEC exam and submit the answers to us via email, fax or mail them in to get the CEC’s. The number of CEC’s varies from course to course. We provide CEC’s for a number of fitness certifications, state licensing boards and professional associations.

AAHFRP no longer provides CEC’s for NSCA. A recent change in the NSCA policy regarding workshops that are associated with a certification examination, such as the Medical Exercise Specialist examination, now prohibits the awarding of continuing education credits for the Medical Exercise Specialist workshop. Though none of our course content and instructors has changed, we are no longer an approved NSCA CEC provider. Please contact our office for MES course outlines and course instructors CV’s to use for submission to NSCA for CEC award.

The length varies from course to course. You are able to obtain CEC’s by completing the exam that accompanies each course. See course listings.

The costs vary from course to course. See course listings.

We are located at 3323 Watt Avenue #158, Sacramento, CA 95821. You may contact us at 1-888-610-0923 or via fax at 1-877-744-6924.

All courses are taught by licensed physical therapists, nurses, physicians, athletic trainers or chiropractors. This ensures the information presented is based on sound anatomy, biomechanics and clinical foundations. The instructors all have extension clinical experience in orthopedics, cardiac rehab, sports medicine and physical medicine.

Yes, you must renew annually. The first year you must renew by completing 10 contact hours either by volunteering or working in a sportsmed, physical therapy, chiropractor or rehab center under the supervision of a physical therapist, chiropractor, physician or nurse. The supervising medical practitioner must be licensed. In some states this list of practitioners may include: massage therapists, athletic trainers, dietitians, physicians assistants and homeopaths.

Each year thereafter, the certification is renewable annually. You must complete 10 contact hours in post rehab related course work. You may obtain these hours by completing 10 hours in post rehab related courses offered by any organization as all as the instructor is a licensed medical practitioners. Another option is to complete any AAHFRP video, Internet or hands on workshops. Regardless of the number of course hours, by completing one AAHFRP workshop you will obtain the 10 hours necessary for renewal.

We offer three certifications. The certifications are: 1) the Medical Exercise Specialist, 2) the Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist and 3) the Medical Exercise Program Director. The Medical Exercise Specialist is our primary certification. This is for fitness professionals who wish to develop fitness and conditioning programs for clients with medically related conditions. These certifications are not to be misconstrued with physical therapy, chiropractic or other rehab services provided by licensed medical practitioners. The medical exercise specialist certification is obtained thru a hands-on or video workshop. The Medical Exercise Specialist certification is the oldest and most widely recognized post rehab certification. There are Medical Exercise Specialists in Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. This is the standard certification for post rehab fitness.

Our entry level certification is the Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist. This is for fitness professionals who are just starting in the post rehab arena. This certification is obtained thru our Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness course. This course is offered on video and also as a hands-on workshop.

Our highest certification is the Medical Exercise Program Director (MEPD). The Medical Exercise Program Director certification is only available thru distance learning. This is for experienced Medical Exercise specialists who wish to develop post rehab programs in a clinical or fitness settings. The MEPD will also act as the liaison between the fitness staff and the medical community. The MEPD has advanced knowledge and skills in post rehab assessment, pharmacology, ergonomics, senior fitness, post rehab marketing, fitness program development and post rehab program administration.

Well that depends on three factors. These factors are: 1) do you have a strong background in anatomy and physiology; 2) do you expect 50 percent or more of your clients will be medically based and 3) do you have at least a year of experience working in a rehab clinical setting.

If have taken the equivalent of anatomy/physiology 101, have at least a year experience in a rehab clinical setting and expect your cliental to be more than 50 percent post rehab, then the Medical Exercise Specialist course is for you. If you don’t feel as strong with anatomy, don’t expect 50 percent or more of your cliental to be post rehab and you don’t have a year experience working in a clinical setting, we recommend the Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness course which leads to the Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist certification.

AAHFRP was established in 1994 by two physical therapists, Michael K. Jones, PhD, PT and Jeffery Wright, RPT in Washington, DC. Mike and Jeff owned a sportsmed clinic in a health club and often made referrals to the personal trainers. In many instances the trainers did not understand the client’s pathology or what fitness guidelines were appropriate for various conditions. This lack of understanding led to the irritation of many of the client’s conditions. This led to the development of a series of in-service training sessions delivered by Mike and Jeff to improve the level of knowledge and post rehab skills of the fitness staff members. The first formal MES course was taught in Washington, DC at the Capitol Sportsmedicine Clinic in July of 1994. Since then more than 10,000 fitness and health professionals have completed AAHFRP courses.

Since 1994, we have seen tremendous growth in the number of personal trainers providing post rehab services and also the number of insurance carriers that are reimbursing for post rehab services. Insurance reimbursement by workcomp or motor vehicle accident for post rehab clients is on the raise. Physicians, physical therapists and chiropractors internationally are embracing the concept of post rehab fitness and are referring their patients to our certified professionals.

We make every effort to support our certified members with their marketing efforts and client programs. We are available via fax, email or phone. You may reach us at 1-801-457-7844 fax, medfit@telus.net by phone at 1-888-610-0923.

Our certified members have found employment opportunities in health/fitness clubs, corporate wellness centers, physical therapy/sports medicine clinics, chiropractic offices and many have established their own post rehab/personal training studios.

The Medical Exercise Specialist Final Exam is available on videotape. The process is simple. Once you have viewed the MES workshop, complete and submit the home MES exams to our office. Indicate the date you would like to take the MES Final Exam. There is no additional fee for the exam if you have ordered the MES Video Workshop.

You must indicate a proctor for the MES Final Exam. The proctor must be a licensed medical professional or a certified Medical Exercise Specialist.

The proctor will supervise the MES Final Exam. We will send the proctor the exam. The exam consists of a written and practical component. The written exam is 200 multiple choice questions and the practical component requires completion of 5 cases studies. The case studies are presented on a video.

You complete the exam under the supervision of the proctor. The proctor must ensure the examination is completed under secure circumstances. The proctor allows three hours for the written and two hours for the practical components. The proctor should collect the exams and place them in a sealed envelope. The proctor should then sign across the seal of the envelope and have the examinee send the all the exams components and video back to our office. It usually takes 10 days to 2 weeks to receive the results of the exam.

The Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist certification exam is part of the Essentials of Post Rehab video. The exam is home based and is included in the course materials. Simply view the video workshop and then complete the exam. Submit the exam to our office via fax at 1-877-744-6924. It usually takes 10 days to grade the exam and mail your certificate and CEC award.