A physician faces a patient who is obese, their lab work is less than stellar and they are at the tipping point, weight-related diseases are just around the corner and it’s time for the “you really need to lose some weight” talk.
Many physicians leave it to that simple sentence and patients often feel left on their own to figure out how to reverse the weight gain. Of course, a referral to a nutritionist is easy enough, but what if a patient asks for a referral to a personal trainer? What do you do then?
How Personal Trainer Certifications Work
The majority of personal trainers have a mere 16 hours of online study, take a multiple choice test, and if they score 80 or higher become “certified personal trainers.” Even the more prestigious programs require little or no hands-on time in a health club, virtually all are online only programs now, a reflection of the profit-center more than the need to educate future trainers.
In addition, the training that personal trainers receive rarely includes working with people with medical issues. They simply aren’t equipped to handle patients with more specific needs. Would you want to send a cardiac-care patient to a trainer who has never worked with that population before?
The American College of Sports Medicine
The ACSM has developed a handful of certifications for trainers to work with these special populations, ensuring the patient not only stays safe but also improves. They are in addition to a basic certification and trainers can cover areas such as cancer, pulmonary, cardiovascular, and other diseases.
Trainers with these certifications are qualified to work hand-in-hand with physicians, physical therapists and other medical centers.
Keep in mind there are bachelor and master programs in areas such as kinesiology and exercise physiology that go above and beyond even an extended certification and many trainers working in medical settings have both. You also might have physical therapists working in a hybrid position of trainer/rehab specialist.
Education and Experience Count
Just like in medicine, while education is important, you really want to refer a patient to a trainer with experience working with special populations. Seasoned trainers can adapt to each client’s needs and create programs that adapt to their lifestyles, cultural differences as well as medical requirements.
Hospitals Are Developing In-House Programs
Many hospitals are developing in-house referral programs. Some are very specific, such as cardiac rehab centers, or spine rehab centers, others are more general in their approach. These centers are likely to have degreed staff, not just certified trainers.
As a health care practitioner do you refer to personal trainers when a patient requests it? Have you found quality trainers in your area or used a hospital-sponsored program? If you’re an M.D. or D.O. we’d love to have you join our physician community inside Sermo.
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