If you are interested in helping people who have, or are at risk for, cardiovascular or pulmonary problems, you may want to pursue a career as a certified exercise specialist, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Because the job requires a solid background in the field of exercise, you will also need to determine whether your interests and career aspirations align with years of study before you commit to becoming an exercise specialist.
Roles
An exercise specialist who has been certified by the American College of Sports Medicine should be proficient in working with people who have controlled pulmonary, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. He should also be able to perform clinical exercise tests, interpret the results and conduct and interpret heart recordings in patients during both rest and exercise.
Prerequisites
Beginning January of 2011, an exercise specialist should have a bachelor’s degree in an exercise-based degree such as exercise science or kinesiology with course work in anatomy and physiology, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. She should also have at least 400 hours of experience in a clinical exercise university program that has been accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences or at least 500 hours in a non-accredited university program. Finally, she should be certified as a basic life support provider or have certification in CPR for the Professional Rescuer.
Certification
To become a certified exercise specialist, someone who satisfies the prerequisites must take a standardized multiple choice test, consisting of 100 to 135 multiple choice questions, according to Pearson VUE online. The test covers 11 content areas, including topics such as health appraisal and exercise testing, exercise physiology and other related exercise science, safety and injury prevention, human behavior, and nutrition and weight management, according to Pearson VUE.
Pay Scale
As of 2010, the median salary for exercise specialists in the United States is $38,830, according to MySalary.com. However, the average starting salary for those involved in the fields of exercise science and sports medicine is difficult to predict because it depends on factors such as geographic location, market demand and setting of employment, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
Considerations
If you are interested in beginning a career as an exercise specialist, gauge your overall interest in fitness and health. You may enjoy the career if you enjoy working with people and if you enjoy and regularly engage in fitness as it relates to fitness and health, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Also decide if you are willing and able to invest the time and money into the education requirements. Finally, get a feel for the field by volunteering in an exercise or sports medicine setting and asking certified exercise specialists to discuss the ins and outs of their jobs.
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