will it look good on my application?

[SPS100]

Im a certified personal trainer on the side, and i was wondering if that will at all benifit my application to a PT program?

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[DancerFutureDPT]

Honestly it depends on your certification. If it's CSCS, NASM, or NSCA, then perhaps....anything else isn't really well respected anymore (at least not where I'm from - all the PT clinics that have personal trainers require one of the aforementioned 3 certifications because they require lots of anatomy and physiology knowledge, and an educational background that other certifications do not).

It definitely won't hurt your application, and it could possibly help (showing you have a strong background in fitness, take health and wellness seriously, understand ex phys, etc.). But, PT and personal training are very different, and are targeted at different people. It won't replace the PT observation experience, but it could potentially help you get a slight edge if you're competitive in other ways too.

Some PT schools (i.e. NYU) even require their PT students to become certified trainers to help pay for school

 

[ctk668]

The above post is not completely accurate. Here some clarification on the different certifications out there:

The NASM and NSCA are organizations that give certifications. They are NOT the certifications themselves. The CSCS is one of the certifications that you can get from the NSCA. (the other one being the CPT).


The three most well known organizations that give out certifications are NSCA, ACSM and NASM. They each have their different certifications but a certification from any of them are pretty much accepted everywhere.

I agree with the rest of what DancerfutureDPT said though. Any other certs offered by other organizations are just not widely accepted enough. It would not be worth it to get a cert from anyone other than the above organizations.

Having a cert will def not hurt your app. It can only help

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

The above post is not completely accurate. Here some clarification on the different certifications out there:

The NASM and NSCA are organizations that give certifications. They are NOT the certifications themselves. The CSCS is one of the certifications that you can get from the NSCA. (the other one being the CPT).

True. What I meant is a certification from one of those organizations (CSCS is definitely the most respected here, because it requires a BS degree, whereas the CPT is not nearly as respected, but still hire-able). NASM has a variety of certifications as well (including some similar to PT, I think there's a PES or something that deals with rehabiliation).

In my neck of the woods though ACSM isn't the "best"...it seems to be very textbook/cookie cutter (my PT facility will only hire NASM or NSCA certified trainers, be CSCS, CPT, or whatever other initials there are).

But I digress. Like I said, and the other poster said, it will probably help your application a little bit, and won't hurt it. The only way it'll hurt it is if you're certified by a less well-known organization and go on and on about it in your essay, and don't have any PT observation experience. If you're using the training as a cherry on the top of the sundae than you should be good to go good luck!

 

[MotionDoc]

During my interview, my interviewer specifically said that PTs who were former personal trainers have a much easier time with program creation and implementation early on in their careers. He also lauded the fact that they usually have a "wellness" approach to everything, and can see the full picture of what a patient wants (which isn't always JUST to regain what was lost. Moments of illness are excellent life changing opportunities.)

 

[atstudent]

True. What I meant is a certification from one of those organizations (CSCS is definitely the most respected here, because it requires a BS degree, whereas the CPT is not nearly as respected, but still hire-able). NASM has a variety of certifications as well (including some similar to PT, I think there's a PES or something that deals with rehabiliation).

NASM has the PES and CES. PES stands for Performance Enhancement Specialist. CES stands for Corrective Exercise Specialist.

 

[black]

I've been looking into getting a certification so I can train part time while going to school. It's confusing on which cert to get, I don't like ACSM because the cert for a bachelors requires 600 hours of experience, I only have 400 so my cert would be that of someone with an associates degree. I don't know about the rest, I've used OPT myself and it seems that NASM PES may be one of the better certs. I guess my question would be what would the top two or three certs be for someone with just a bachelors and only 400 hours in a clinical exercise program environment.

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

I don't know about the hour requirements, but I'm considering the CSCS certification. I've been told by several PTs (all of whom have certifications) that CSCS is the only worthwhile one to get. But this is just their opinion, and they're all Chicago based, so it could be different depending on the location too. It's all personal preference.

Look around at the gyms/clinics you'd like to work at and see what their requirements are...I think if you get any of the ones mentioned on this thread you're good to go.