Description

Course Prerequisite

All of the online courses here on MedFit Classroom which lead to a Certificate of Specialization are considered advanced level education, and are meant to be taken by fitness professionals who have previously acquired education and experience as a professional within the health and fitness industry. In order for one to receive the Certificate of Specialization that is conferred upon those who purchase this Medical Fitness Specialist course, review all the content, and successfully pass the competency assessment, one must be able to show proof that he or she has the following:

1. Evidence of a current certification, or vocational credential, from a reputable certifying or credentialing organization, and within the health and fitness industry; OR
2. Evidence of an associate’s degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university in the field of exercise science, kinesiology, physical education, fitness, or a related field; AND
3. Evidence of professional liability insurance; AND
4. Evidence of 5 years of relevant work experience.

Course Overview

• Prologue
• Lesson 1 – Chronic Disease and the Benefits of Exercise
• Lesson 2 – Scope of Practice and Health Risk
• Lesson 3 – Rapport and Psychology
• Lesson 4 – Postural and Movement Assessments, & Corrective Strategies
• Lesson 5 – Cardiorespiratory Assessment
• Lesson 6 – FITT
• Lesson 7 – Coronary Heart Disease
• Lesson 8 – Hypertension
• Lesson 9 – COPD and Asthma
• Lesson 10 – Diabetes
• Lesson 11 – Hyperlipidemia
• Lesson 12 – Body Composition, Overweight and Obesity
• Lesson 13 – Metabolic Syndrome
• Lesson 14 – Cancer
• Lesson 15 – Pregnancy
• Lesson 16 – Core, Balance, and Gait
• Lesson 17 – Common Shoulder Dysfunctions
• Lesson 18 – Common Dysfunctions of the Distal Arm
• Lesson 19 – Common Hip Dysfunctions
• Lesson 20 – Common Knee Dysfunctions
• Lesson 21 – Common Dysfunctions of the Lower Extremity
• Lesson 22 – Low Back Pain
• Lesson 23 – Arthritis
• Lesson 24 – Osteoporosis
• Lesson 25 – Business Application
• Competency Assessment
• Epilogue: What To Do Next
• Appendices

Course Delivery and Assessment

This is an online course; all materials are delivered virtually.

This course is delivered through a written course manual, video narrated slide presentations, videos of sample exercises, and sample forms. Comprehension of the material will be measured via a mandatory, multiple-choice item, competency assessment requiring a minimum of 80% correct responses in order to pass.

System Note: We recommend students access courses using Firefox as their browser. The Google Chrome browser can automatically play all videos in a lesson at the same time, which may be an extremely annoying feature for some, and for which, at the present, there is no easy fix in the Google Chrome settings.

Maintaining this Specialization

The completion of this 20-hr online course, and the passing of its corresponding competency assessment with a minimum score of 80%, leads to a Certificate of Specialization to work with clients who certain chronic diseases and medical conditions.

This Certificate of Specialization will be considered valid for a period of two years, and to keep it current, you must complete ten (10) topically relevant, continuing education hours, prior to the date of its expiration, and you must formally renew the certificate. Professionals should anticipate and consider the cost of the required continuing education, as well a nominal renewal fee.

A fitness professional holding current this Certificate of Specialization is able to list himself or herself as a Medical Fitness Specialist on the MedFit Network (MFN), within an active MFN account profile. Being listed on the MFN, and having this additional qualification is a true differentiator, and one that greatly improves the chance of receiving a referral from the MFN when consumers visit the MFN web site, and are seeking a fitness professional with this specific educational background, and in their geographical region.

Continuing Education Credits

This course is approved for credit by:

• Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) to provide 15 CEUs, under Medical Exercise Academy, Clinical Exercise Specialist
• Canfitpro to provide 4 CECs.
• International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) to provide 20 CEUs.
• National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to provide 1.9 CEUs, under Medical Exercise Academy, Clinical Exercise Specialist

This course is pending application and approval to provide continuing education from ACE. If your certifying body is not listed, you will be provided with a Certificate of Specialization at the end of the course that can be used to petition your certifying body for credit.

About the Course Author

Dan Mikeska’s mission is to improve population health and to increase the quality of life by connecting education, medicine, and fitness. This goal can be achieved by providing an educational pathway for fitness professionals who want to become respected members of the healthcare community, prompting clinicians to prescribe exercise, and encouraging patients to enlist the services of a qualified fitness professional.

Dan’s philosophy centers on the fact that human movement is a complicated and coordinated effort between your muscles, skeleton, and metabolism, and everyone is different. Knowing how each of the systems of the bodywork, independently and in concert, is essential in the development of an effective fitness program.

In addition to a doctorate degree in Health Science and a master’s degree in Human Movement, Dan has some of the most sought after certifications from The National Academy of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise, the Cancer Exercise Training Institute, and the Exercise is Medicine credential from the American College of Sports Medicine.

His education and vast experience have given him the opportunity to work with notable organizations such as Life with Cancer and 2Unstoppable, as well as teach fitness and wellness classes at Northern Virginia Community College. He is currently adjunct faculty for A.T. Still University’s master’s of Kinesiology program, and is a member of the Industry Advisory Council for American Public University’s Sports and Health Science program.