Quote:
Originally Posted by LisaS
So, if I read the Mass. rules correctly, someone like Mark Rippetoe who has been a strength coach and trainer for 30 years could not get licensed in Mass. because his undergraduate degree from 30 years ago is in engineering (I think) rather than a related degree?
It would appear from the wording that you could complete a short term (like 4-6 month) "approved certificate program" (sure to start cropping up all over the place) and qualify but a four-year degree in a non-related field with decades of experience would not qualify you.
Continuing with the hypothetical, does the Mass. legislation prohibit someone from training without a license? Or could you train but not have the distinction of being a licensed Personal Trainer? I can't tell from the link provided.
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Good questions. Based on the wording, it seems as if someone like Rippetoe (his undergraduate degree is in geology) would not qualify. However, my guess is that people like him would be grandfathered in because: 1) he is clearly qualified and 2) the rules can not be drastically changed all of a sudden without giving some latitude to those who have been working in the field and playing by the rules as they have been laid out for years. Similar things have occurred in other evolving professions. For example, in a few years, there will only be Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs and the only way to become a licensed physical therapist will be to go through a DPT program. However, the large number of physical therapists who previously obtained bachelors or masters degrees in physical therapy will still be allowed to practice. As I am not a physical therapist, I do not know if they will eventually have to go through a transitional DPT program or if they will be grandfathered in to the new system.
Regarding your other question, if the licensing of personal trainers gets passed in a state like Massachusetts, it would mean that a person legally could neither call himself or herself a personal trainer nor could he or she perform anything that would be considered to be personal training (according to a yet-to-be-defined scope of practice). At least this is how it works in all of the licensed allied health care professions and every other licensed profession (as far as I know). This accomplishes two goals: 1) protect the public from harm and 2) limit the practice of [whatever] to those who have been licensed to do so by the state.