A registered clinical exercise physiologist (RCEP) is an allied health care professional who is trained to assess, design, and implement exercise/fitness programs for individuals with chronic health conditions (e.g., heart disease, diabetes, cancer, lung disease, renal disease, etc.). Additionally, RCEPs provide education and counseling about lifestyle changes to prevent, improve or slow down the progression of chronic health conditions. Individuals in this registry have met the following criteria and have earned the RCEP distinction.
Education: The minimum educational requirement for an RCEP is a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, exercise physiology, or kinesiology. Having a degree from a university accredited through the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES) is preferred, although at this time not required. In general, the course work to become a RCEP involves a wide range of classes and applied laboratories, which include: anatomy, physiology, biology, chemistry, and psychology. Common core classes are listed below and may have a variety of course titles.