Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach

This course will benefit anyone considering a career in allied health, as well as those already working in the field. Allied Health Professionals must be committed to the key attributes of professionalism and strive to reflect this within the delivery of patient-centered safe and effective care. “Professionalism” is a broad term that reflects many different skills and abilities. For an individual to exhibit professionalism, he/she must be armed with specific skills and abilities that do not always show up within certification requirements, or even within a career training curriculum. Soft skills are hard to measure and are typically less well-defined than hard skills. However, soft skills are what set many job candidates apart. Professionalism is not just what one knows, it is how one does their job, how one behaves and how one comes across as they interact with others.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with soft skills training that will provide the tools needed to demonstrate a higher level of professionalism on the job. Key components of the course focus on patient interaction, proper office behavior, medical ethics, diversity and cultural bias, emotional strength, professional appearance and communication. The course maintains a focus on the key attributes that are true markers of professionalism.

This course was created with input from healthcare professionals working in the field, healthcare employers that hire our graduates, professional educators and even former MedCerts students. The end result is a collection of modules that touch on the soft skills that are TRULY important in the real world of allied healthcare. In this course, students are engaged through scenario-based learning that allows for real interaction with virtual co-workers and patients. Additionally, game-based activities keep students engaged and entertained throughout their learning journey.

This course is designed to familiarize the student with the language of medicine, through the study of prefixes, suffixes, root words, abbreviation, and pronunciation of words. The curriculum also includes an anatomy and physiology app that enables students to explore, visualize, interact, and experience the anatomy of the human body in 3D and augmented reality (AR). Students will examine the organization of the integumentary, musculoskeletal, hematic, lymphatic and immune, and cardiovascular systems in the human body. They will become familiar with the medical terms that relate to the respiratory, digestive, nervous, endocrine, reproductive, and excretory systems. Students will also examine terms related to the sensory organs, with a concentration on the organs for hearing, sight, and smell. This immersive experience will trigger thought processes and enhance learning outcomes in their Anatomy and Physiology program. The app has about 50 simulations across different topics.

NASM’s Essentials of Personal Fitness Training course is based on an evidence-based training model, which prepares students for real-life situations. In addition to learning and understanding complex scientific principles, students will use NASM’s proprietary Optimum Performance Training™ (OPT) model – a system that helps students train in areas including flexibility, cardiorespiratory, core, balance, power, and strength. This course prepares students to work with a wide range of clients – athletes, seniors, obese individuals, those with special needs, and more.

The OPT™ Model provides future trainers with a systematic approach to developing personalized and unique training plans that allow for predictable outcomes in every client. The course also focuses heavily on the art of Behavior Change, and the Psychology of Exercise. Students will learn key strategies to help people alter behaviors that prevent them from becoming the ultimate version of themselves. Through the OPT Model, future Personal Trainers will gain a comprehensive understanding of concepts related to exercise technique and training instruction. This focuses on Flexibility, Cardiorespiratory, Core, Balance, Plyometric (Reactive), Speed, and Resistance training concepts.

Lastly, students will learn to design exercise programs for clients using the OPT Model.  Creating and modifying exercise programs for clients can be a complicated process because there are many variables to consider, including the client’s goals, their tolerance for exercise, and their unique physical abilities and medical history. The OPT Model makes it simple.

Living healthy isn’t just about physical activity.  It’s also about what we put in our bodies to fuel them. The Essentials of Nutrition Coaching course includes the latest and most up-to-date information on nutrition science, behavior change strategies, and nutrition coaching strategies. As a certified nutrition specialist, graduates will be able to guide their clients seeking to improve their body composition, athletic performance, and health through carefully crafted nutrition coaching that takes age, culture, socioeconomic status, and more into account. 

The course applies to all diets including vegan and vegetarian. The course content does not emphasize a “nutrition camp” or a “one-size fits all” approach to eating. Instead, it openly discusses many ways to consume a healthy diet. The end result is that Nutrition Coaches will be able to consider their client’s unique food preferences, religion, family and work obligations, and cultural differences when providing nutritional guidance.