Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist

Developed by the American Academy of Health, Fitness & Rehab Professionals (AAHFRP) in 1997, the Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist (PRCS) is our entry-level post rehab certification obtained through our Advanced Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness Workshop (1-day on-site workshop) and the Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness DVD Workshop.

The PRCS certification is for the fitness professional looking to offer services to post rehab or medical exercise clients. It is important to note that the PRCS learns to identify those clients he/she can effectively work with, and those that must be referred to a medical professional. In addition, the PRCS is not trained to provide any form of medical treatment including physical therapy, chiropractic or massage therapy care. PRCS’ typically work in health clubs, personal training studios, physical therapy and chiropractic clinics, and sports medicine centers, as well as in clients’ homes.

As a certified PRCS you will:

• Develop post rehab services for over 20 medical conditions including diabetes; hypertension; lumbar disc herniation (back pain); osteoarthritis; shoulder impingement; total hip or total knee replacement and many others.
• Perform a 12-point musculoskeletal screening on the post rehab client.
• Understand the basic anatomy and pathology for the conditions found in the upper and lower extremity, spine and as well as other common medical conditions.
• Understand the impact of exercise on common medical conditions.
• Understand the role and scope of practice for the fitness professional when working with post rehab and medical exercise clients.
• Identify red flags and warning signs that indicate the client is in need of evaluation or treatment from a licensed medical professional.
• Develop an effective post rehab-marketing program to establish relationships with medical professionals in your local community.

You must possess at least ONE of these three prerequisites to enroll in the Advanced Essentials or Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness DVD workshop.

• Certification as a personal trainer from an internationally recognized organization.
• Hold a degree in a health or fitness related field. (i.e. exercise physiology, kinesiology or nursing)
• Have one (1) or more years experience working in a physical therapy, chiropractic or sports medicine clinic as a rehab/exercise technician.

To become and remain PRCS certified:

• Complete the Advanced Essentials Onsite Workshop or the Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness DVD Workshop
• Perform ten (10) hours of observation in a physical therapy, sportsmed or chiropractic clinic prior to taking the PRCS exam
• Pass Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist exam with a score of 80% or better
• PRCS certification must be renewed with AAHFRP every two years by completing 10 hours of post rehab related courses taught by a licensed medical professional

Should you get certified? YES! The PRCS certification is recommended for the fitness professional that wants to begin offering post rehab services but not as an area of specialization. Simply stated, the PRCS certification is for YOU if you’re looking to increase your client base. Click on the below link to register for the Advanced Essentials workshop or to order the Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness DVD course or call 1-888-610-0923.

Some of the conditions the PRCS is trained to provide post rehab services for include:

What do I get when I register? Each Advanced Essentials or Essentials DVD workshop participant will receive the entire Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness course on DVD. The Essentials DVD workshop consists the 168-page course manual with sample exercise programs, sample post rehab administrative forms and descriptions of each medical condition discussed in the Essentials workshop. The seven Essentials DVD’s total 13 hours and are from a live recording of a Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness workshop presented by Michael K. Jones, PhD, PT. Included in the 7 DVD set is the Current Topics in Post Rehab DVD series. Each participant also receives the Foundations of Post Rehab Fitness CD. Advanced Essentials participants also attend the one-day one site workshop. Click here for a listing of AEPRF locations and dates.

Once I enroll the Essentials course, what do I do?  Start by listening to the Post Rehab Foundations audios. These are found in your package on the Post Rehab Foundations CD. These 14 MP3’s will discuss the foundations upon which post rehab training is based. Listen to each of the 14 MP3’s and then begin the Essentials DVD’s. The Essentials DVD’s are from a live Essentials workshop. The Essentials course manual comes with the DVD’s and provides you with the written guidelines and materials reviewed in the DVD’s. The diagrams presented in the DVD’s are included in the "Anatomy Diagrams" handouts which is included with the course manual. Once you complete the Essentials DVD’s, then review the 3 Current Topics DVD’s. These are additional topics that have been added to the Essentials program to give you all the information necessary to effectively manage post rehab clients.

If you have registered for the on-site Advanced Essentials workshop you will receive an confirmation letter with details on the course location and course schedule. You will also receive the Essentials course on DVD with the Essentials course manual, the Current Topics DVD’s and the Post Rehab Foundations CD. As with the Essentials DVD workshop, please listen to the contents of the Foundations CD and then review the Essentials DVD’s. Attend the onsite Advanced Essentials course on the date you selected.

Once you have completed Advanced Essentials workshop or the Essentials DVD workshop, you are ready for the PRCS exam. You must find a licensed physical therapist, chiropractor, nurse or physician to serve as your proctor. Before taking the exam you must complete 10 hours of observation in a sports medicine, physical therapy or chiropractic facility. These observation hours are enormously helpful in understanding your role as a post rehab professional. Once you have completed the observation hours, please obtain a letter of verification from the supervsing clinician. The PRCS exam consists of 100 written questions and five case studies. You must explain exercise guidelines and the related anatomy, pathology and exercise guidelines for the condition presented in each case study. The PRCS certification requires a score of 80% or better on the exam. Please submit your letter of verification of the observation hours when you have completed the PRCS exam.

Advanced Essentials 2010 Course Dates

Click one of the links below to register for the Advanced Essentials or the Essentials DVD workshop. 

Yes, I want to register for the Advanced Essentials workshop.	I want to order the Essentials of Post Rehab Fitness DVD workshop.