Medical Exercise Specialists one of the keys to building your practice is to develop relationships with medical professionals in your community. Welcome to Day 28 of our "40 Days to Medical Exercise Success". In this post Dr Mike interviews Chris Harris, business development director for Re-Kinect, a MET practice in Richmond, VA. Chris and Dr Mike share their thoughts on the importance of developing a relationship with a physician or therapist as well as finding that "go to" medical professional when you have questions.

The METI - Medical Exercise Specialist certification requires completion of 10 observation hours with a licensed physical therapist, physician, massage therapist or chiropractor. This is vital step in developingreferral  relationships as well as your learning as a Medical Exercise Specialist.

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Hello Medical Exercise Specialists and welcome to Day 25 of "40 Days to Medical Exercise Success". Today will develop a "medical markting kit". This kit will contain your brochure and business card (We developed yesterday). It will also contain a sample flowchart from one of the protocols you developed, it will also contain your introductory letter. 

This kit is provided to the medical professional when you make the initial in person meeting. I wouldn't send this first. This is a hand deliverable item ONLY. 

Don't breat the bank on your first version of your "medical marketing kit". use basic materials to get started. A solid color portfolio with a printed label with your practice name and logo is fine for the first time. Insert your introductory letter, brochure and business card. The key is the presentation as well as the outcomes you produce. As your practice grows develop more sophisticated marketing materials to insert into the kit. 

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Good morning Medical Exercise Specialists and welcome to Day 22 of "40 Days to Medical Exercise Success". Today we will discuss developing a network of non-medical referral sources. This is a concept which was shared with me by a close friend and Medical Exercise Specialist - David Gilks, MES, MEPD. David built a very strong MET practice in Nanaimo, BC - Core Essentials using this concept.

David's idea was to develop a network of non-medical vendors which sold products or services his clients would benefit from. David realized his clients were sought after by not only medical professionals but also vendors in his community. MET clients pay anywhere from $100+ per session to maintain or improve their health and function. David developed a network of natural food stores, alternative medicine providers, health/beauty shops, organic farmers, counselors and coaches in his community that could assist his clients reach their goals.

David developed this concept into a membership...

Medical Exercise Specialists it's day 21 of "40 Days to Medical Exercise Success". Yesterday we asked clients to share their reasons why they use your services. Or the functional solution you provided for them. Ask and note these in the client's own words. 

Today let's take those solutions and craft them into blog posts. Please don't use the client's name but you can say a "72 year old male with a total knee replacement" or a "59 year old grandmother with diabetes". This allows the reader of your blog to relate better, especially if they have the condition. Clients, searching the Internet for medical solutions, are only looking for what's in it for themselves. The closer the story is to their condition the more they will relate and inquire about your services.

Develop 10 blog posts with your clients' solutions. WIth each of these develop a short 1 - 2 minute video. Video is still king but a written blog post definitely helps with SEO. 

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Medical Exercise Success....this is the second in our 40 Days to Medical Exercise Success video series. Committing to medical exercise training is a must if you want to build a MET practice. This video will discuss the "commitment".

Making the switch from fitness/personal training to MET is a challenge and requires effort. Fitness has paid your bills for years. You understand the clients, how to market yourself and sell sessions. Now you have to switch gears and market to medical professionals and their patients. It's challenging to say the least.

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Every Medical Exercise Training (MET) session must be documented. The documentation must be maintained in a secure place. There are 8 forms you should have and maintain on each of your clients. These forms are essential for every MET client. These forms include:

1. Client Intake/Demographic Form
2. Medical History Form
3. Medical Release of Information Form
4. Release of Liability Form
5. MET Screening Form
6. MET Progress Report Form
7. MET Referral/Medical Clearance Form
8. Training Agreement/Contract

These forms are now available for your MET practice. Customize the MET forms with your practice contact information (name, contact info and logo). Go to www.METForms.com to order.

Medical exercise training is growing and health clubs are trying to cash in. But many health clubs misunderstand the needs of medical professionals and their patients when attempting to develop referral relationships. Over the years as a therapist I have been approached by many clubs to refer clients or be a member of their medical fitness advisory board. Forgive me! I got carried away and gave you 8 instead of 7. The more the better in this situation.

Here are 8 mistakes health clubs make when approaching medical professionals.

1. Selling Memberships
2. Focusing on Fitness Staff Certifications
3. Not Focusing on Packaging MET Programs
4. Dismissing Functional Outcome Measures
5. Not Having a Medical Exercise Training Director
6. Placing Medical Professionals on the Advisory Board
7. Not Selectively Marketing to Medical Professionals
8. Not Having a Fee Schedule for Medical Exercise Training

Medical Exercise Specialists are finding opportunities in a wide range of settings from health clubs, to physical therapy clinics, to hospital based fitness centers. As opportunities grow there must be some outline of a path to professional growth and success for medical exercise professionals. This is our attempt at establishing a “Medical Exercise Specialist Career Success Path”. Education without a defined course can be useless. The steps we outline in this video are similar to what we see in other professions such as law, medicine and engineering. The six points along with MES Career Path are:

1. Foundation
2. Application
3. Management
4. Specialization
5. Growth
6. Leadership

Avoiding or missing the steps along this path can be done but there may be possible negative outcomes down the road. This is the first of a series of posts and videos outlining the “Medical Exercise Specialist Career Success Path”. Join us tomorrow for part 1 – Medical Exercise Specialist...