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What are the benefits of a CSCS?
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What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 2, 2005 6:59:00 AM
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JDMBBuilder
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Joined: December 16, 2004
From: Long Island
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is it worth shelling out the cash for a CSCS? Im thinking about taking the test but unsure of the benefits. What does is entail? Do you have to take courses or is it just taking and passing a test?
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"Anyone can throw you on a "state of the art" machine and call it physical therapy. The only high-tech equipment I need are my brain and two hands..." -JSDPT
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 2, 2005 10:29:00 AM
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jma
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I think it is just taking and passing the test. They do have reviews for it. As far as the benefits, I was told by others that it could help land you a position in a big gym company. Also, many sports therapy clinics, look for those to have additional credentials as the CSCS but also the ATC.
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 2, 2005 7:11:00 PM
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JDMBBuilder
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From: Long Island
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I see...thanks jma!
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"Anyone can throw you on a "state of the art" machine and call it physical therapy. The only high-tech equipment I need are my brain and two hands..." -JSDPT
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 3, 2005 5:10:00 AM
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srcase
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From: Michigan
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I haven't noticed any real benefits from having it, but I just like extra letters behind my name! Seriously, you just read a textbook and take a test. Most of it should be review from exercise physiology...although I hope you are good at doing math in your head, they don't let you use a calculator during the test. That was the hardest part for me. I work in a sports therapy clinic and they don't really care either way that I have it.
Sarah
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 4, 2005 7:23:00 AM
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JLS_PT_OCS
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See the other CSCS thread elsewhere...I think in the sports and fitness section.
To sum up, it's not about passing a test, it's about having some objective way to show what your strengths are. It is probably more important to marketing than to an employer. I have learned a lot from involvement with the NSCA, and will continue to learn from the folks over there.
You might be surprised what you could learn from very smart people doing rehabilitation who are not PTs...it has been a big help in my continued education.
It also helps to get a feel for the fitness/wellness side of the house, a major area PTs should be more involved in, in my opinion.
Highly recommended.
J
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Jason Silvernail DPT, OCS, CSCS
"It isn't what you're able to do that requires your courage but rather what you have come to understand and are willing to express." - Barrett Dorko,PT
**I no longer post on RehabEdge**
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 4, 2005 8:56:00 AM
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Dr.Wagner
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I think it is a joke...I got it and could have slept through the test to pass when I was a practicing PT. When I see it, I ignore it. I certainly do not think it should be used in formal titles, only as a mention in CV's.
When i was a PT, I thought it was cool to have the extra letters, but I think that was a very insecure way of thinking. The amount of letters IN NO WAY equates to a better clinician. It means you spent more money.
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Dr. Wagner DO
Moderator of Medical Complexity Forum
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 4, 2005 10:16:00 AM
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JLS_PT_OCS
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While that's true about spending more money, one could say the same of any degree or achievement.
I met a nurse once who went to med school and then was working as a family practice doc.... believe me, he and his patients were better off when he was a nurse. That accomplishment didn't seem to help him much.
Would that have been a waste of time as well?
In the end, letters don't equal competence, whatever they are.
But they are a way to demonstrate a certain level of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
All such measures are subjective but we live in a subjective world.
Tests, degrees, and certifications are just a way to try to objectify competence, and no measure is perfect.
But we have to have a way to compare, right? It's just that, one factor to look at.
And again, it ain't about passing a test, it's about your interest level in strength and conditioning and your demonstrated competence in such. Sure, you don't need it, but then again, you don't need anything else to practice besides the license.
It all depends on how much time and effort you put into it. And it's really not that much money, either.
J
_____________________________
Jason Silvernail DPT, OCS, CSCS
"It isn't what you're able to do that requires your courage but rather what you have come to understand and are willing to express." - Barrett Dorko,PT
**I no longer post on RehabEdge**
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 8, 2005 3:37:00 PM
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Dr.Wagner
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Well, I don't think that is quite true. Letters or professional degrees do equate to competance in certain areas. I guess I don't understand your statement...it doesn't make sense (ie one would think a PT has gained a certain level of competence in post surgical rehab...if that is not true, then why see a PT?)
The CSCS is NOT a professional degree, it is not a mentored title. It allows NO ADDITIONAL acts or powers to any license.
It is a test, you pass, you get letters. Letters that mean you are an official "gym rat".
Honestly, it is a way to market yourself to the public...NOT to professionals. I think anyone with have an idea what the CSCS is, realizes what it really is.
So if you are one of these people who wants 50 dumb letters after your name, then get the CSCS...
I would have more respect for the letters if they represented at least some form of mentored training. The requirements for the exam are not exactly rigid... http://www.nsca-cc.org/exam_info/how_to_register_cscs.html
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Dr. Wagner DO
Moderator of Medical Complexity Forum
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 11, 2005 5:05:00 AM
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JLS_PT_OCS
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I don't disagree that it is just a test.
I think it reflects a level of competence and interest in a field. It is about continuing education, and yes, more about marketing than anything else. I don't find that troubling in the least. In fact, our profession could use some marketing, I think.
I find your statement about post-surgical PT interesting....
Are all PTs the same? Many pediatric PTs would not know how to do some postsurgical rehab. Just becuase they get trained a bit in school, doesn't mean they do it for a living now, or are competent to do it.
You can look at my credentials and see what "kind" of PT I am. I find that to be an advantage in lots of ways.
I see you have "DO" after your name. Perhaps you can do some surgery on my knee, my last surgeon had DO after his name. Can't do it? I should see a surgeon, you say?
How about being the primary care provider for my elderly relative with a lot of chronic conditions and medications? Can't do it? I should see an Internist, you say?
Do you NEED an emergency medicine residency and certification to practice in the ER? No? Then why get it?
To provide better care to the patients, of course.
Maybe I would be just as well off going to a general practice physician as I would be going to you if I had an emergency. Depending on the emergency, maybe. But I'd choose you, Wags, because of your level of training and demonstrated competence.
That's all the CSCS is about, too.
How hard or easy it is or it should be is just a matter of opinion.
There are a lot of discussions within the NSCA about making the CSCS more difficult, about adding such mentoring as you suggest. I'm not against that. But right now, this is not required. It just hasn't evolved that far.
So in the end, all of us will find the paths to better competence in our fields, and for me, one of my paths went to the NSCA and the CSCS. I am better not for the test, but for the knowledge I continue to gain by being involved.
I think Wags will find that he is a better ER physician not because of his test, but because of his learning process in getting there.
To dismiss any program as "50 dumb letters" is failing to see the thrust of the process. It isn't about acquiring letters, it's about helping you progress as a practitioner.
I have met a lot of PTs who were great at strength and conditioning who didn't have the CSCS. I have met even more PTs who didn't know "squat" about strength and conditioning and also didn't have the CSCS.
I have NEVER met a PT with the CSCS who was not an expert in strength and conditioning, especially as it pertains to rehabilitation.
If you are a PT and feel that you could benefit by improving your knowledge base and familiarity with strength and conditioning, then the NSCA and the CSCS credential will benefit you greatly.
If you have this knowledge/skill/ability already, then don't worry about it. Or get it for the marketing, or the "50 dumb letters" Wags mentions.
It's a competitive world. If you are in private practice, I would think anything you could do to market your services better would be a plus. Anything you could do, before someone even meets you, to demonstrate the kind of knowledge and expertise you have (or that your profession has) is a good thing. In today's competitive world, maybe a crucial thing.
I think I have something to learn in every part of this field and from every practitioner of any stripe that I meet. Perhaps it is my open mind and desire to learn and share that makes my experience with the NSCA so valuable.
Or maybe I just want some more "dumb" letters...
_____________________________
Jason Silvernail DPT, OCS, CSCS
"It isn't what you're able to do that requires your courage but rather what you have come to understand and are willing to express." - Barrett Dorko,PT
**I no longer post on RehabEdge**
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Re: What are the benefits of a CSCS? - April 15, 2005 5:19:00 PM
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coreconcepts
Posts: 68
Joined: April 13, 2005
From: Vancouver, BC
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I feel the need to chime in here as a personal trainer. As far as personal training certifications go - the CSCS is considered to be the holy grail of certifications. This by no means implies that people who possess this certification have "special", "unique" or "extrodinary" skills - it simply means that they passed a test - a test (like with many other personal training certifications) requires no apprentice/internship or practical competency. Having said that, it is slighlty more detailed then most other certification programs. It is also slightly more specialized in that it is geared towards performance. All this really does is get you in the door of a health club more easily (to echo the sentiments of Dr. Wagner). If you are interested in athletic training, this could be a feasible option, although again - from my perspective, I see no added benefit for many people on this board who are already established PT's.
Further, I have a problem with the NSCA in their prerequisites for sitting in on the exam. You need a degree which may or may not be exercise science-based (kinesiology, exercise physiology, physical education etc.) If I interpreted their prerequisites correctly, you can have an arts degree and still qualify.
I am not a CSCS, however I am very capable of incorporating olympic lifts and other "big" lifts into my clients' programs, in addition to effectively incorporating periodization methodology to enhance their outcomes. I have also acrued enough knowledge (through experience and continued learning) to discern who is ready for certain training perameters and who is not. For those who are not, I am reasonably skilled when it comes to how to appropriately facilitate the weak links to prepare them for such lifts. It is grey areas like these that nullify any relavence of a "certification".
Lastly, this certification (like all others I've encountered in the Personal Training world), do not necessarily promote what I believe to be fundamental training principals. Such items include; proper postural screening (static and dynamic) identification of muscular imbalances, Postural/stabilization training, inner unit recruitment, etc. The fact of the matter is this; most trainers do not know the difference between tonic and phasic, cannot begin to tell you how to activate the TA and wouldn't have the foggiest idea if you asked them what pathomachanics meant. I understand that implementing such requirements creates a slippery slope for certifying bodies and raises some issues with regards to appropriate scope. It is for this reason, though that I believe PT's to be crucial to our profession in providing our client with the best (and most pragmatic) care.
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