Georgia Personal Trainers in Jeopardy!

Recently, Georgia proposed SB 401, a bill to require licensing for personal trainers. The bill outlined that no one could hold themselves out as a personal trainer without a state issued license, and to obtain the license you must pass a state exam. The bill also read “The board may grant a personal trainer’s license without examination to any qualified applicant who holds a certification from the National Board of Fitness Examiners.” (Note the use of the phrase “may grant”.) The “board” spoken of in the bill referred to the Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers, who according to the bill was responsible for defining, governing, and outlining the scope-of-practice for personal trainers. The bill was killed in committee due to numerous sources of opposition. This opposition was mainly heard from the Athletic Trainers community and the academic physiology community.

Involved groups such as the Georgia Athletic Trainer’s Association felt that there were not strict enough requirements for personal trainers written into the bill. Both Paul Higgs, Vice-President of the GATA, and Georgia Senator Emanuel Jones, who initiated the bill, have stated in interviews that the bill will be reintroduced and will include educational requirements for personal trainers. The GATA also held the view that the bill was weak in its use of the NBFE, whom they have never even heard of, as the standard. Mr. Higgs stated in an interview that they would like to see more established, reputable, and widely used organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine, which has been the guideline in academic courses for many years and who also works closely with the Center for Disease Control and the American Heart Association, or the National Strength and Conditioning Association, which certifies Athletic Trainers as allied health care professionals.

It is important to note that personal trainers did not have any representation in this matter. The definition of a qualified personal trainer and the scope-of-practice were left completely up to the Georgia Board of Athletic Trainers. This is not in the best interests of personal trainers at all.

When our industry falls under legislative powers, and we are not represented, we will be at the mercy of other more centralized, self-interested groups, such as Athletic Trainers, that do not have our best interests in mind. It has already been evidenced, as in the ongoing case in Georgia, that licensure can bring with it many consequences. Pushing us closer to, or even completely under, the health care umbrella will bring health care status requirements and health care related problems. In fact, much of the bad publicity given to the personal training industry has come from the Athletic Training community. Just visit a university ATC website and look up their distinction between Athletic Trainers and Personal Trainers (Ohio State University website offers a good case in point)—it is most often derogatory towards our industry. The only way licensure will change that image is if these committees control the outcome. These are not the governing committees that we want to answer to.

With this big push to licensure for personal trainers, no one has been able to factually, statistically justify this move. In other words, where exactly is the real problem that is horrible enough to completely change our industry and possibly put thousands of trainers out of work? There are no supporting statistics. The problem is not that severe. If licensing and board examinations could fix such an alleged problem, then why are there an estimated 80,000 deaths a year in the United States directly due to medical malpractice?

Many support a standardization of qualifications in our industry. While this in and of itself can be a good idea, the methods to achieve it should not include forceful legislation, licensure, or the taking away of credibility of other more established organizations. The answer lies in education, not regulation. We accomplish this by continuing to educate the public about professional personal trainers, respected certifications, and safe and effective fitness training. We do this through public forums such as newspaper and magazine columns, public speaking, corporate networking, and empowering our own clients with a true knowledge of this industry. We also call, write and meet with our Senators and Representatives to educate them about our industry. In cases such as the pending legislation in Georgia, your action is needed now.

The mandate of education requirements is only one of many problems that will arise if Georgia leads the way in licensing personal trainers. Read the related articles on licensure to get a clear picture of many of the dangers of this move. Don't sit this one out on the hopes of getting "grandfathered" in thinking you won't be affected.

It has been demonstrated that if anyone is going to look out for our best interests, it is going to have to be us, starting with each and every individual. We must become educated about the dangers and fallacies of licensure and forceful standardizations and big business. We must be aware of, and warn each other about, legislation that will affect our industry—never keep it a secret. We must get involved with the democratic process by first becoming fully informed, and then making informed decisions based on likely outcomes and not idealistic hopes we are influenced into believing as facts.

If you are a trainer in Georgia, this is not over.
This Senator (Jones, 10th District) is bound and determined to put some form of this legislation through. YOU BETTER SPEAK UP NOW, before you know it, it may be too late!

Contact your senators who support this bad initiative:

Emanuel Jones,
10th302B Coverdell Office Bldg.
Atlanta, GA 30334
emanuel.jones@senate.ga.gov

Also supporting the bill:

Tommie Williams, 19th
Robert Brown, 26th
David Adelman, 42nd
John Douglas, 17th
Terrell Starr, 44th

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2005_06/senate/senatelist.htm

TELL THEM NO!