Friends of Ace

Dear ACE-certified Fitness Professional:

Thank you for your passion and commitment to helping individuals safely experience the innumerable health benefits of leading an active lifestyle.

When we move into 2009, there are two important changes that may affect you.  
These changes are in response to new requirements for fitness facilities in many states and to ongoing efforts of the fitness industry to improve the quality and status of the fitness profession.

Effective January 1, 2009 all new and renewing ACE-certified professionals in the United States and Canada must hold a current CPR/AED card to sit for or renew an ACE certification. We believe that the addition of the AED requirement will help you stay at the top of our rapidly evolving field, particularly as more states join the 12 with existing legislation mandating AED devices for fitness facilities and training for staff. This change will allow ACE professionals to proactively meet this emerging requirement and provide life-saving assistance in the event of a cardiac emergency. If CPR and defibrillation are not applied within 10 minutes of sudden cardiac arrest, there is virtually no chance of survival.  When defibrillation is provided within 5 to 7 minutes, the survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest is as high as 49 percent.  You can make the difference!

Effective January 1, 2009 ACE will no longer approve CEC courses from organizations that offer certification programs that are not NCCA-accredited. There seems to be a significant amount of confusion surrounding the difference between continuing education and certification. An NCCA-accredited certification represents an unbiased measure of an individual's knowledge and competence in a given area. Continuing education provides the professional with an opportunity to increase his/her knowledge and skills. We strongly believe that establishing a legitimate standard for credentialing, while upholding separate rigorous requirements for continuing education, is essential to providing the highest level of service to consumers and enhancing the image of our industry's professionals. This will only affect courses competed after December 31, 2008.

If you have any questions or if you require assistance ensuring that your continuing education courseware is approved, please feel free to call an ACE Professional Services Representative at 888-825-3636 Ext. 781 or email us at conted@acefitness.org. Thanks again for your dedication to improving lives through fitness.

Sincerely,

Scott Goudeseune
President/CEO