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Licensing in Louisiana

To date, Louisiana is the only state that licenses exercise science professionals. Louisiana began licensing clinical exercise physiologists (CEPs) in the mid-1990s after its state legislature passed a licensing bill.

At the time, the hope was that CEPs in Louisiana would be on par with occupational therapists and physical therapists, says Rob Streeck, a former licensed CEP in the state. Streeck, who worked at a local hospital, says his motivation to get a license was to get reimbursement through insurance companies, paving the way for him to see clients on his own and without the supervision of a physical or occupational therapist.

Some of Streeck's CEP colleagues thought that doctors would begin referring to them once they had a license. That didn't happen, Streeck says, and the growth of exercise physiologists in the state began to wane.

“At the time, I was on the bandwagon. I was a real cheerleader for it,” Streeck says. “It just never developed the way that we had thought that it would.”

The problem, Streeck says, is that CEPs came from too many diverse backgrounds. At the time, CEPs were not required to have a four-year degree, Streeck says.

Today, some of the requirements to obtain a license from the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners include a master's of science or a master's of education degree, American College of Sports Medicine score reports and the completion of a 300-hour internship in exercise physiology under the supervision of a licensed exercise physiologist. The fee to obtain a CEP license in Louisiana is $150, and CEP licenses are renewable annually at a fee of $100.

Streeck chose not to renew his license once he became an athletic director at a fitness club. As he scans the job scene these days, he has noticed that licensed CEPs are not in demand.

“I have not seen one ad for a licensed exercise physiologist,” Streeck says. “That definitely tells you something.”

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