NHE Certification Interview

StacyCaliman · 06-09-2009, 08:19 AM

Is anyone here a clinical exercise instructor for NHE certification? I have an interview appointment scheduled for next month and was wondering what type of questions the interviewer may ask. I assume they’ll ask many of the obvious ones but was wondering what type of tricky CE questions may be thrown my way. Any insight would be greatly appreciated because this is a great opportunity.

quadluver · 06-09-2009, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StacyCaliman

Is anyone here a clinical exercise instructor for NHE certification? I have an interview appointment scheduled for next month and was wondering what type of questions the interviewer may ask. I assume they’ll ask many of the obvious ones but was wondering what type of tricky CE questions may be thrown my way. Any insight would be greatly appreciated because this is a great opportunity.

No doubt they’ll ask a ton of tough ones because you have to have a masters or doctorate to work as a clinical exercise teacher there. I applied for a job there last year and did pretty good on the interview but I didn’t get the job because I didn’t (and still don’t) have a masters degree. The exercise testing and prescription questions they asked me were pretty easy. When they got into the pharmacotherapy questions, I basically bullshitted my way past those.

Good luck on your interview. NHE Certification is a great health company and they offer the best compensation packages on the market. They make millions in the medical industry and so negotiate your ass off for the money! When you get the job, let me know because I would love to be a test grader and maybe you could get me in the door!

StacyCaliman · 06-13-2009, 08:12 PM

Thanks! Well I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. I’ve been brushing up on a bunch of different protocols from my school papers and hopefully their guidelines are roughly the same stuff.

quadluver · 06-15-2009, 06:53 PM

They are the latest thing out there right now, much like how everyone wanted an ACE certification when they first came out (let’s just hope they don’t end up the same way). Anyway, clin ex is a tough field to be in because of the competition. Do you know if ACSM’s HFI cert will change like their ES cert is changing to clinical exercise? I hope so because I’d like to get a new one saying clinical exercise specialist instead of health/fitness instructor.

StacyCaliman · 06-24-2009, 06:08 PM

Thanks for your reply. Well after days of begging for an earlier interview (I have to fly to Florida for my brothers wedding) I got it... and guess what?? I got the job!! It was a tough, but fair, interview process and the interviewer was totally nice. I start when I get back. I'm really looking forward to this because it is a rare opportunity and NHE is a great place to start a career. I'll keep you posted.

StacyC

quadluver · 06-24-2009, 06:11 PM

Can you get me a job there

StacyCaliman · 07-25-2009, 11:28 AM

You can send them your resume because I think they will be hiring for weeks to come. I'm going on my second week now and it is the perfect job for me. I still have clients that I did not want to give up and with the NHE job, I can make my own schedule so it works our really well. I'm able to process some exams a lot faster than what they said it would take which is good because I get paid per exam, not per hour.

Yanick · 07-25-2009, 11:31 AM

Damn I applied for that job. Even took the nutrition exam (the other exam's I had to skip due to scheduling issues), sat through all 6 hours of it. So now I'm certified but without work. Story of my goddamn life!

StacyCaliman · 07-25-2009, 12:25 PM

If you just passed the exam, it could take a couple of weeks. I didn't hear from them right away. Passing doesn't gaurantee you a job with them, nor should it. I think there are many other criteria they look at before you get an interview.

**Dale Mabry** · 07-25-2009, 12:26 PM

I don't really see the point in that cert. You don't make more money having it, it costs a lot more, and clinical exercise physiologist is a job that isn't all that rewarding, and I imagine there is not an incredibly large market for them, IMO.

So, you take a ridiculously difficult test, you become proficient at book knowledge, and there is no real way of knowing if you are going to apply that knowledge properly. I took my CSCS, studied for 6 or so months, passed, and essentially forgot it all as it has no application in actual real-life settings. When a client asks you how to lose weight, are you going to tell them about the krebs cycle? Trust me, they don't care. Get a good cert, read every viewpoint you can, get experience, work with therapists and MDs, and problem solve on your own. Think about specificity, what is going to make you a better trainer, answering multiple choice questions or personal training? I can tell you, a large percentage of this job is learning about people and how to positively influence them. Can you get that from a book?

On a side note, I wouldn't invest too much of my time trying to do the test grading thing. If you want to be a personal trainer, be a personal trainer. What happens if states pass the licensing laws and you have spent all of your efforts reading test answers and not actually doing what it is you are certified for? Plus, all you have on your resume is test grader for x years and only 2 or 3 clients. Unless you lie, who wants to hire a test grader to train?

IMO, that tests tries to make you an expert in too many things, if you want to be a test grader take that test, if you want to be a trainer take the NSCA or NASM and get experience. I think P-funk would agree with me here.

**Dale Mabry** · 07-25-2009, 12:32 PM

Congrats on the job, though.

StacyCaliman · 07-25-2009, 01:33 PM

Actually I'm both. I am a certified trainer. I also have a NASM and ASCM certification. Training gets old after a while and being directly involved in the process is a bit more rewarding. As far as states passing legislation? That will never happen. States can't even pass legislation for athletic trainers. You will be dead and gone, waiting for some sort of state law to pass. Besides, who passes up a lucrative job opportunity on the possibility that the job may not exsists 10 years from now? So what. It exists now and I believe it will for quite some time.

**Dale Mabry** · 07-25-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StacyCaliman

Actually I'm both. I am a certified trainer. I also have a NASM and ASCM certification. Training gets old after a while and being directly involved in the process is a bit more rewarding. As far as states passing legislation? That will never happen. States can't even pass legislation for athletic trainers. You will be dead and gone, waiting for some sort of state law to pass. Besides, who passes up a lucrative job opportunity on the possibility that the job may not exsists 10 years from now? So what. It exists now and I believe it will for quite some time.

Oh, I think it is a good temp gig, but I can tell you, that licensure thing is already up for vote here in Jersey and I believe in CA, MA, DE, and DC so it's not as far off as you think. Also, they charge a shitload for that exam, why pay 3x the amount for that test when it doesn't give you a leg up? I thought about doing the tester job for some other company, I don't know if they still exist, but I don't get emails anymore and have never heard them mentioned in conversation. I don't question your choice because it is what you like and want to do, but if a trainer asked me if they should get this cert and their goal was to become a trainer, I would say no. In our current economic times, there needs to be added value in spending that much more money, and I don't see someone spending $1700 for something they can get for $250. If you want to spend that much money take the NSCA or NASM and pay someone to market your program for $1000, the return on your investment will be so much greater. I agree the material is superior, but what client asks you how difficult your cert test was? They don't care, and directors only care if you sell, so where is the leg up in that? I would love to see data on this, but I would imagine there is no correlation between test difficulty or score and income.

As for who passes up a lucrative job that may not be around in 10 years...Someone who is looking for long-term success and financial stability. Not that you aren't looking for the same, but having done this for almost 14 years, i would never recommend it to someone starting out, same as that wellness coaches gig. That stuff is the first thing to get cut when companies decide they need to trim the fat.

I agree 10000000000% that training gets old sometimes, but not as old as riding a desk 50 hours a week, now that sucks. Although, it would be very tempting to take 6 figures and not really do anything, but I got fat doing that.

StacyCaliman · 07-25-2009, 03:38 PM

I agree, except New Jersey may be a bit behind in the times. The gym I work at only accepts NHE, ACSM and NASM. and I know alot of people who get a NHE cert only because they are so hard to acquire. I don't want a certification that evrybody has or anyone can get, as long as they have the study guide (i.e ace, issa, afaa etc.) Those certs are lame and tired.

Yanick · 07-25-2009, 05:41 PM

Oh I didn't pay for it, I just applied to do the test grader to make some extra money. They pay really well actually. They waived the fee for the tests and I registered for the trainer, nutrition and CPR. I only wound up taking the nutrition one. Its not that hard of a test, I mean its long (6hrs), but if you know you're stuff you shouldn't have a problem. I was taking my time and really sitting there trying to figure stuff out, then realized it was about 150 short answer and another 100 essay type questions. I wound up leaving like 20 blank at the end cause I ran out of time but still passed. I also wasn't expecting to get the job because I passed the test, but I was just hoping the get the damn job.

StacyCaliman · 07-25-2009, 08:44 PM

If you work for them, all of your certifications are free. I didn't pay anything either. But I would if I had to because their program is fresh and different. They're basically a place where educated and experienced professionals can prove their expertise, not just how well they can memorize definitions. After four years of exercise physiology, it was nice to be tested. It's good to know my $80,000 didn't go to waste

**Dale Mabry** · 07-26-2009, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StacyCaliman

If you work for them, all of your certifications are free. I didn't pay anything either. But I would if I had to because their program is fresh and different. They're basically a place where educated and experienced professionals can prove their expertise, not just how well they can memorize definitions. After four years of exercise physiology, it was nice to be tested. It's good to know my $80,000 didn't go to waste

Where did you get your degree from?

StacyCaliman · 07-26-2009, 11:01 AM

I went to Purdue for a couple of years because they have one of the best programs in the country, but after 35 grand a year I had to "downgrade" a bit and ended up at University of Northern Colorado. A great school in their own right.

**Dale Mabry** · 07-26-2009, 01:55 PM

Smart move, those school loans are a bitch.

WorldMuscle · 10-06-2009, 02:47 PM

Stay away from NHE. I've got a degree in Exercise Physiology and many years in the personal training business with real world application and somehow according to them I didn't pass the Personal Trainer Exam(level 2). Right, with questions such as asking you to list a vitamin, what is the name of the heart contraction etc... It was really tough.

I didn't purchase their study guide so my test was free, and I believe that's how they are making their money. This company is unscrupulous. Don't waste your time, opt for ACSM.

StacyCaliman · 10-07-2009, 07:03 PM

...and when you fail the ACSM exam, you'll be back to tell us how crappy they are too. If you had passed, you would not have even joined this site. You would not have thought them to be "unscrupulous". Only after you failed did your opinion change. This would be like considering the opinion of your new girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. If you didn't study for the exam, how did you expect to pass? Get over yourself.

quadluver · 10-08-2009, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StacyCaliman

...and when you fail the ACSM exam, you'll be back to tell us how crappy they are too. If you had passed, you would not have even joined this site. You would not have thought them to be "unscrupulous". Only after you failed did your opinion change. This would be like considering the opinion of your new girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. If you didn't study for the exam, how did you expect to pass? Get over yourself.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!

True! It would be like asking a high school drop out questions about the local university. Follow the advice of a failure and you'll be one too.

NHE seems to be as legit as they come, but if you can't pass their exam, there are plenty of other certification programs you can choose from.

06-09-2009, 08:19 AM	#1
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	NHE Certification Interview Is anyone here a clinical exercise instructor for NHE certification? I have an interview appointment scheduled for next month and was wondering what type of questions the interviewer may ask. I assume they’ll ask many of the obvious ones but was wondering what type of tricky CE questions may be thrown my way. Any insight would be greatly appreciated because this is a great opportunity.

07-25-2009, 11:31 AM	#8
Yanick Amor Fati Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,231	Damn I applied for that job. Even took the nutrition exam (the other exam's I had to skip due to scheduling issues), sat through all 6 hours of it. So now I'm certified but without work. Story of my goddamn life! "The greatest obstacle to knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge." -Barry Marshall, Nobel Laureate

07-25-2009, 12:26 PM	#10
Dale Mabry Moderator Moderator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Elsewhere Posts: 14,335 Photos: 10	I don't really see the point in that cert. You don't make more money having it, it costs a lot more, and clinical exercise physiologist is a job that isn't all that rewarding, and I imagine there is not an incredibly large market for them, IMO. So, you take a ridiculously difficult test, you become proficient at book knowledge, and there is no real way of knowing if you are going to apply that knowledge properly. I took my CSCS, studied for 6 or so months, passed, and essentially forgot it all as it has no application in actual real-life settings. When a client asks you how to lose weight, are you going to tell them about the krebs cycle? Trust me, they don't care. Get a good cert, read every viewpoint you can, get experience, work with therapists and MDs, and problem solve on your own. Think about specificity, what is going to make you a better trainer, answering multiple choice questions or personal training? I can tell you, a large percentage of this job is learning about people and how to positively influence them. Can you get that from a book? On a side note, I wouldn't invest too much of my time trying to do the test grading thing. If you want to be a personal trainer, be a personal trainer. What happens if states pass the licensing laws and you have spent all of your efforts reading test answers and not actually doing what it is you are certified for? Plus, all you have on your resume is test grader for x years and only 2 or 3 clients. Unless you lie, who wants to hire a test grader to train? IMO, that tests tries to make you an expert in too many things, if you want to be a test grader take that test, if you want to be a trainer take the NSCA or NASM and get experience. I think P-funk would agree with me here. If sense were common, everyone would have it. 4/2007-Current 75th Ranked most popular image 1 spot behind Prince's bulge... Last edited by Dale Mabry : 07-25-2009 at 12:34 PM.

07-25-2009, 12:32 PM	#11
Dale Mabry Moderator Moderator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Elsewhere Posts: 14,335 Photos: 10	Congrats on the job, though. If sense were common, everyone would have it. 4/2007-Current 75th Ranked most popular image 1 spot behind Prince's bulge...

07-25-2009, 05:41 PM	#15
Yanick Amor Fati Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 4,231	Oh I didn't pay for it, I just applied to do the test grader to make some extra money. They pay really well actually. They waived the fee for the tests and I registered for the trainer, nutrition and CPR. I only wound up taking the nutrition one. Its not that hard of a test, I mean its long (6hrs), but if you know you're stuff you shouldn't have a problem. I was taking my time and really sitting there trying to figure stuff out, then realized it was about 150 short answer and another 100 essay type questions. I wound up leaving like 20 blank at the end cause I ran out of time but still passed. I also wasn't expecting to get the job because I passed the test, but I was just hoping the get the damn job. "The greatest obstacle to knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge." -Barry Marshall, Nobel Laureate

06-13-2009, 08:12 PM	#3
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	Thanks! Well I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. I’ve been brushing up on a bunch of different protocols from my school papers and hopefully their guidelines are roughly the same stuff.

06-15-2009, 06:53 PM	#4
quadluver Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 81	They are the latest thing out there right now, much like how everyone wanted an ACE certification when they first came out (let’s just hope they don’t end up the same way). Anyway, clin ex is a tough field to be in because of the competition. Do you know if ACSM’s HFI cert will change like their ES cert is changing to clinical exercise? I hope so because I’d like to get a new one saying clinical exercise specialist instead of health/fitness instructor.

06-24-2009, 06:08 PM	#5
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	Thanks for your reply. Well after days of begging for an earlier interview (I have to fly to Florida for my brothers wedding) I got it... and guess what?? I got the job!! It was a tough, but fair, interview process and the interviewer was totally nice. I start when I get back. I'm really looking forward to this because it is a rare opportunity and NHE is a great place to start a career. I'll keep you posted. StacyC

06-24-2009, 06:11 PM	#6
quadluver Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 81	Can you get me a job there

07-25-2009, 11:28 AM	#7
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	You can send them your resume because I think they will be hiring for weeks to come. I'm going on my second week now and it is the perfect job for me. I still have clients that I did not want to give up and with the NHE job, I can make my own schedule so it works our really well. I'm able to process some exams a lot faster than what they said it would take which is good because I get paid per exam, not per hour.

07-25-2009, 12:25 PM	#9
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	If you just passed the exam, it could take a couple of weeks. I didn't hear from them right away. Passing doesn't gaurantee you a job with them, nor should it. I think there are many other criteria they look at before you get an interview.

07-25-2009, 01:33 PM	#12
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	Actually I'm both. I am a certified trainer. I also have a NASM and ASCM certification. Training gets old after a while and being directly involved in the process is a bit more rewarding. As far as states passing legislation? That will never happen. States can't even pass legislation for athletic trainers. You will be dead and gone, waiting for some sort of state law to pass. Besides, who passes up a lucrative job opportunity on the possibility that the job may not exsists 10 years from now? So what. It exists now and I believe it will for quite some time.

07-25-2009, 03:38 PM	#14
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	I agree, except New Jersey may be a bit behind in the times. The gym I work at only accepts NHE, ACSM and NASM. and I know alot of people who get a NHE cert only because they are so hard to acquire. I don't want a certification that evrybody has or anyone can get, as long as they have the study guide (i.e ace, issa, afaa etc.) Those certs are lame and tired.

07-25-2009, 08:44 PM	#16
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	If you work for them, all of your certifications are free. I didn't pay anything either. But I would if I had to because their program is fresh and different. They're basically a place where educated and experienced professionals can prove their expertise, not just how well they can memorize definitions. After four years of exercise physiology, it was nice to be tested. It's good to know my $80,000 didn't go to waste

07-26-2009, 11:01 AM	#18
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	I went to Purdue for a couple of years because they have one of the best programs in the country, but after 35 grand a year I had to "downgrade" a bit and ended up at University of Northern Colorado. A great school in their own right.

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07-26-2009, 01:55 PM	#19
Dale Mabry Moderator Moderator Join Date: May 2003 Location: Elsewhere Posts: 14,335 Photos: 10	Smart move, those school loans are a bitch. If sense were common, everyone would have it. 4/2007-Current 75th Ranked most popular image 1 spot behind Prince's bulge...

10-06-2009, 02:47 PM	#20
WorldMuscle Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 1	Stay away from NHE. I've got a degree in Exercise Physiology and many years in the personal training business with real world application and somehow according to them I didn't pass the Personal Trainer Exam(level 2). Right, with questions such as asking you to list a vitamin, what is the name of the heart contraction etc... It was really tough. I didn't purchase their study guide so my test was free, and I believe that's how they are making their money. This company is unscrupulous. Don't waste your time, opt for ACSM.

10-07-2009, 07:03 PM	#21
StacyCaliman Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: denver Posts: 47	...and when you fail the ACSM exam, you'll be back to tell us how crappy they are too. If you had passed, you would not have even joined this site. You would not have thought them to be "unscrupulous". Only after you failed did your opinion change. This would be like considering the opinion of your new girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. If you didn't study for the exam, how did you expect to pass? Get over yourself.