Doctoral students in the Florida State University College of Nursing lifestyle medicine specialty track will graduate having already completed the prerequisites to be eligible to take the lifestyle medicine certification exam.
ST. LOUIS, Jan. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) has recognized the Florida State University College of Nursing as the first health professions program in the country to offer students a Full Academic Pathway to earn certification in the growing field of lifestyle medicine after graduation.
The full pathway means that Florida State College of Nursing doctoral students on the lifestyle medicine specialty track will graduate having already met the prerequisites required to take the lifestyle medicine certification exam offered annually by the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Certification in lifestyle medicine indicates that an individual has mastered the science of treating, reversing and preventing chronic disease in an evidence-based manner. There are now more than 8,000 lifestyle medicine-certified physicians and health professionals worldwide.
To be eligible to take the lifestyle medicine certification exam, individuals must satisfy two prerequisites: attend an approved lifestyle medicine conference and complete 30 hours of approved online lifestyle medicine CME/CE courses. To help students meet those prerequisites, master's and doctoral health professions programs can become recognized by ACLM as Partial or Full Academic Pathway programs.
Partial Academic Pathway programs must include one course that covers at least 25 percent of the Interdisciplinary Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies published in 2022. Students who graduate from Partial Academic Pathway programs have satisfied the conference attendance prerequisite to take the lifestyle medicine certification exam. There are currently 72 Partial Academic Pathway Programs nationwide.
Full Academic Pathway programs integrate lifestyle medicine throughout the curriculum, have at least one faculty member certified in lifestyle medicine and have a Lifestyle Member Interest Group (LMIG) on campus. ACLM provides the "Foundations of Lifestyle Medicine Board Review" course to students in Full Academic Pathway Programs at deeply discounted rates. ACLM also offers academic resources such as "Lifestyle Medicine 101 Curriculum" and Taste of Lifestyle Medicine. Additionally, Full and Partial Academic Pathway programs are highlighted in ACLM's Health Professional Program Directory. Students who graduate from Full Academic Pathway programs have satisfied the conference attendance and 30-hour CME/CE course prerequisites.
"FSU College of Nursing is excited to be the first academic program in the nation approved by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine as a Full Academic Pathway program," said FSU College of Nursing Clinical Professor and Graduate Coordinator of the Lifestyle Medicine Program Alicia (Ali) Craig-Rodriguez, DNP, MBA, APRN, FNP-BC, DipACLM. "This important designation demonstrates that FSU's rigorous program is dedicated to providing students with a 'deep dive' into lifestyle medicine education and training."
Lifestyle medicine uses therapeutic lifestyle interventions as a primary modality to treat chronic conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Lifestyle medicine certified clinicians are trained to apply evidence-based, whole-person, prescriptive lifestyle change to treat and, when used intensively, often reverse such conditions. Applying the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a whole-food, plant-predominant eating pattern, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, positive social connections, and avoidance of risky substances—also provides effective prevention for these conditions.
The development of the academic pathways was funded in part through the generous support of the Ardmore Institute of Health.
"ACLM congratulates the Florida State University College of Nursing for its vision and leadership in becoming the nation's first ACLM Full Academic Pathway program," ACLM CEO Susan Benigas said. "By earning the prerequisites for lifestyle medicine certification during their education, these doctorate of nursing practice graduates will benefit from a deep cost savings on their way to certification and have a competitive advantage in the workforce as more employers and health systems recognize the high value of lifestyle medicine."
About ACLM®
Serving as a transformation catalyst, disruptor of the status quo, and a galvanized force for change, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine is the nation's medical professional society advancing the field of lifestyle medicine as the foundation of a redesigned, value-based and equitable healthcare delivery system, essential to achieving the Quintuple Aim and whole person health. ACLM represents, advocates for, trains, certifies, and equips its members to identify and eradicate the root cause of chronic disease by optimizing modifiable risk factors. ACLM is filling the gaping void of lifestyle medicine—including food as medicine—in medical education, doing so across the entire medical education continuum, while also advancing research, clinical practice and reimbursement strategies. Adding years to lives and life to years, while reining in the alarming, unsustainable trajectory of healthcare spending, is what lifestyle medicine delivers.
Media Contact
Alex Branch, Director of Communications, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, 9719835383, [email protected], American College of Lifestyle Medicine
SOURCE American College of Lifestyle Medicine
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