Diploma Program Overview
The Sutherland-Chan program is designed to provide a balance between academic learning and clinical competence, giving our students the knowledge and skills required for success in the real world of massage therapy practice.
The goal of our 
program is to graduate well-rounded health care professionals with good clinical judgment and a holistic perspective of the clients they serve. Such practitioners must also be capable of integrating into multidisciplinary teams and must therefore possess the requisite interpersonal and communication skills.
The course of study at Sutherland-Chan runs over a two-year period. In the first year, emphasis is placed on learning fundamentals. In the second, the focus is on integration and application of knowledge, and refinement of clinical skills.
Sutherland-Chan's program is based on the Ontario Core Curriculum Agreement, which establishes the basic requirements of the curriculum. Beyond the Core Curriculum, each Ontario school can exercise discretion in how we specialize and expand our programs.
At Sutherland-Chan we strive for excellence in all aspects of our program, but in particular we emphasize the need for depth and diversity of clinical experience. In addition to the required practical courses, student experience is enhanced through participation in our extensive Outreach program. Sutherland-Chan Outreach, widely considered to be the best of such programs in Canada, takes our students into a variety of health care settings and gives them the opportunity to work with a diverse group of people and conditions. Outreach involves client populations who often could not otherwise access or afford massage therapy, providing a valuable community service and giving our students experiences they would not have in their regular Student Clinics. Further, in their final term, students can pursue their personal interests through choosing elective rotations such as sports massage, infant massage, and palliative care.
Throughout the two years of study, students can expect the workload to be intense. Many find that the combination of academic, practical, and clinical demands can create a high level of personal challenge. Financial stability and a good personal support system are needed for students to be able to devote the time and energy required to successfully manage the workload.
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