Our Responses

The following are Sutherland-Chan's answers to the questions posed on the Massage Therapy School Selection Checklist. We hope that you will use these answers as a basis for comparison with other schools.

How long has the school been in business? While an older school is not necessarily a better school, so many Ontario schools are in their first few years of operation and it is difficult to tell what their record of success will be. Sutherland-Chan was established in November 1978 by Grace Chan and Christine Sutherland, out of their strong desire to improve on massage therapy training as they had experienced it. Sutherland-Chan has therefore been operating for 30 years. We believe that our school's longevity, combined with our reputation and history of setting an excellent standard, indicates that we are stable, experienced, and good at what we do. Back to the Checklist.

What is the school's record of success at the Ontario Registration Exams? The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario's registration exams are the challenge all massage therapists must successfully face before becoming eligible to practice in Ontario. Graduates of all schools sit the same exams, and the results are a matter of public record. In the past few years the CMTO has printed the school performance rates in their newsletter, the College Standard. Sutherland-Chan has consistently been at the top of the ratings, having been #1 most of our years in business. Our 2002 pass rate was an impressive 97%. It is important to make sure that you ask for a school's first time pass rate. Most schools' graduates will all eventually pass through multiple attempts, so applicants can be given misleading numbers unless it is clear that the first attempt pass rate is what you want to hear. If a school does not have registration exam statistics it means that they have not been in business long enough to send a graduating class to these examinations. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school have program approval/accreditation from respected sources? Sutherland-Chan is approved by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. This approval is necessary for a school's graduates to be eligible to sit the Ontario Registration Exams. It would be unusual for a school not to have this approval - it could mean that the school is brand new and soliciting students before completing the approval process, or that the school is not legitimately training massage therapists for professional practice. Program accreditation is rapidly becoming the gold standard method of evaluating education in health care fields. As yet, we do not have a massage therapy school program accreditation system in Canada. Some schools have decided to qualify with the American accrediting body, the Commission On Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), which is very good, although accustomed to working with the lower hours standard which prevails in the U.S. If a school tells you that it has been accredited, make sure that its program was accredited, since schools can get institutional accreditation from general accrediting bodies which do not attempt to evaluate the specific educational aspects of the schools they accredit. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school sign a contract with its students? Yes, Sutherland-Chan does. We think it is good business, for you and for us. It is also a Ministry and OSAP requirement. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school have a code of ethics? Examining a school's code of ethics can be an excellent means to get a sense of the school culture and the standards it sets in the 'non-academic' realm. At Sutherland-Chan we are very proud of our Code of Ethical Conduct, which was developed over a two year period by a committee representing the constituents of our school community, including alumni. All incoming students receive a copy of the Code. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact Crystal, our Admissions Coordinator at 416-924-1107 ext.23 or by email: admissions@sutherland-chan.com. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school have positive name recognition with employers? Will being a graduate of this school enhance your employability/opportunities for successful practice? This is something you can check out by speaking to massage therapists and employers of massage therapists in the area where you plan to work. As competition increases in massage therapy, having a school whose reputation will give you a boost is important. Our alumni have a clear advantage in seeking employment. It is common knowledge that many employers preferentially hire Sutherland-Chan grads, especially in southern Ontario. Here are some quotes from graduates: "I went to about a dozen interviews after I graduated and in each case when they saw that I graduated from Sutherland-Chan, they said all the educational requirements were met. Sutherland-Chan was held in high esteem." Heather Town, Class of '95 "Having the name Sutherland-Chan behind me has been a great help in getting work and clients." Ian Kamm, Class of '97 Sutherland-Chan's employment rate for our 1999 class was 97%, according to an independant third-party valuation. Back to the Checklist.

What is the school's OSAP default rate? The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) publishes its default rates by school each year. The OSAP default rate, being a record of how the school's former students repay their student loans, is considered another indicator of the employment success of a school's graduates. Last year Sutherland-Chan's rate was 1.1%, one of the lowest in the province. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school participate actively in the massage therapy profession? Sutherland-Chan has always demonstrated a commitment to the massage therapy profession above and beyond the private interests of our school. It has been our philosophy since 1978 that what is best for the profession will be good for its schools and its practitioners - our alumni. Of course, Sutherland-Chan benefits as well, because active involvement in the activities and direction of the massage therapy profession helps ensure the relevance and connectedness of our educational processes. Our owner group consists of massage therapists who have multiple years' experience in leadership positions on behalf of our profession. To give a few examples, Grace Chan was the founding President of the American Massage Therapy Association's Foundation, a body whose mission is to fund massage therapy research, and Debra Curties has been President of the AMTA Council of Schools, a well respected organization of massage therapy educators. If you look into who are the current and past leaders of organizations in the massage therapy profession in North America, and who are staffing their committees, you will find that a surprisingly high percentage are Sutherland-Chan alumni. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school meet the Ontario 2200 hour curriculum standard? Yes, we do. If you encounter a school that does not, attending that school would not qualify you to challenge the provincial registration examinations, and you should be aware that it is not 'legitimate' with respect to qualifying you to work professionally as a massage therapist. Back to the Checklist.

How many hours are spent in academic, practical, and clinical components of the program? Our program is just under half academic and just over half practical - in other words, roughly 1000 of our hours are academic classroom hours and 1200 are spent in the practical classroom or in clinical settings. With respect to clinical hours, where students work with public clients, the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario's guideline requires 150 hours. Sutherland-Chan students average 250-280, depending on the Student Clinics and Outreaches they select. Back to the Checklist.

Does the clinical program provide diversity of involvement with many types of clients and health conditions? Sutherland-Chan's clinical program consists of weekly Student Clinic shifts beginning halfway through first year, where students give treatments to clients from the general public, plus a minimum of three different Outreach clinics in second year. Our Outreach program is considered to be one of the best in North America, largely because it offers students great depth and diversity of experience with clients and conditions not routinely seen in Student Clinic. Our clinical program is described in detail in other sections of this website. For more information, click: Diploma Program Overview and Info for Clients. Back to the Checklist.

Does the student have to find clinical/outreach placements, or are they organized by the school? Sutherland-Chan's clinical placements are always designed, organized and administered by the school. Back to the Checklist.

Are all student clinical placements fully supervised by R.M.T.s who are present on-site? Yes, our clinical supervisors are always present in the Clinic or Outreach they are supervising. This is a provincial requirement that we take very seriously for the safety of our students and clients. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school have insurance coverage on students in clinical settings? Yes, we do. A few of our Outreach sites require it, but we have coverage for our students in all settings, both against personal injury and potential injury to clients. We also require our supervisors to have professional liability insurance. Back to the Checklist.

What are the student/teacher ratios in the school's various educational experiences? Our ratios are expressed in maximum allowable numbers - the numbers are often smaller: no more than 75:1 in academic classes no more than 18:1 in practical classes no more than 12:1 in Student Clinic no more than 10:1 in Outreach Back to the Checklist.

Are there opportunities for students to pursue areas of personal interest? Many students arrive at massage school with an area of personal interest in mind for their future practice, for example working with seniors, or with athletes. At Sutherland-Chan there are a number of avenues for pursuing these interests. In the Outreach program students can select their clinics from a wide range of options offering the opportunity to work with clients with a number of lifestyles and medical conditions. In the final term of the program, students also choose elective courses designed to help them pursue personal interests in small class settings (Click here to see this year's elective course line-up). Throughout the program there are also volunteer opportunities to participate in athletic events and other school promotional activities which can provide invaluable hands-on experience and help enhance skills and confidence. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school have good library and study facilities? Most of you who have attended large schools or colleges assume that library and study facilities for students are the norm, but that is not always the case in massage schools. At Sutherland-Chan we have a designated library room which is well stocked with texts, journals, charts, and audiovisuals for student and faculty use. Adjoining the library is a large student study room. Specific classrooms are also designated for group study purposes during lunch hours. Back to the Checklist.

Is there a tutoring program for students who need extra help? Yes, we maintain a list of faculty and students who are qualified and interested in providing tutoring. We help match students with good tutors for them. Back to the Checklist.

Is there a guidance or counselling service? In acknowledgement of the personal challenges our students sometimes face (for example dealing with personal histories of touch abuse, or struggling with examination phobias), along with the daily life stresses that can occur for adult students, Sutherland-Chan provides a confidential counselling service. We have an experienced part-time counsellor, Dr. Lois Kunkel, who has been with Sutherland-Chan since the inception of this service 10 years ago. Each year Lois selects and supervises a group of Masters level students who complete their counselling clinical practicums at our school. Students can utilize the counselling service without charge or worry that their personal issues will become public knowledge. Students are also welcome to seek support and guidance from the Director of Education and our teaching faculty, who are very accessible and open to offering assistance wherever possible to help ensure our students' success. Back to the Checklist.

Do students have a representative voice in school affairs? Our administrators' doors are always open to hear the concerns of our students. In addition, we have a more formal system of guaranteeing that students have a voice in school affairs. Each class elects 1-2 (their choice) class representatives whose role it is to hear and communicate about issues of concern to their classmates. The class representatives play an important role in maintaining good two-way communication between students and school staff. In addition there is a regular monthly meeting of class reps and school faculty and administrators. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school have teachers with strong reputations in the field? Sutherland-Chan is well known for having one of the most talented teaching faculties in massage therapy education. Many of our instructors are acknowledged leaders in their subject areas, and teach continuing education seminars as well as their undergraduate courses. Some are authors of textbooks used throughout North America. Back to the Checklist.

Have most teachers at the school been there for several years? In a time of headlong growth in our profession, characterized by numerous new school openings and rapid teacher turnover, Sutherland-Chan is proud of the maturity and stability of our teaching staff. Two thirds of our teachers have been with us between 5 and 20 years. Back to the Checklist.

Are there massage therapists on the faculty in all subject areas? Yes! This has been an area of focus for us for many years. While some schools will tell you that it is better to have other professionals like doctors and chiropractors teaching the science subjects, we believe that when course instructors are massage therapists they integrate the priorities and points of view of massage therapists into the material they teach. We have a small number of non massage therapist instructors, but we have massage therapists instructing in all subject areas, and over 90% of our faculty are R.M.T.'s. Back to the Checklist.

Are the school's academic policies clearly stated? Is it clear what standards students must meet and what the consequences of failure would be? We have all of these policies laid out in our Evaluation & Standards Policy manual. A copy is provided to all accepted applicants before they sign their contracts. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact Nicole, our Admissions Coordinator at 416-924-1107 ext.23. email:admissions@sutherland-chan.com. Back to the Checklist.

Are students given transcripts/progress reports during the program? Students have the right to receive performance reports throughout their time in a school program. At Sutherland-Chan, students can request progress updates from their instructors at any time. Our students also receive transcripts at the end of each of the four terms. Our experience with students requesting transfers from other massage therapy schools tells us that these policies are not universal. Back to the Checklist.

What is the student success rate on school final exams? Our graduating classes are typically between 100 and 120 students. We seldom have more than 5 students who do not graduate on their first attempt. Students who do not graduate with their class attend a special remediation program and become eligible to challenge the provincial registration exams upon completion. Back to the Checklist.

Does the school help its graduates find employment? We have maintained a job registry book for many years, for which we routinely receive new listings. Senior students and alumni regularly make use of this book for job search purposes. Alumni also have access to job listings posted on our website. We are being approached with increasing frequency by employers who want to work with us directly in order to hire our graduates. Grace Chan, one of our owners, also has a number of professional clinics in the Toronto area. Many of our graduates are employed to work in these clinics. A large number of our alumni prefer to become self employed in their own individual or group practices. In many cases they team up with classmates or Sutherland-Chan alumni in their communities, so the school connection is often very strong in helping them to get established as well. Back to the Checklist.

Is there a continuing education program for alumni? Yes, Sutherland-Chan Continuing Education offers postgraduate courses for R.M.T.s. Our graduates can also come back to the school to take Term 4 electives they may have missed or in which they have subsequently developed an interest. Back to the Checklist.