Massage Therapy as a Profession

Still to this day, most people have very little idea how much hard work and talent is involved in becoming a massage therapist. Massage therapists must demonstrate a high degree of functionality in many areas, including:

• physical stamina and fine motor coordination
• clinical knowledge and judgement
• good communication and interpersonal skills
• trustworthiness and professionalism

The type of person who chooses to become a massage therapist is someone who combines an interest in people and health, a commitment to community service and people-centred alternatives, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Many of Sutherland-Chan's students are making career changes, having found that they prefer to have more control over their work and more opportunities to help effect meaningful change in peoples' lives.

The profession of massage therapy in Ontario is governed under the Regulated Health Professions Act and the Massage Therapy Act. This legislation mandates a regulatory body, called the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), to oversee the practice of massage therapy in our province. It is made up of 6 professional members elected by the Registered Massage Therapists (R.M.T.) in Ontario, and 5 public members appointed by the provincial government.

One way the CMTO regulates massage therapy is by providing a common curriculum for schools to follow. The Ontario Core Curriculum establishes mandated subject areas and competencies while still allowing schools:

• to design their own program and delivery methods
• to pursue their own particular areas of excellence

For example, Sutherland-Chan offers elective courses and an extensive on-site and off-site specialty program which exceed core curriculum expectations.

The CMTO's primary mandate is to protect the public. It does so by conducting entry-to-practice examinations for massage therapy school graduates and offshore applicants who wish to become registered to practise massage therapy in Ontario. Once you have completed your schooling, passing these examinations is the final step before becoming an R.M.T. The CMTO also conducts regular evaluations of massage therapy practitioners via its Quality Assurance program, and disciplines massage therapists if necessary. You can visit their website at http://www.cmto.com.

The OMTA: our professional organization in Ontario

The Ontario Massage Therapists Association (OMTA) is a professional organization whose purposes include:

The OMTA offers a student membership at a very reasonable rate, and provides various types of advice and practical support for new practitioners as they become practising R.M.T.s. You can visit the OMTA's web site at http://www.omta.com.

The Flexibility and Portability of your

Massage Therapy Education

You may be wondering about the portability of massage therapy or in other words, how easy it is to move and set up practice in other jurisdictions. Massage therapy is a wonderful profession in that it can meet the needs of the person who wants to settle into a stable practice as well as those who want to travel the world on a cruise ship or with a professional sports team.

In North America, massage therapy is typically regulated by province or state, and each one has its own set of requirements. However, Ontario graduates, coming from a province with a mandated 2200 hour program, generally find that the requirements of other jurisdictions are easily met. The exception is British Columbia (3000 hours), where Ontario graduates must take a 'bridging course' to cover the additional curricular and practical hours needed. Massage therapy educational programs in the United States range between 500-1500 hours. In some cases Ontario graduates can get immediate reciprocity; in others straightforward examinations must be passed. The United States also has a national certification body, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). Its examination is increasingly being used as a method for meeting state licensing requirements. For more information, you can visit their website at ncbtmb.org.

Massage therapy is a growing profession with an exciting future. In addition to our traditional arenas of employment (private and group practices, fitness and health clubs, hotels and spas, chiropractic and naturopathic offices, athletic venues, rehabilitation centres) we are seeing expansion of work opportunities into direct medical care environments such as hospitals, chronic care facilities, and medical practices. This has underscored for us that research must be one of our key areas of growth in the coming years. Massage therapy is a research-poor profession that needs new practitioners who have a drive to engage in activities that will move our profession forward in the 21st century. Become an R.M.T. and help us grow!