Whew... it's been a while. But at least it's because I've been busy!
There was an interesting question posted in the "Massage Instructors" group on LinkedIn.
How much education does a massage therapist need?
We all know that different states have different clock hour requirements for entry into the profession (where there are requirements at all). What do you think is the minimum education for an entry-level therapist? Is there a need for an associate's level degree? What about for educators?
Here was my reply:
Minimum Requirements
I think the entry-level requirement varies with the intent of the work. I think that a 2-tier system for licensing requirements is appropriate and wish they'd keep it here in CA instead of eventually switching to a single 500-hour requirement.
In general, I am in favor of higher standards, but I also know that there are many good relaxation-massage practitioners out there. They don't have a corrective intent, can't do a SOAP chart to save their life, but they do have a role in simple relaxation massage. I think that the 250-hour "massage practioner" requirement just passed in CA is appropriate for this level of practice. I know of a school or two that under the current system only teaches a 100-hour program; enough to learn a set sequence, but very little in the way of pathology, anatomy, physiology, ethics, or professionalism.
Advanced Training?
On the other hand, for a corrective intent, I think that 500-hours might still not be enough. At least for a broad, fundamental program that teaches the basics. 100 hours is enough for teaching chair massage or a basic swedish sequence, but a student can't become proficient in deep tissue or sports massage in such a short time. Unless they have prior training of course. I think it might be more effective to categorize programs as fundamental or advanced training programs. Although standardization across all curriculum can have it's problems, I think it could be valuable to establish some levels of training this way.
Degree Programs
As for Associates Degrees, I think it is a good move. A post-secondary degree is becoming more and more necessary in today's work-force. Heck, I see ads for receptionist positions these days that require a Bachelor's! I can see that in the future an AS or BS will be the new minimum standard instead of a high school diploma. I always encourage my students to take advantage of their opportunity to get their AS (it is optional at my school) as it opens a lot of doors for them in the future.
Educator Standards
And finally, as for educators, I think there is a real need for high standards here. I kind of got thrown into teaching and was fortunate that I had prior teaching experience in martial arts. But I now know that there is a significant difference between being a good massage therapist and being a good massage instructor. Teaching material and using it are not the same beast. I am really glad that the ABMP now has a course in Teaching Massage. It is an awesome resource and I'm happy that somebody recognized the need for teacher training.
I do think that as a profession, we need to do a better job of defining what the essential knowledge that a massage therapist needs to be effective. As it stands now the most we have is some requirements for some accreditations that say we need to spend a certain number of hours on a particular subject, not what needs to be taught during those hours. I personally am in favor of educators being held to a higher standard than just practitioners - they should have had at least as much training as they are teaching and experience to boot AND they should have (or get) some training in how to teach as well.
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