A question from the LinkedIn Massage Instructor's Forum involving the creating of a program curriculum. I thought it would be good to add here as well...

Thank you Michael for the opportunity to expand the conversation. We are looking at about a 750 hour course. The intention is to create a program that is at the forefront of massage education, equipping students with what they will need to be effective and successful in the coming years in a new economy.

Some of the specs... I'd like to create a bridge for the graduates to understand the language and relate with doctors and other mainstream medical professionals in the care of people who are already being treated within the western medical model -- that would be most of the population. Along with that, students will graduate with the technical training to treat clients who present with a variety of clinical diagnoses and be able to refer to others when they have reached the limit of their scope of practice. To equip them, I want to integrate training in Neuromuscular Therapy, Myofasical Release, MET, PNF, orthopedic assessments, and other modalities

During the past ten years, I have seen a trend continually moving toward a more integrated medical model that includes what we talk about as "alternative" along side the "western". It wasn't too long ago that chiropractic care was where massage therapy is now. Unless a massage therapist is only interested in doing stress-relief massage, they will need a greater understanding of and ability to relate within the larger medical system in the United States. So, they need their bearings in that world.

I also want the training to encompass an appreciation for and competence in a variety of energetic modalities as well. It really is apparent that all bodywork is energy work, regardless of how "clinical" or "medical" the approach. Cultivating intuition and creativity I think will go a long way to put graduates in a strategic place to do well and meet some of the needs that other medical professionals don't have the training to address.

So Michael, considering this perspective, yes, I do want to develop a broad eastern-western program. I wonder how others who have existing programs might be adapting or altering what they teach to be relevant within our changing world. That is the basis of this conversation. Thank you all for contributing.

Here was my response:

In my experience teaching programs of 720 and 620 hours ranges, you will be a little hard-pressed to fit all of that in and still cover it at the depth you would probably like. Have you taught and developed curriculum before?

It sounds to me that you have a focus on western massage styles and integration with health care. I think that you will have time to cover most of what you mention there at sufficient depth in a fundamental program. An initial question I might ask is are you taking students from zero to hero? Will they have a background in massage already or are they starting from scratch?

For the moment, I'm assuming you are talking about a fundamental program and not an advanced one.

I think the challenge you will find is that orthopedic assessment is certainly a process for students and one that takes a long time to develop. It certainly is in the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy and you have to lay a strong foundation of the fundamentals before they can even begin to synthesize them and apply them in this process. Question. Are you looking at a sequential program or a modular one? That can make a difference in how you choose to address this challenge.

With everything that you are talking about, another big challenge that you mention is the language to relate with other medical professionals. Learning all of this language and vocabulary is a huge mountain for most students to climb - it quite literally is a new language for most students. Try to be realistic about how you balance all of the new terms with the expectation that they also understand the concepts, how to use the word, and eventually being able to relate that word/concept to the others that they have learned as well.

I teach a modular program that includes 5 classes that a student can start at any point and take in any order. We have swedish, zen shiatsu, deep tissue, sports, and a chair/business development module.

From experience, the more you emphasize the western clinical model, the more time it seems to take away from eastern/energetic. I find that spending time with the zen shiatsu is incredibly beneficial - but it is an entirely different language and mode of thinking than the western medical model.

Business as well is a large skill-set that many students don't have and need to be successful. You have to know how much time you will need to spend on professionalism skills. It won't do any good if they have amazing technical skills if they don't know the professional mind-set to be a team-member, how to manage money, or even dress/speak on the job. Just teaching the medical terminology isn't enough if they don't know how to put a sentence together in plain english.

I know that this is a lot, but I can probably narrow it down to:

1. What is the starting level of your students - technically, educationally, and professionally?
2. You have a limited amount of time to accomplish your goals, what are the most important things you'd like them to be able to do when they walk out the door?

Mike

I'll continue to follow this discussion here, so stay tuned!

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