Sunday, October 26, 2014

MOVING FORWARD.



 

It has been a busy time in the massage community.  Let’s just recap important issues.

1.      Massage therapy leadership organizations appear to be working together.

2.      Content necessary for entry level education determined -ELAP

3.      Hours for entry level education- ELAP

4.      Federation Model Practice Act released-

5.      Federation of State Massage Board and National Certification Board agree that MBLEX only licensing exam.

6.      National Certification Board becomes authentic certification organization with Board Certification documenting education and experience beyond entry level and pathway to college degrees.

 

Commentary


1.             Massage therapy leadership organizations appear to be working together.

This is a real advancement. There had better be diligence in this group to contain the power of the Federation of State Massage Boards.

2.                Content necessary for entry level education determined –ELAP

Not Perfect.  I can live with it.  My advice to the entry level educators—get over thinking entry level education content is something unique.  We should all be teaching same content at entry level.  Quality comes from HOW the information is delivered-NOT WHAT THE INFORMATION IS.

3.                Hours for entry level education- ELAP

Kind of weird but necessary for the Model Practice Act. The major reason for the ELAP was to provide support for the Model Practice Act. I hope you all understand that. 625 hours is reasonable for entry level. You also realize that the hours had to be more than 500 right- otherwise why spend LOTS OF MONEY to develop the ELAP.  I wonder just how much money it cost and where did most of it come from—Maybe the Federation of State Massage Boards- Just wondering.

4.                Federation Model Practice Act released-

Again all—this has been the agenda for years.  And since it has the potential to be the LAW -- well what more needs to be pointed out.  That being said, I am not opposed to the MPA in general.  I just hate it when hidden agendas sneak in. I screamed about conflict of interest during the ELAP development and been warning about the MPA for a long time.  I read on Facebook( reliable source ha) that the Federation received 1300 comment during the public comment period.  WHAT! SHAME ON THE MASSAGE COMMUNITY! There should have been many more comments. And SHAME ON THE FEDERATION for how they just sort of slide the comment period in and then slide in some serious changes that were not it the first draft.  I troll for information and almost missed it. Thank goodness I found it and had FACEBOOK as a platform for letting others know.  This is may be the most broad sweeping development affecting the future. 

5.                Federation of State Massage Board and National Certification Board agree that MBLEX only licensing exam.

This is a good move if there is a major massage community support for Board Certification.  The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork MUST survive.  This is the platform for future of massage excellence—not licensure.

6.                National Certification Board becomes authentic certification organization with Board Certification documenting education and experience beyond entry level and pathway to college degrees.

This is excellent and this organization MUST have the massage community’s support.  They have relinquished the ties with the past and projecting into the future.  There remains a mess to clean up from the past but that was then and this is now.

 

Areas of REAL concern.

 

1.      Federation of State Massage Boards agenda for institutional accreditation for massage entry level education

2.      Institutionally accredited corporate based financial aid funded schools being investigated by Federal Government for fraud.

3.      Lack of programmatic approval for Entry Level education for all state licensed massage therapy schools that does not involve any relationship to the burden of institutional accreditation and business operations oversight.

4.      Lack of focused representation of the small massage only  independent schools.

5.      Potential for unequal power distribution to the Federation of State Massage Boards.

 

 

Commentary

 

 

1.                Federation of State Massage Boards agenda for institutional accreditation for massage entry level education


Institutional Accreditation is broken and will not provide oversight for determined entry level educational content.  WHY would the Federation of State Massage Boards include this cloaked agenda in the Model Practice Act when it is clear that the entire institutional accreditation system is falling apart?

2.                Institutionally accredited corporate based financial aid funded schools being investigated by Federal Government for fraud.


It is evident that the financial aid system and the current accreditation process if flawed.  WHY would massage therapy education attach to this mess?

3.                Lack of programmatic approval for Entry Level education for all state licensed massage therapy schools that does not involve any relationship to the burden of institutional accreditation and business operations oversight.

COMTA-Commission on Massage Training and Accreditation can and should provide a programmatic approval process that assures that at entry level the content described by the ELAP is effectively presented in massage education programs.  PERIOD!

4.                Lack of focused representation of the small massage only independent schools.

The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education has dropped the ball in this arena and needs to regroup and do a much better job is assuring that this very important segment of massage therapy training is represented and protected. SCHOOL OWNERS—ATTENTION! THIS IS OUR OWN FAULT.  The Alliance is an all-volunteer organization and not subsidized by any organization.  In fact, the AMTA and ABMP both have competing segments which undermines the Alliance. A standing committee of massage school owners with representation of the Alliance board needs to be formed. SMALL SCHOOL OWNERS- WE NEED TO GET OFF OUR BUTT AND GET TO THE EDUCATIONAL CONGRESS AND GET ORGANIZED. The 2015 Educational Congress meetings will take place over 8 days July 21-28 with the main portion of the conference with exhibition hall will only be July 23, 24, and 25. The event will be held at The Commons Hotel in Minneapolis, MN located on the University of Minnesota Campus .http://www.afmte.org/afmte-conference/

5.                Potential for unequal power distribution to the Federation of State Massage Boards.

I see this issue being one of the most pressing in the massage community right now.  The current power balance is disturbed and the Federation of State Massage Boards needs to be carefully monitored.  This is problematic since this organization does not answer to the massage community as a whole. The general population cannot become members or have a voice and now that the MBLEX is the designated licensing exam (which I am ok with) have LOTS OF MONEY.  As individuals we all need to be active at our individual state levels. This is the only avenue we have.  I CHALLENGE THE MASSAGE LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATIONS TO MAINTAIN THE BALANCE OF POWER. 

 

 

 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

CHECKING THINGS OFF MY LIST.


 

 

I have been a massage therapist for a really long time. It has been 35 years now.  I have owned a. massage therapy school for 30 year and do a majority of the teaching these days.  In retrospect I and others who have been in the trenches for years can finally see some progression in the massage therapy quest for unity and a move forward in professional development.  Following are developments that allow me to check some things off my massage therapy wish list.

1.      The umbrella of the Coalition of Massage Therapy Leadership Organizations. There is still cooperative work to be done especially related to duplication of efforts.  The most blaring at this time is AMTA and ABMP persisting in offering school meetings. This really needs to stop and support put behind the Alliance.  I will applaud the ABMP for not offering a school issues forum next year and instead putting support behind the Educational Congress co-sponsored by the Alliance and COMTA

2.      The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education.   This organization is essential for supporting quality massage therapy education.  The organization does need to better serve massage therapy schools.  This educational sector kind of got pushed to the side with the Teacher Standards Project but we have to remember that the Alliance is a volunteer organization. Those that want better representation for massage schools- especially the independent, massage- only schools, need to work better together within the Alliance.

3.      Board Certification for Massage Therapy.  I have always felt that licensing should come prior to Certification and pushed for a Model Practice Act to support licensing years ago.  Well it didn’t happen that way and years of confusion resulted.  Now that the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork is supporting the MBLEX as the one licensing exam and putting all effort behind Board Certification, I am happy.  The Federation of State Massage Boards and the rest of the massage organizations had better support the National Certification Board during this transition.  Board Certification MUST be successful for the massage profession to continue to evolve. 

4.      One licensing exam- MBLEX. No more infighting.  We need to monitor the Federation of State Massage Boards.  This group wields a lot of power.

5.      A Model Practice Act. It is true that I had a fit and rightly so over the mandated accreditation clause but I can live with the final draft that appears to support and movement toward programmatic approval.

6.      A definition of massage. The Model Practice Act, the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge and the Entry Level Analysis Project defined massage and as typical for the profession all the definitions are different but they are really close. I like the Model Practice Act definition the best.

7.      Recommendations for a standardized curriculum. The Entry Level Analysis Project -ELAP- provides a foundation for curriculum development.  It is not perfect but it is close enough. Schools and teachers should be using this document.

8.      A career pathway to a Bachelor’s of Applied Science degree. I have worked on this for over 22 years.  My massage school, Health Enrichment Center had an articulation agreement with Siena Heights University over 20 years ago for transfer credit into their applied science degree. I accredited my massage therapy school with Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges to support the articulation.  I lived the demise of the institutional accreditation process and finally let it go after 15 years. Very sad but--------My dream for a bachelor’s degree was reborn with the agreement between the National Certification Board and Siena Heights University to award college credit based on Board Certification.  YES! 33 credits.

9.      And—I love the Massage Therapy Foundation.

So what is left on my list?

1.      The leadership coalition must support an independent biomechanics and ergonomics analysis for massage practice.  There is no excuse for this not being done.  It must be done outside the massage community.  We as a group are too biased.

2.      COMTA being able to provide a quality yet user-friendly and affordable programmatic approval for massage therapy schools that does not involve institutional accreditation or compliance with standards that burden schools that do not accept federal financial aid.

3.      The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education and the National Certification Board developing together a massage therapy educator specialty certification.

4.      The massage community embracing the process of excellence and massage therapists becoming Board Certified. Let go of the past and seek the future. Once a critical mass of massage therapist are board certified, then I want the National Certification Board ,with support from the massage organizations, specifically the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education to develop and administer specialty certifications.

5.      Massage entry level training and practice remaining in the vocational education sector. This level of education allows individuals to begin a massage career. However, those with entry level education at the 625 contact hours following ELAP standards must realize the limits of what can be taught in this time period and what are realistic  income expectations based on that educational standard.  I support employment for entry level massage based on an hourly wage of $15 per hour on site- not per massage.  This means that an entry level massage salary would be $600 per week gross based on a 40 hour work week.

6.      I want massage therapist with Board Certification to be paid more based on experience and commitment to excellence and ongoing increases in wages as experience and ongoing continuing education occur.

7.      I want massage to be affordable to the general public outside the health care insurance system.  I also want massage inside the health care system to be covered by insurance so that these organizations and corporations can hire massage therapists at a salary that reflects additional education, Board Certification and experience.

8.      I want the infighting to stop. I want massage therapy to be seen as a compassionate, skilled, artful, intuitive service and career based on justifiable criteria based on realistic expectations for outcomes and not based on opinion, guru’s, gimmicks and goofy claims.   I want massage to be therapeutic massage and not pushed to some sort of mini physical therapy or athletic training or psychology or counseling or spiritual practice.  If you want to do all the physical therapy stuff then commit to the education to become a physical therapist.  The same can be said for the rest. If you are going to be a massage therapist, then be an excellent massage therapist and respect and work together with other professionals.

 

 

We have come a long way.  Let’s celebrate and continue to work together. Be proactive. Monitor and hold to task the leadership organizations. Remain informed and be encouraged.  I am.