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| I THINK WE NEED A HAND. |
A
model act is a draft of suggested occupational licensing that is written with the intention of
providing an example for legislation. A special interest group, a lawyers'
conference, or a government agency may draft a model act. The goal is that the
model act will be passed into law by local, state, or federal governments.
For
Massage the Federation of State Massage Boards is creating the model practice act. https://www.fsmtb.org/userfiles/PDFs/MPA_Inaugural_Meeting_Press_Release_032811.pdf
There
are a couple of organizations that help
create model practice act legislation.
The
National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) works to
propose model act legislation in the United States. The NCCUSL is a group of
attorneys appointed by states who write model legislation for states, focusing
on areas of statutory law. The model legislation provided by this organization
strives to be non-partisan.
The
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is another organization known for
writing model legislation. ALEC is conservative and has both private members
and state legislators as members. At its three annual meetings, ALEC’s members
vote on proposed model legislation. From there, the model legislation goes to
the organization's board of directors. If the board approves it, the draft
becomes an official model bill.
I
do not know if the Federation of state massage boards is using such a group but it would seem to be
a good idea.
Model licensure for massage therapy is is a good concept.
The massage community needs to be active in the development. The most current aspect of the development of
a model practice act is the Entry Level Analysis Project. The Federation of State Massage Boards
actually has a task force about ELAP which interests me. https://www.fsmtb.org/content/?id=36.
I thought the ELAP idea came from the Leadership group of the massage
professional organizations. I tried to
find out more information about the Federation task force but it was not
available at least to my searches. A
main goal of the ELAP is to inform the Federation for the development of the
Model Practice Act for massage which seems to be the end result of the
endeavor. A model practice act will define massage, set educational standards,
set forth scope of practice and be the platform of standards of practice. My educated guess is that many in the massage
there community do not understand the process or ramifications of this project.
I searched around and found the procedures and information
for the development Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The pathway is very
similar to massage therapy so instead of reinventing the wheel I suggest the
massage community learn from them. HERE
IS SOME GENERAL INFORMATION. I ENCOURAGE
YOU TO CLICK THE LINKS AND READ THE DOCUMENTS. NOTE: CAPS INDICATE MY THOUGHTS.
The National EMS Scope of Practice Model defines and
describes four levels of EMS licensure: Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency
Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT (AEMT), and Paramedic. Each level
represents a unique role, set of skills, and knowledge base. National EMS Education
Standards will be developed for each level. When used in conjunction with the National
EMS Core Content, National EMS Certification, and National EMS Education Program
Accreditation, the National EMS Scope of Practice Model and the National EMS Education
Standards create a strong and interdependent system that will provide the foundation
to assure the competency of out-of-hospital emergency medical personnel throughout the
United States.
I AM NOT SUGGESTING A TIERED SYSTEM FOR MASSAGE BUT I AM NOT
DISCOURAGING IT EITHER. IT COULD WORK. Following is a link to the information and I
suggest you read it keeping massage therapy in mind.
Here are some clips from the document. See if this does not
sound like massage therapy. Remember the document is for EMS ok.
“identify 39 different licensure levels between the EMT
and Paramedic levels. This patchwork of EMS personnel
certifications has created
considerable problems, including but not limited to:
• public confusion;
• reciprocity challenges;
• limited professional mobility; and
• decreased efficiency due to duplication of effort. “
“The National EMS Scope of Practice Model supports a system
of licensure common in
other allied health professions. Such a system offers the
following benefits:
• establishes national standards for the minimum psychomotor
skills and
knowledge for EMS personnel;
• improves consistency among States’ scopes of practice;
• facilitates reciprocity;
• improves professional mobility;
• promotes consistency of EMS personnel titles; and
• improves the name recognition and public understanding of
EMS personnel.
The licensure of EMS personnel, like that of other health
care licensure systems, is part of an integrated and comprehensive system to improve patient
care and safety and to protect the public. The challenge facing the EMS community
is to develop a system that establishes national standards for personnel
licensure and their minimum competencies while remaining flexible enough to
meet the unique needs of State and local jurisdictions. This document recognizes
the need for “freedom within limits.” ( I LIKE THIS)
“In 1993, the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT) released the
National Emergency
Medical Services Education and Practice Blueprint. The
Blueprint defined an EMS
educational and training system that would provide both the
flexibility and structure
needed to guide the development of national standard
training curricula and guide the
issuance of licensure and certification by the individual
States.”
MASSAGE THERAPY STILL DOES NOT HAVE THIS.
THIS IS INTERESTING.
As a relatively young discipline, EMS has a limited research
base which makes it
difficult to make evidence-based decisions; however, this
project was guided by research
whenever possible. The development process used the National
EMS Core Content,
State EMS office and medical director surveys, the National
EMS Practice Analysis, the
National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) pilot project data,
the Longitudinal EMT
Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS), and peer-reviewed
literature where
appropriate.
The Scope of Practice Model was also influenced by extensive
literature review of other
professions, systematic analysis of policy documents
regarding health care licensing and
patient safety, presentations by other allied health
credentialing bodies, and crossprofessional
and international comparative analysis.
Statistical analysis and research on patient safety, scope
of practice, and EMS personnel
competency must become a priority among the leadership of
national associations,
Federal agencies, and research institutions. When EMS data
collection, subsequent
analysis, and scientific conclusions are published and
replicated, later versions of the
National EMS Scope of Practice Model should be driven by
those findings.
I THINK THE ELAP PROJECT IS KIND OF TRY TO DO THIS BUT I
WONDER WHY CURRENT MASSAGE LEGISLATION WAS NOT INCLUDED AS PART OF THE
DATA. ALSO I HOPE THAT WE ALSO DO - extensive literature review of
other professions, systematic analysis of policy documents regarding health
care licensing and patient safety, presentations by other allied health
credentialing bodies, and cross professional and international comparative
analysis.
The National EMS Education Standards are not a stand-alone
document. EMS education
programs will incorporate each element of the education
system proposed in the Education
Agenda. These elements include:
• National EMS Core Content
• National EMS Scope of Practice
• National EMS Education Standards
• National EMS Certification
• National EMS Program Accreditation
This integrated system is essential to achieving the goals
of program efficiency, consistency of
instructional quality, and student competence as outlined in
the Education Agenda.
For the purpose of this model, one licensure level is substantially
different from other
licensure levels in:
• Skills
• Practice environment
• Knowledge
• Qualifications
• Services provided
• Risk
• Level of supervisory responsibility
• Amount of autonomy
• Judgment/critical thinking/decision
making.
The National EMS Education Standards comprise four
components :
1. Competency - This statement represents the minimum
competency required for entry-level personnel at each licensure level.
2. Knowledge Required to Achieve Competency - This
represents an elaboration of the knowledge within each competency (when
appropriate) that entry-level personnel would need to master in order to
achieve competency.
3. Clinical Behaviors/Judgments - This section describes the clinical behaviors
and judgments essential for entry-level EMS personnel at each licensure level.
4. Educational Infrastructure - This section describes the support standards
necessary for conducting EMS training programs at each licensure level.
Course Length
Course length is based on competency,
not hours
Course material can be delivered
in multiple formats including
but not limited to:
• Independent student preparation
• Synchronous/Asynchronous distributive
education
• Face-to-face instruction
• Pre- or co-requisites
At the EMT-Basic
level, training includes instruction in assessing patients' conditions, dealing
with trauma and cardiac emergencies, clearing obstructed airways, using field
equipment, and handling emergencies. Formal
courses include about 100 hours of specialized training. Some training may
be required in a hospital or ambulance setting. The EMT-Intermediate 1985 or
EMT-Intermediate 1999 level, also known as the Advanced EMT level, typically
requires 1,000 hours of training based
on the scope of practice. At this level, people must complete the training
required at the EMT level, as well as more advanced training, such as training
in the use of complex airway devices, intravenous fluids, and some medications.
Paramedics
have the most advanced level of training. They must complete EMT-level and
Advanced EMT training, as well as training in advanced medical skills.
Community colleges and technical schools may offer this training, in which
graduates may receive an associate's degree. Paramedic programs require about 1,300 hours of training and may take
up to 2 years. Their broader scope of practice may include stitching wounds
or administering IV medications.
So what does this mean for us
right now? Here is my take on it.
Model legislation will define who
we are and what we do (scope of practice) .
Model legislation will direct
educational content and delivery
ELAP was meant to inform
development of model legislation
We need to organize our definition
of massage, our competencies, our body of knowledge and our core educational
content into a unified statement.
The EMS model gives us an idea
about how other occupations did these things.
We should be using “outside of the
massage community” experts to help us do this.
WE NEED TO BE INFORMED
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
