School For Massage Therapy: Requirements And Areas Of Interests

Most of us have the desire to help others. But in deciding a career, this desire is sometimes lost or neglected. Most of the time, a career choice is made because of how much it can potentially pay or how secure a job is in the long run. Rarely is it a factor to get into a certain career because of the desire to meet and help others.

But one career is universal when it comes to the satisfaction of meeting and helping others, the massage therapist. Aside for the passion in helping and serving people, many massage therapists cite flexibility as one of the reasons why they love their job. They have the ability to be independent (after building a client base) or work for spas, rehab centers, and hospitals. If they're self-employed, they can setup their own shop or do house calls. Some even provide corporate benefits and provide services where people work. It all depends on the rules setup by local regulations that govern the practice.

How to become a massage therapist?

The practice of massage therapy is regulated by local governments, ie. cities, counties, municipalities. In most states, a formal training and a national certification are required.

The formal massage therapy training is usually 500 hours of instructions from a school approved by the NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork). This same group also provides the two national certification tests, the NCETM (National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage) and the NCETMB (National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork). The necessary certification to take depends on the local regulators.

The best thing to do is call the local authority where you intend to practice and ask what you'll need.

What to look for in a massage therapy college?

To be a licensed massage therapist, you'll need a formal instructions. Simply put, "go to school". When looking for a massage therapy college, might as well take into consideration what the national exam covers, since you'll be taking it later on.

The NCETM and the NCETMB standardized national massage therapy exams cover the following areas:

- General knowledge of body systems
- Detailed knowledge of anatomy, physiology and kinesiology
- Pathology
- Therapeutic assessment
- Therapeutic application
- Professional standards, ethics, business and legal practices

Furthermore, the NCBTMB requires a minimum of 500 hours with the following breakdown:

- 125 hours of body systems (anatomy, physiology and kinesiology)
- 200 hours of massage and bodywork assessment, theory and application
- 40 hours of pathology
- 10 hours of business and ethics (minimum of 6 hours in ethics)
- 125 hours of additional instruction in an area or related field that theoretically completes the massage program of study

Obviously the two criterias are the same because they're outlined by the same group. So in selecting the school for massage therapy to attend, you must first understand the local requirements of the area you intend to practice. Most likely, it's the above.

Hence, the school you select should prepare you for the massage therapy exam and meet the minimum requirements of the NCBTMB.

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