Is distance education appropriate for the field of massage therapy?
On November 16 of 2007, NCBTMB announced their acceptance of distance education as a credible component of Massage Therapy and Bodywork Training. Since that time, many schools and individuals have voiced their concerns and questions. The question of whether to offer distance education in massage therapy raises many questions while at the same time presenting many opportunities. What do you think about the potential of distance education for students studying massage therapy/bodywork?
May 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I think it’s a great thing for people who have trouble scheduling classroom time every day — single parents, folks who live far from a brick and mortar school, etc.
May 26th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I think it’s wonderful! I just completed my first “home study” course which I found to be challenging & interesting.
I certainly hope that this new program is here to stay!
May 28th, 2008 at 8:57 am
DE can be considered a very good thing, it is the wave of the future. However, as an educator, there are certain things that cannot be taught online. Hands-on examples and practice are needed. Learning massage online is akin to learning to type on a paper keyboard. Plus, there are some dishonest folks who are allowing someone else to take the schooling and tests for them. Until we work out those bugs, we cannot seriously consider DE as a F2F equal in the bodywork field.
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I completed my first DE Course in April / 2008. Having the ability to use the money I save for my courses going exactly for the course and not the travel and room & board expenses is wonderful. Not everyone can just get up and go. My time to really study the course as well as apply the hands on techniques allows me to get deeper into what I am learning. If I need more hands on understanding I will seek it out. The convenience is a fit for me.
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
I speak from a practicing MT, educator, and MT educator’s point of view: I think in the long run that DE courses do a disservice to the industry. The quality of the nature of massage therapy declines as DE courses are more and more the choice of practitioners that do not make the time to fulfill a standard of service: hands on learning.
I think making time to “be” a professional is critical in delivering the service that our clients expect from a certificant. “Hands On” is the nature of our profession. Just as we do not expect surgeons (a “hands on” profession) to learn by distance and then practice on their patients, we also cannot expect our instructors or MTs to not have hands on experience when teaching us a modality over distance or performing a massage - we expect the best and most value for our money and the credentialing agency that establishes their expertise should also. Do our clients expect us to never have practiced on a body (for taking DE courses) when we charge the rates we charge? I think one answer is they expect us to be proficient - hands on learning facilitates that key element in claiming we are practicing within our scope and have been critiqued and guided by our live instructor(s).
On the other hand, without some DE opportunities, many MTs would not otherwise be able to get the education they need to keep the credentials they need in this industry or want and have decided are the best fit for advertising and affiliating their professional image with excellence. I understand the need for convenience, inexpensive, and accessible CE opportunities.
Right now, a certificant can submit all DE credits for renewal of their NCTM or NCTMB accreditation. I believe that a percentage of DE credits of the whole 48 should be accepted as viable learning and practice tools for recertification purposes. MTs need to establish a commitment to the “best” care for our clients by integrating hands-on training in our careers. Our professional relationship with the NCB is a choice in many cases, sometimes it is a requirement of the local jurisdiction - some state licensing boards require CEs (of any approved type, DE or F2F) and the level of proficiency of their licensees is the state board’s responsibility. I think the NCB sets a standard for the industry and would hope that states and local jurisdictions would follow suit.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Massage Therapy itself should definitely be taught in person, there’s just no other real way to become competent with the application of massage. However, 500 hours are required, and not all those are massage modalities. Classes such as aromatherapy, anatomy and physiology, pathology, and business and ethics could feasibly be taught at a distance.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
While I think the initial training of therapists needs to be hands-on with an instructor, I certainly feel that there is a place for distance education with regard to continuing education hours. Citing myself as an example, my father was diagnosed with throat cancer and because I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible (and there were lots of doctor visits to which I accompanied him), lack of my own free time (and constant schedule changes) made it difficult to attend any scheduled event and certainly not one that was out of town. Form me to have completed my continuing education requirement without distance education would’ve been quite cumbersome and difficult. Also, for individuals who are not more centrally located (i.e., near a larger city), distance education serves a huge need (seldom do approved providers venture into the smaller towns and less populated areas for a lecture/seminar). Further, some individuals’ schedules (as well as cost) preclude them from attending the classes which are available usually on the weekends (Saturdays are one of my busiest days and one when most CE classes are scheduled).
July 9th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Corrin…
One should guard against preaching to young people success in the customary form as the main aim in life. The most important motive for work in school and in life is pleasure in work, pleasure in its result and the knowledge of the value of the result …
July 10th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I believe DE is an excellent tool for massage and bodywork professionals to stay abreast of their field of work !
July 10th, 2008 at 11:17 am
However Initial training in the field of Massage and BodyWork requires HANDS ON AND SUPERVISED coursework. After one has completed the required amount of hours in an Hands on program with reputable instructors , I do feel that DE is a helpful and essential tool for Massage And BodyWork Professionals to stay abreast in their chosen field.
July 17th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I love it. Free enterprise in the market place. Has anyone attended their state board meetings lately? You would wonder if there is any educational cohesiveness in the field. With the price of gas, and jobs on the line, makes a perfect time for DE for this confused profession. The same quality of education applies to “brick & mortar” as “click & mortar” education. Just because you go to class in a physical setting does not mean the level of education is conveyed and consumed any differently, if at all. All studies lead to the general concensus that the learner is actually more engaged in their own learning, when the responsibility of learning falls with the student. DE if properly implemented can engage all learners; visual, audio and mechanical learners. Hands on proficiency is an acquired experience. Why have continuing education seminars? What can possible be learned in a day or two? To introduce the aspect and then to practice it for proficiency. It is the field experience that follows that proves, or disproves a technique, or success of learning. Most massage school accept anyone who is breathing, including those with an “entrance exam”. This may also explain for the short life of a full time massage therapist. In my opinion, massage should be marketed as a part time profession, not intended to pay all the bills, if one still wants a life. It’s not brain surgery, it’s massage. What made it dangerous is all the branches from the good ole standard of Swedish massage that was taught across the board when I went to massage school, many moons ago. Yahoo! Massage meets the future.
July 17th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I have been a massage therapist for nearly 15 years. I firmly believe that to be a massage therapist you need to learn how each subject is applied to the working with individual humans. I have had anatomy and physiology at a University and in the massage class room. Both are taught very differently for each purpose it is to be used. I think the original credits for becoming a massage therapist should be hands on. There is so much to learn in how to apply the learning to the body work, how to find the landmarks with your fingers on all sizes and shapes of a real body, how a person actually responds to aromatherapy, how to notice the subtle clues the client gives in relation to how they feel vs what they say, and so much more. There is only one class that could be distant and that is business or how to build a business.
I also believe that once a person is licensed they should be able to count weekend seminars or DE as CEUs.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:10 am
Distance learning would be a horrible way to learn massage. There is just no substitute for brick and mortar or apprenticeship training when entering the field. In my opinion, DE is appropriate for continuing education only. Recently, FL decided to require F2F for a percentage of CEU’s. Some LMT’s I spoke to thought this bonanza for massage schools was a good thing because massage education should be “hands-on.” Any practicing massage therapist gets plenty of hands-on. Many times–too much. DE CEU’s in surgery are quite common. Why would I be held to a higher standard than that? Or is the distance learning CEU’s taking a chunk out of the bloated profit made by the brick and mortar schools for providing mandated CEU seminars?
July 31st, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I’ve recently completed DE Massage training which requires self-motivation and a love for bodywork and massage. This training was in theory which took a year to complete. The same amount of time it takes for in-class study. During this time I also apprenticed with a LMT for hands-on training. Obviously, hands-on training is necessary for massage and bodywork. But D E is a great and efficient way to accomplish massage theory!
August 18th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I have been a massage educator for 13 years and have taught both basic massage and advanced training techniques. It is my firm belief based on my observations of students that any form of basic massage education needs to be taught in a real time classroom setting. Feedback from an instructor on such things as depth of pressure, coverage, flow, body mechanics, timing, stroke speed, etc. are all critical components of a good education in basic massage.
Once someone has learned the basics however, there are many modalities that are appropriate to be taught via distance education. Aromatherapy and trigger point therapy certainly come to mind, and needed CEUs in ethics could be obtained at a much lower cost. Techniques that highly invasive or involve risk to the client, however, should be reserved for classroom instruction in my opinion.
September 6th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I stongly agree with Marcia johnston. I was licensed 5 years ago from the state of New York which concluded 1000 hours of classwork/theory and hands-on. Massage Therapy is a type of program that needs constant supervision while working hands on. Depth, body mechanics and everthing else she mention is crucial in becoming a good, responsible, ethical professional in this field. DE does not give you the same opportunity as does in a classroom setting. We need to protect the public and increase the standards of massage licensing due to many consumers becoming injured and the reputation slowly but surely diminishing.
September 10th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Here is an instance where distance learning is most certainly valid. If anyone knows of a course that can provide this, please let me know!
I am a massage practitioner of 14 years standing. I trained mostly in the UK and then did advanced aquatic bodywork in CA, USA. I moved to CA where I was licenced.
However, when I relocated to MO I was unable to meet the licencing board requirements because I could not produce an official school transcript that fit their requirements.
Some years later I have finally been informed that I may obtain licensing by providing a transcript from a massage school, college or university showing:
An additional fifty (50) hours of anatomy and physiology, fifty (50) hours of business/practices/ethics/massage law and to pass the National exam.
I believe that I cannot enter for the exam without a School’s backing? (Advice form NCBTMT appreciated.)
September 10th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
After reading all the comments…I have to say that Continued Ed that is available on line is VERY valuable! I currently live out of the country and I can not axcess a hands on course, so online is the way for me to go. Don’t get me wrong, education is hugely important to me. I can’t bring myself to see a therapist where I live because of the lack of education the therapists have. I DO NOT think that the initial course work should be available online or by distance education. This is not a feild that can be put on paper, and understood with out proper hands on experience. I will never endorse distance education for initial course work. However, I AM glad to the heart I can keep my credentials current with the continued ed courses. I wouldn’t mind seeing all the schools across the country increase the hourly requirements either. We could weed out the nonsence and provide the public with a more professional community of therapists. I am passionate about my knowledge and I hope to teach one day.
September 15th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I have been in the massage education field for 20 years. I am very dismayed by DE for basic training. An education in Massage & Bodywork is much more then a technical training or memorization of information. It entails working with the development of the therapist and for hands on training & feedback. I have read the comments & understand some people have had a good experience doing their training on line. I can only say, they don’t know what their missing…they have nothing to compare it to. A wholistic education in a classroom, working with a group dynamic, working with awareness and communication skills and, being touched everyday, provides an opportunity for personal growth and embodyment that you can’t get through a computer.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I have been a practicing therapist for eight years as well as a Massage Therapy Program Director and Lead Instructor. In my opinion, hands-on modalities means just that, hands-on. This is very important for initial Massage Therapy Education as well as for some CEU’s. I agree that DE is a great quick and inexpensive form of obtaining ethics, business and other interests in bodywork that does not benefit from actual hands-on instruction and learning. I enjoy the benefits of taking some of these types of CEU’s myself for recertification purposes, but love the hands-on aspects of learning new modalities or improving my hans-on skills of previous courses taught by another instructor. I work on people all the time who comment that they have never received the detailed work and relief from previous massage experiences. I believe that comes from MT’s who either did not receive superb initial hands-on instruction or are lazy in thier work! Either way, these experiences from people who pay for our expertise should get expert work. I, as well as others, have expectations when booking massage appointments and have been disappointed more often then not. I have gotten to the point where I am tired of paying “therapists” who lack the knowledge and hands-on abilities to address the aches and pains that drive me and others to make the appointment in the first place. I believe these ineffective services are having a negative impact on bodywork and bodyworkers. Our profession is all about the combination of knowledge and skill!
September 26th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I don’t agree with DE for preliminary/basic education. You can’t learn the basics of massage therapy without the experience of working hands on with people of all different shapes, sizes, and medical histories. Once you’ve achieved status as a massage therapist, DE’s are a wonderful way to continue your education without the inconveniance of having to be in a classroom all of the time.
October 5th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
How many of us have attended a crowded seminar? Your 20 tables deep to the back of the room. The only real hands on direction you receoive is when a teaching assistant reaches you hours after the workshop has begun. You spend your entire time looking for some direction as you muttle through the hands on segement. When you do get that one on one with the teaching assistant it is only for that portion of the workshop that is being taught at that moment. A few days later you leave the workdhop with your 16 CE’s and no real clue as to how your suppose to proceed once you have that client on the table. Imagine you can have an educational experince in your own home while watching a video that you can rewind as many times as needed while you practice on another therpaist. You tell me which is more benificial.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
As a new Certified Practitioner, I can speak from experience the value of being in a classroom setting. Touch Therapy is a majority in massage. Getting a clear understanding of the term is invaluable. We strive to be the experts in this field. From the beginning of massage in ancient times, the healing promoted thru massage was a hands on experience. How can we begin to learn to connect the body, mind, and spirit from a distance? That is our core belief is it not? Trying to bring balance to the body thru means of touch?
October 17th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I’m recent graduate of massage and awaiting my board. I’m concerned as well… Hands on training is vital in learning the body!! In school we rotated massages so everyone massaged everyone, allowing us to work on different body types, different personalities, all with different problems. We were also required (by school and state) to have 90 hours in the supervised student clinic practicing different modalities such as accupressure, sports, myo, and so on. This prepared us for the real world. You don’t get that with DE. I think it would be hard to find a rythm and a flow to your massage.
I certainly agree with those mentioning the benefits of DE for core classes such as pathology and A&P. However, the hands on classes need to remain just that. There’s no substitute.
October 18th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
I think there is definitely a place for Distance Ed. Some classes (Intro to Massage, Ethics, Business…) would be easily done online, at home, at night, in your pajamas. Obviously there are classes that must be face to face (F2F), and where an experienced teacher to show you what you are doing right (or wrong) –> hands-on modalities, palpatory anatomy, etc. A combination of both is probably the way to go in this fast-paced culture.
October 21st, 2008 at 3:49 pm
This is a very broad topic, and in the end it relies on the student to be accountable for their growth. Each of us has to personally assess our skills when deciding what continuing education options we choose. If you are a competent professional and do not need to have your hand held through a course then distance education is for you. If you know you need someone to guide you through the moves, and feel the techniques, face to face is better suited for your learning style.
Individually we all learn in different ways, in that train of thought all options for education should be available for our choosing.