Board Certification was created to tier the massage therapy profession, just as you often see in other allied health and medical professions.

In 2012, NCBTMB recognized that many massage therapy professionals did not truly know the difference between entry-level licensure and certification. To rectify this problem, NCBTMB had to do two things: 1) Create a Board Certification exam, and 2) Raise its minimal requirements. These changes enable massage therapists to work towards higher certification than just entry-level licensure, as well as mirrors other allied health and medical professions—bringing credibility and validity to our profession.