School For Massage Therapy: A Quick Tip

Deep down inside for many of us, there is a desire to help others. But when it comes to choosing a career, this desire is sometimes not taken into consideration. Most of the time, a career choice is made because of how much it can make or it's job security. 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 people, the massage therapist. Aside for the passion in helping and serving people, many massage therapists are glad in their career choice because of the flexibility. They can be self-employed or work for spas, rehab centers, and hospitals. Once they're independent, 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 necessary.

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 standardized national certification exams, 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. That's just another way of saying "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.

The author is a web producer and writes freelance on various subjects such as finding the best massage therapy college near you. He's equally interested in writing on "geeky" subjects like Ikki Tousen Figures.