Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Certification
The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, or NCBTMB, regulates massage therapists throughout the United States. Regulation ensures clients receive quality treatment from informed massage practitioners; as of 2010, 37 states and the District of Columbia require massage therapy certification. A certified massage therapist must complete an approved massage therapy program, pass a nationally administered examination and submit a certification application to the NCBTMB.
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Education Requirements
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A Thai Massage session Certification applicants must graduate from a board-approved massage therapy training program. Sanctioned facilities, identified by NCBTMB-assigned school codes, adhere to board-approved curriculum designed to adequately prepare massage students for the board's national examination. Instruction includes a minimum 500 total hours massage therapy training: 125 hours anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology; 200 hours massage theory and supervised practical technique; 40 hours pathology; six hours massage ethics; four hours business practice; and 125 hours complementary modalities like Shiatsu or Thai massage.
Application and Fees
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After graduating, a massage student may submit his certification application with a $225 fee (as of 2010) to the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. As the NCBTMB intends to "foster high standards of ethical and professional practice," applicants also pledge to uphold the board's moral guidelines, which contain requirements like courtesy, professionalism, appropriate conduct and client confidentiality. Once the board verifies a student's eligibility and receives his school transcripts, the student chooses his exam date; he must complete the test within three months of his approval.
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Portfolio Review
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An applicant who wishes to take the examination but does not meet the board's educational requirements, may instead submit a portfolio outlining his educational and professional history. Portfolio review candidates typically receive training at multiple or foreign institutions or complete fewer than 500 hours official instruction. Candidates must receive at least 200 hours formal education and demonstrate expertise equivalent to that obtained during a 500-hour program. The NCBTMB charges $300 as of 2010 to review an applicant's portfolio.
Examination
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The national examination contains 160 questions, divided into six main subject areas: body systems knowledge; pathology; therapeutic assessment; therapeutic application; anatomy and kinesiology; physiology; and professional standards/ethics. Test centers administer the computer-generated multiple-choice test throughout the year. Potential scores range from 100 to 400; 300 or higher signifies a passing grade. Students receive test results directly after completing the exam.
Recertification
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A massage therapy certificate expires four years after its administered date. During those four years, a certified massage therapist must accumulate 48 continuing education hours, including six hours of ethics, and 200 working hours to qualify for recertification. Recertification, which costs $125 as of 2010, recurs every four years. Once validated, certified massage therapists may resume work in medical facilities, day spas and home businesses.
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References
- Photo Credit massage image by Dmitri MIkitenko from Fotolia.com Hamstring massage as part of a Thai body massage image by Deborah Benbrook from Fotolia.com
