The McKinnon Touch

business, ethics, hygiene, regulations, insurance, liability, taxes….

while many people many people build a practice with minimal understanding of massage regulations, business sense or anatomy and physiology, those days are numbered. by the time I have explained the acronyms CAMTC, CMT, CMP, ABMP, AMTA, MBOK, IMSAC, NCE, MBLEx, FSMTB, BPPE, STRF…..
our allotted time has ended.

as i begin the process of revising the curriculum within the well established programs, i find myself spinning around the constant and predictable feedback from students. prior to enrollment, most people show interest in many modalities, hands on skills and technique. great, that is why we are here. well, one of the reasons. we are also very committed to providing people with the essential knowledge of building a practice, navigating the industries regulatory bodies, and the anatomy and pathology that is required to allow safe practice.

inevitably the story is different after the classes.  students feel the a&p should be required before the hands on and that more time for business would allow for a better foundation in how to get started.

after teaching a basic business class this past weekend, it was the same, the felt like it was half of what we needed. yet, when scheduled in as a longer course, people balk at the idea of signing up for a course that is not ‘teaching massage’. business and anatomy and regulations are a part of massage. they are becoming even more relevant as the CAMTC takes hold and more of the public gets informed, and misinformed, about what the field has to offer and how to go about being a part of it.

beginning in 2011, we will be adding more a&p, business and rich theoretical discussion to the curriculum. we won’t be headed toward Accreditation - standardized assembly line massage factories - but we will be making small and meaningful additions and tweaks to our already fantastic massage training programs. if you are feeling uninformed on the new regulations, or have not looked at your anatomy book since class, or need guidance getting a job, maybe a little more education is in order.

Title Acts control the names or titles massage therapists may use, but do not control who can do massage. Practice acts control both the names/titles for massage therapists, as well as controlling who can do massage. SB 731 is clearly a title act yet recent events show signs that local governments are turning to it as a mandate to practice. WIthout a definition of practice, this effort could prove to discredit all efforts thus far by various organizations to create a certification process that will elevate the profession. The intent of the law was to create a “voluntary certification for the massage therapy profession” as stated in SB 731. With the movement by local governments to require this standard it moves this from voluntary to mandated. Within the optional routes for certification, there remains many grey areas for currently practicing therapists and those practicing various modalities that without a definition cannot be exempted. It in no way benefits the profession to have SB 731 in its current form be the go to legislation for local governments. Particularly before the certification process has even begun. The Board of Directors of CAMTC and the staff they have hired may be prepared to handle a voluntary certification process for those who chose to become certified. What if they are not equipped with man power or finances to handle it moving to a requirement. Is this still in the best interest of the profession?

If you have been practicing massage in California, you will want to stay informed as regulations are determined for SB 731. Beginning in September of this year, the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) will begin issuing voluntary Certificates for Massage Practitioners and Therapists in California. The Massage Practitioner will require 250 hours of training with 100 of that being in Anatomy & Physiology. At this level, there are several ways for grandfathering in with prior work experience and at least 100 hours of training. The Massage Therapist will require either 500 hours of training, in any modality massage related, or have passed a competency assessment examination that has been approved by the board. There will also be some allowances for people with out of state qualifications. While many efforts and good intentions have gone into the decades that brought this about, the real question remains – to see how it will all play out. The CAMTC is a non-governmental organization that will be issuing voluntary Certificates. The CAMTC Certification will legally supersede the local permitting regulations that are currently in place in local cities and counties. If you are currently permitted through your local government, you do not need to change anything. The CAMTC Certification does not however exempt you from getting a business license in each city that you do business. There are many questions that still remain within this new legislation and over the next few months many of these will be resolved. For example, which exams will be accepted as eligible for the Massage Therapist.

SB 731 is a Title Act, which means it will restrict the right of someone advertising themselves as a Certified Massage Practitioner or Therapist to those who are certified through the CAMTC. Even with this, you will not be state certified or licensed.

I am serving on the Credentials Committee for the CAMTC and making every effort to understand and communicate the details as they become available. We will be holding an informational meeting for therapists, students, employers and anyone interested in learning more about SB 731 and the CAMTC Certification June 30^th at 6pm, McKinnon BTC 2940 Webster St Oakland CA 94609 510-465-3488

Selena Lee

Director

I will be giving an informational update session on the progress of SB 731 on Monday May 4th from 6 - 7:30pm.
Free, drop - in
Come ask questions, hear how you can qualify for the two different tiers - Massage Practitioner and Therapist. And what it all means!
I am a member of the Credentials Committee and have been meeting in Sacramento to help sort out how this will all come together by September this year!

Selena

2940 Webster St Oakland CA 94609

510-465-3488

www.mckinnonmassage.com

We have all been waiting to see what the Governor would do with SB 731. After threatening to veto all the bills on his desk if a budget was not delivered, he managed to get though to this piece of legislation. California has been faced with pending regulation for massage therapy for several decades in one way or another, and now we have SB 731 - a voluntary title act, regulated by a non-governmental organization that has yet to be formed.

This legislation will begin issuing certifications September 2009, giving us a year to make sure we have the minimum requirements and documents needed to be eligible for review by the California Massage Therapy Organization. I hope that throughout this year there is an effort to inform practicing massage therapists that this bill will become effective and that they ought to be aware of its provisions.

The language of SB 731 outlines some specific requirements in terms of number of hours required for certification through the MTO.  The 250 hour tier will require that 100 hours of training is in Anatomy & Physiology, Business & Ethics, and Contraindications. It makes no further breakdown of required training hours for the 500 hour tier. Thus, leaving a gap in how this legislation is able to distinguish a qualified massage therapist.

There are many peculiarities that reside in this bill, hopefully over the next few months we can work together with the emerging MTO to define curriculum requirements and outcomes that will ensure safe and competent touch. It will be important to work together with the MTO to insure that the certification process will not be a timly process that prevents gradutes from beginning work soon after completing their coursework.

Over the next few weeks, we will be creating a FAQ for students, therapists and consumers around what SB 731 will mean. In the meantime, one of our exceptional teachers Keith Eric Grant has documented many other implications that the bill may impose, or not, at http://www.ramblemuse.com/mps/