The Case for Continuing Education
All licensure states that I am aware of require licensees to get continuing education. Obtaining continuing education is also required for maintaining national certification and professional membership in AMTA.
I’ve been a provider of continuing education for six years now, and one thing has always been disturbing to me. That’s the number of therapists who call me and say something like, “I need X number of hours, do you have any classes that are that length?”
Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy to have the business; it’s just that many times they don’t care what the class is as long as it gets them the required number of hours. I’ve had people attend classes that they obviously didn’t have any real interest in as far as learning new skills; they’re just there because they needed the hours and the class happened to be the right length. Medical massage therapists have attended my spa class, for instance, and said, “Oh, I only do medical massage. I’m not going to use any of these techniques, I just needed the hours.” It’s kind of like they’re saying “You’re boring me to tears, but I’m willing to sit here because I need the hours.”
When I’m looking for classes to take for my own continuing education, I’m looking for something that will enhance my skill set and my knowledge; I’m looking for something that I can take back to my clients to help them in ways I might not have used before, or something that will expand my menu of services, or that will help improve my business practices. I don’t want to take a class that doesn’t have any real interest to me just because I need a few hours. I’d be snoring like a pack mule before the first break if I did that, and I don’t want to waste my hard-earned money on taking a class that doesn’t have any appeal to me.
Part of the problem is that some folks procrastinate until their expiration date is looming before looking around for continuing ed. A more serious issue to me is a feeling of entitlement that some people have. I recently got a call from a woman who told me rather rudely that she had been practicing for 25 years and knew everything she needed to know, and that she considered it a slap in the face that she was required to attend continuing education. I told her I’d prefer she attend a class somewhere else. I didn’t want her negativity in my classroom.
I hope that when I’ve been practicing 25 years, I will still be looking forward to learning something new. I don’t view my obligation to get continuing education as a burden; I view it as an opportunity. I love to be part of a class that excites me and gets me fired up with the feeling that I can’t wait to get back to the office and try this on so-and-so, or that makes the light bulb go off in my head so I think “I should be doing that.”
I hope that the last day I care about learning anything new is the last day I’m on this planet.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
Posted on May 25th, 2008 by Laura Allen
Filed under: General
I have taught CEU courses for over 12 years now and have had many of the same experiences. In addition I am concerned of the LMTs that are looking for the “cheapest” class and their lack of quality of education that they had received. A perfect example of this is that I always teach endagerment sites and contraindications to massage at all CEU courses and a student asks “what are those”?? Talk about causing your jaw to drop, huh?? Thank you for exposing this problem.
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In a way I can empathize with those that feel that CEUs are a waste of time because they already know all they need to know. But in my case it is the MANDATORY CEUs that I feel are a waste of my time.
There are no CEUs being offered that I need for my business. After 13 years in the chair massage business, most of what I could learn can be easily provided from a video or book. Attending an over priced, filler stuffed class is not what I would need for my business.
Then there is the issue of “Why are Mandatory CEUs neccessary?”
No studies of any kind have been made that show that they will increase the quality of care and safety to our clients or make us more professional. What they do, however, is line the pockets of schools and CEU providers who benifit from a pool of guaranteed customers. My, how convenient.
In Tx.,(the state. This blog censures the full spelling of the state name)before Mandatory CEUs, there were very few independent providers of short weekend classes. Schools had a hard time filling classes. If there was such a demand for these courses then why couldn’t they fill those seats?
When Tx. was conducting public meetings on the issue of CEUs, I asked them, in public, if they had any proof, or were any studies made, that CEUs would protect the public safety or improve our profession.
They said “NO”!
But it was passed nonetheless, with the full backing of the Associations, for the benifit of the school industry, not Massage Therapists.
If we are ever to become truly professional, and not just in the eyes of other Health Care providers, then we must start eliminating the myths that permutate in our profession. We must conduct studies, that will for once dispel the myths that these courses are neccessary, that the arbitrary minimum classroom hours of 600 hours actually do produce a quality Therapist, that Massage can spread cancer cells or cause spontaneus abortions, or increase blood flow to the heart etc, etc.
Oh, and the biggest myth of all, that our Associations actually represent us, the individual Massage Therapist.
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Tracey Owen reply on June 5, 2008:
I have to agree with Rich. I am an LMT with a private practice. I also hold down a full time job. The associations that pushed for the CEU requirements are not considering how they affect the individual. I have no problem taking courses for CEUs but the cost is prohibitive. Courses run up to $300 and even $600.! As a part time LMT that is a tremendous cost and leaves me very little for insurance, licensing, and association fees. I have yet to take any personal income from my business because I have to save for CEUs and all the other over priced requirements. AMTA does offer “free” CEUs in Ct. but no where near me and not the kind of courses I am looking for. CEUs should be offered thru the schools, at low cost, as part of continuing ed. They should NOT be state mandated.
I know of students who have worked hard to get their license only to give up due to the high cost of maintaining it. Sadly, they were not fully informed of these costs by these fly by night schools.
Rich,
I’ve got to applaud your passion, if nothing else. And I must say, if you haven’t done anything but chair massage for 13 years, your need for continuing education might be different from that of a therapist who works on unclothed people on the table.
I used to wonder why ethics was required for every renewal period–until I got appointed to our state massage board and had to deal with the stream of people who break the rules.
I don’t consider myself among the ranks of the rich and famous as far as providers of continuing ed go, and I can tell you, I’m not in it for the money. I’m in it for the love of teaching. I’ve held classes for as few as two people rather than cancel one because it didn’t fill up. That’s not the way to get rich, believe me.
As far as the associations go, I’ve had a long relationship with AMTA, and for the most part, I have felt that they do support the individual therapist. I’ve been involved at our state level for a number of years. AMTA subsidizes continuing education. In our state, therapist members can attend a class for a little as 15.00. Many people don’t realize that after Hurricane Katrina, AMTA provided more than 800 therapists who had lost everything with the tools they needed to start up their businesses again, partnering with suppliers to deliver massage tables, linens, Biotone, office software and other goodies to those who had lost it all. I don’t always agree with every stance taken by AMTA, but I do give them credit where credit is due. I am proud that the current president, MK Brennan, is from my state of North Carolina. I am personally acquainted with Ms. Brennan and I can assure you that she genuinely cares about every therapist, not just a big organization.
I agree with you that genuine research and studies are still needed in many areas pertaining to massage therapy. TIffany Fields can’t do them all herself! Maybe you should take one on! This magazine is a good venue for disseminating information. Try submitting a letter to the editor or an article about the need for research in the specific areas you’ve mentioned.
I appreciate all your comments.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
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