The Massage Pundit

The National Certification Board has sent out the call for volunteers in a number of states, most recently in New Hampshire. Volunteering in any capacity to advance the profession is a noble thing to aspire to, but be sure you know what you are volunteering for. In the case of their recent appeal to NH certificants, they are looking for therapists to keep spreading the distortions they are putting out about the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards and the MBLEx. This is the message they would like for you to spread, taken from the e-mail blast sent in NH:

Distortion #1:
Certification is a more rigorous standard than licensure.

Actually, the standard of entry-level certification offered by NCB is lower than the requirements set forth for state licensure in a number of areas: a) NCB now accepts up to 300 hours of distance education toward meeting its 500-hour Eligibility Requirement to site for the National Certification Exam — despite the fact that online learning is an educational method that is unproven in our field and that is not accepted by any regulated state; b) NCB stills allows candidates who have not completed a 500-hour training program to qualify for certification via the Portfolio Review process; and c) NCB’s minimum education requirement is 500 hours, vs. more hours required in certain states.

At least they’ve stopped touting NCCA Accreditation as an absolute requirement in statutes. They perpetuated that for many months, but had to take a different tack once it was publicly revealed that only one of their four exam products was part of an NCCA-accredited certification program. That’s a good example of a ruse getting shot down by the truth.

Distortion #2:
Eliminating certification requirements in state massage licensing laws will diminish the stature of massage therapists in the eyes of the general public, health care insurers, workers compensation bureaus and hospices.

Actually, the establishment of the FSMTB and having a dedicated licensure examination for our field is improving the stature of the massage therapy profession. The highly inconsistent manner in which massage therapy has been regulated has been one of the major factors impairing its growth and recognition by other stakeholders on the health care landscape. Moving towards a unified set of standards for state licensure of massage therapy — which includes the use of a single licensure examination for the field — improves our stature. Certification has a natural place in specialty and post-graduate credentialing, but it is not intended to function as the gateway for entry into the field. That is the job of state regulatory agencies.

Distortion #3:
Join our effort, and you can have a leadership role in the profession.

NCB is looking for “foot soldiers” to help them in their misguided efforts. The leaders of this organization are not interested in new ideas or more participants in decision making at the top level. Power is concentrated in the hands of a very few people, who have shown no inclination to change this structure. One of the reasons they are in such dire need of volunteers is the recent defections of some of their most tireless and dedicated workers, who have resigned rather than agree to contribute to this campaign of distortion.

The NCB refuses to acknowledge that the formation of the Federation, and the development of the MBLEx, is actually great progress for our profession, and leaves the door wide open for the NCB to now move towards offering specialty and advanced certifications. They should be using this to their benefit instead of wasting their efforts and money trying to fight it. In spite of the fact the AMTA has now come out in favor of the MBLEx as the path to licensure, and the ABMP, the largest organization of therapists on the planet, supports the Federation and the MBLEx, the NCB refuses to roll with the tide. I just wonder how long it’s going to take them to drown in their sorrows.

I am always in support of volunteerism in order to give back to the profession. Be sure, when you answer the call to volunteer, that you are not volunteering to help spread misrepresentations of the facts. The Federation is also in need of volunteers, as is AMTA and ABMP. I urge you to direct your willingness to serve to an effort that is grounded in the advancement of our profession, and not the misguided efforts to hold us back.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

I had another blog all ready to go on this subject, and after a couple of my mentors disagreed with me about it, I decided I’d just throw it out there to the people who count: YOU.

This weekend I had dinner with a therapist friend who works in a spa, and she was distressed about the high-pressure selling she’s expected to do.  The spa management had gone so far as to have “prescription cards” printed up, and I mean that literally; they actually had an “Rx” printed on them.  The management wants therapists to hand those to every client they see, filled out with the recommendations of the products that the client “needs” to purchase.

I’d like to know how you feel about that.  I feel that there’s a power differential at work here, and that a client may buy something just because she perceives the therapist to be an expert, and is probably unaware that the therapist may just be trying to meet her daily sales quota.

Lest I sound too huffy about it, yes, I do retail in my office.  I sell ice packs, BioFreeze, and essential oils.  The therapists in my office are strictly prohibited from trying to sell a client anything unless the client asks.  ONLY when a client asks, “Do you have that oil you used on me for sale?” is a therapist allowed to sell.  If the client doesn’t ask, they’re not going to hear about it.  Our products are on display in the lobby in plain sight, and I feel that’s enough. Yes, I do realize how much money I’m losing by not requiring my therapists to sell X number of products a day, and I honestly don’t care. I’m not rich, and probably won’t be, if that’s the way I have to get it.  I hired my staff members because of their ability to do bodywork, not because I was looking for a salesperson.

When I interviewed therapists for my article on working on cruise ships that appeared in the print version of this magazine in August 2008, many of those who commented were also distressed by being expected to sell, sell, sell, and berated by management if they didn’t.  Those who didn’t meet or come close to meeting sales quotas weren’t invited back for another cruise.

I’d love to hear what the people in the trenches think about this.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen