Once again, our professional membership organizations have spoken, and once again, the NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork) is not paying heed. I reported back on June 25 that the NCB has a new initiative in the works to expand their scope from a certifying body into a membership organization.
ABMP (Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals) was the first to respond, and AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association) has now followed suit in expressing their concern that this is a move that is not in the best interest of our profession.
There is no little irony in the fact that the NCBTMB was in fact started by AMTA, who initially gave them a $250,000 loan to get off the ground. The NCB is now going to be a direct competitor of the organization that gave birth to them to start with. Talk about a show of gratitude…that kind of thing happens all the time in the corporate world; someone leaves a company and starts up their own competing firm. That’s free enterprise at work, but I don’t think such actions have been as common in the world of professional associations and non-profits.
The NCB hasn’t released details yet, but they have indicated they will be offering liability insurance and other member benefits. I don’t think AMTA or ABMP has any worries about a mass defection of their membership to the NCB. For one thing, both AMTA and ABMP have a reputation for good service and timely response to their members, and many people take a lot of pride in belonging to one or the other or (like me) both. For another, as more and more states adopt the MBLEx as the path to licensure, it’s entirely possible that fewer people will be taking the national certification exams. If they would get on with the business of offering advanced certifications, that tide might turn, but for now, they seem to be swimming against it.
As I indicated in my previous post, the NCB also appears to be swimming against their own mission statement, which is to define and advance the highest standards in the profession through a recognized credentialing program. This latest move has nothing to do with that, as far as anyone can tell. And as Les Sweeney, president of ABMP pointed out, the NCBTMB has no experience in administering an insurance program, nor have they been known for their efficiency in running their own program in recent years, although the leadership does claim that their service has improved of late.
AMTA, ABMP, and the FSMTB (Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards) have repeatedly made the statement that they all recognize certification as a cornerstone of the profession. It appears that the NCB doesn’t get that message, nor do they reciprocate in honoring the value and mission of our professional organizations. This initiative seems deliberately contrived to make it clear that they have no intention of coming to the table. In fact, it seems like they’re determined to take over the whole picnic. According to the American Medical Assocation, obesity is unhealthy.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
July 13th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Spot on-as usual. Hey-when are a few of us headstrong and capable folks going
to get together and create the entity that our profession really needs-
an advanced credentialing body? It is sorely needed and obviously NOT be created by the entity that is charged with that task! Call me-I’m in!
July 13th, 2009 at 7:54 am
Has Laura Allen ever written anything that wasn’t written from a bell tower with the NCBTMB in its crosshairs? Her history of blogs and op-eds suggests she feels like the NCB snubbed her for the prom for someone else. Seriously. We get it. You don’t like the NCBTMB. Can you contribute anything else?
July 14th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
What can we do to get the NCB back on target or get them put out of business?
The AMTA started them but who will stop them?
I think this is one of the most important pieces of news that we really need to keep up to date with and have more information. There is talk of them needing to create an advanced credentialing system. Why aren’t they doing that then?
Why do they not want to let go of their entry level exam that does nothing for the profession as far as I can tell and with the new exam in place will it eventually make that so?
Do we need to write letters? Make Phone Calls?
Julie
July 15th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Actually, Edward, if you’ll read all the way back through my archives, I have written quite a bit over the past couple of years that didn’t have anything to do with the NCB.
I am a certificant myself since 2000, and an approved provider, so they haven’t snubbed me for anything. It isn’t that I don’t like them; I disagree with many of the actions that have happened there in the past few years. If you’ll look into some of the ning sites devoted to massage and bodywork, you’ll see that I’m far from the only one who feels that way.
There seem to be plenty enough people blogging about how to market your business, and different bodywork modalities, and as I am very interested in the politics of the massage profession, that is what I mainly write about. I don’t expect the folks who don’t have any interest in that to follow my blog, but I still appreciate your weighing in on it.
Peace & Prosperity,
Laura Allen
July 16th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I encourage you to voice your opinion to them, whether it’s good or bad. Delaporta stated at the meeting I attended in Florida that he personally answers the mail that goes to info@ncbtmb.org