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School was Basic Training - Continuing Educaton and Work creates Polished Therapists


Bits and Quips- An argument seems to be students are being produced too fast. They should be slowed down by having even more hours thrown at them in school. It would also get more students to quit, thus less competition. And this would make more money for schools. I always looked at school as Basic Training. I knew I would get most of my instruction - after school. I think people expect too much out of school. The student needs to understand, it is up to them, to get the knowledge. If they have the "desire", I think they will.

The BOK (Body of Knowledge) will be released at the event being advertised on this page to the right. It will offer a set of guidelines needed for entry level status into the profession.

More students are now becoming the "Teacher". The profession is exploding. How will it change as it grows? More people than ever are excited about Massage! Ain't it Great?

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Mike, thank you for your response. I am eagar to see how this all comes together. Regardless, I am excited about the advancements we as therapists have made thanks to many of those before us who have made this moment possible.
I am as well. I really believe it is possible sooner than folks are thinking, if the therapists get behind the effort.

Brenda S. D*** said:
Mike, thank you for your response. I am eagar to see how this all comes together. Regardless, I am excited about the advancements we as therapists have made thanks to many of those before us who have made this moment possible.
I am about to be done with my 500 hour program MA ,my school is a no frills school but we learnt so much. One main thing my school did an I totally agree with this is required 180 hours of clinic. The state only requires 100. Its a hands on business and it makes perfect sense that most of us are hands on kind of people. Most of the schools in my area charge about $12k for a 500 hour program. I feel that is crazy. My school however costs $5,800. The school charges the general public $25 per massage. Its a win/win situation...we get a lot of clinic experience and get to work down the costs so the school doesn't have to charge $12K. If the schools cost that much I would have never been able to achieve my dream because I am a single mom with three kids. Now I am ready to find a job in the field and continue to learn more things. If you love something and have a deep passion for it then you would want to learn as much as you can about the field. Or at least that is how I am.

Mike Hinkle said:
All great comments, guys, I guess we'll find out what the MTBOK Committee comes out with in May 2010. Because until the guidelines are set, we're just blowing in the wind. Keep 'um coming though, there is still a lot of questions and ideas out there.

Gloria Coppola said:
Shawn
Thanks for your input and I am glad you mentioned your training was 8 months.

My argument Mike, was that these 6 month programs don't give the time for students to absorb most of what they need to 'master' their basic training. I personally hate them!

Yes, perhaps the cost might be a little higher. However, in listening to people complain about the pricing for continuing education and not being able to 'afford' it because it usually requires travel expenses too. I don't feel the slightly higher pricing is necessarily a bad idea. Many individuals are also receiving grant monies, loans etc, that weren't available many years ago.

I personally would want the 'better' education, more informed, more hands on practice etc. I have listened to alot of students post trainings that were shorter and Most of them did complain and wish they had more time to practice and get the confidence they lacked. It's like choosing a home study course vs. a university in a sense.

I feel the more we decrease the time/hours and keep it so simple , personally it is a disservice to all of us.
I feel this is a health care profession and health care professionals have much more extensive training.

I have seen even spa therapists not know how to handle problems, ailments etc., and cause harm.

I want my students to be confident, knowledgeable, skilled and prepared.

I also love Shawns comment about the intent of healing. This is so true. Many "tech" schools do not even address this aspect.

Just my feelings of course!

Shawn Maria Brinza said:
I came from a 600 hour requirement school and I was released into the world filled to the gills with information about so many modalities, enthusiasm about being free to learn about anything I wanted, confidence from those 8 months of training. We practiced and recieved massage every single day. We had out-reaches every weekend. We left prepared... but knowing that our education was just beginning. The problem was the cost of the classes that I wanted to take. Being a single mother of 3. The World Massage Festival has made a big difference to people who needed a break in overall cost. Lets face it, most 2 day seminars are around $275. than if its out of town you have hotel and food. Now if you only make 1500. per month and it takes 1200 to run your house, it doesn't work..Mike Hinkle has put together a festival and shown the entire profession how it can be done at a reasonable cost to us. Associations PLEASE TAKE NOTES.....Those who have paved their ways in life and can afford to pay, bless them but lets not make it hard for the loving caring souls who have not had such financial blessing...
I have only been in this fabulous profession for 5 years. I too find that at renewal time I have way over the amount of credits needed. With the exception of course, ethics, law,,,,,those I usually have to refresh a bit...BUT, my point here is that some teachers and / or curriculums infuse the true joys of our work. In taking the healing intent and spiritual linage out of the school curriculum, I am not speaking religion here but truth about the powers of intent. It seems in many cases health care professionals are all about the money.. not healing.
Making the basic program 2000 hours wont help if we arent teaching our students to love learning what it is that we all do... Learning, expressing through touch

Being able to move across the country and support my journey as I go with massage has been and is a dream for me..To touch, teach and expand the universe one person at a time. Just think how much more sharing of knowledge from state to state. So many who have never had a massage might be exposed, or introduced to something new... All of us vote away our rights every day by making things so complicated... if we could shed the great american way of making 100 new laws to cover one small topic.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT INEXPENSIVE, Please, this could be quite simple. Resiprocity, can't spell it but I like the sound of it...

I would like to be able to travel from place to place and legally massage as I go... why not.
Hi Lisa,

Do you have mandatory CE classes after graduation?

Lisa M. Pomerantz said:
I am about to be done with my 500 hour program MA ,my school is a no frills school but we learnt so much. One main thing my school did an I totally agree with this is required 180 hours of clinic. The state only requires 100. Its a hands on business and it makes perfect sense that most of us are hands on kind of people. Most of the schools in my area charge about $12k for a 500 hour program. I feel that is crazy. My school however costs $5,800. The school charges the general public $25 per massage. Its a win/win situation...we get a lot of clinic experience and get to work down the costs so the school doesn't have to charge $12K. If the schools cost that much I would have never been able to achieve my dream because I am a single mom with three kids. Now I am ready to find a job in the field and continue to learn more things. If you love something and have a deep passion for it then you would want to learn as much as you can about the field. Or at least that is how I am.

Mike Hinkle said:
All great comments, guys, I guess we'll find out what the MTBOK Committee comes out with in May 2010. Because until the guidelines are set, we're just blowing in the wind. Keep 'um coming though, there is still a lot of questions and ideas out there.

Gloria Coppola said:
Shawn
Thanks for your input and I am glad you mentioned your training was 8 months.

My argument Mike, was that these 6 month programs don't give the time for students to absorb most of what they need to 'master' their basic training. I personally hate them!

Yes, perhaps the cost might be a little higher. However, in listening to people complain about the pricing for continuing education and not being able to 'afford' it because it usually requires travel expenses too. I don't feel the slightly higher pricing is necessarily a bad idea. Many individuals are also receiving grant monies, loans etc, that weren't available many years ago.

I personally would want the 'better' education, more informed, more hands on practice etc. I have listened to alot of students post trainings that were shorter and Most of them did complain and wish they had more time to practice and get the confidence they lacked. It's like choosing a home study course vs. a university in a sense.

I feel the more we decrease the time/hours and keep it so simple , personally it is a disservice to all of us.
I feel this is a health care profession and health care professionals have much more extensive training.

I have seen even spa therapists not know how to handle problems, ailments etc., and cause harm.

I want my students to be confident, knowledgeable, skilled and prepared.

I also love Shawns comment about the intent of healing. This is so true. Many "tech" schools do not even address this aspect.

Just my feelings of course!

Shawn Maria Brinza said:
I came from a 600 hour requirement school and I was released into the world filled to the gills with information about so many modalities, enthusiasm about being free to learn about anything I wanted, confidence from those 8 months of training. We practiced and recieved massage every single day. We had out-reaches every weekend. We left prepared... but knowing that our education was just beginning. The problem was the cost of the classes that I wanted to take. Being a single mother of 3. The World Massage Festival has made a big difference to people who needed a break in overall cost. Lets face it, most 2 day seminars are around $275. than if its out of town you have hotel and food. Now if you only make 1500. per month and it takes 1200 to run your house, it doesn't work..Mike Hinkle has put together a festival and shown the entire profession how it can be done at a reasonable cost to us. Associations PLEASE TAKE NOTES.....Those who have paved their ways in life and can afford to pay, bless them but lets not make it hard for the loving caring souls who have not had such financial blessing...
I have only been in this fabulous profession for 5 years. I too find that at renewal time I have way over the amount of credits needed. With the exception of course, ethics, law,,,,,those I usually have to refresh a bit...BUT, my point here is that some teachers and / or curriculums infuse the true joys of our work. In taking the healing intent and spiritual linage out of the school curriculum, I am not speaking religion here but truth about the powers of intent. It seems in many cases health care professionals are all about the money.. not healing.
Making the basic program 2000 hours wont help if we arent teaching our students to love learning what it is that we all do... Learning, expressing through touch

Being able to move across the country and support my journey as I go with massage has been and is a dream for me..To touch, teach and expand the universe one person at a time. Just think how much more sharing of knowledge from state to state. So many who have never had a massage might be exposed, or introduced to something new... All of us vote away our rights every day by making things so complicated... if we could shed the great american way of making 100 new laws to cover one small topic.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT INEXPENSIVE, Please, this could be quite simple. Resiprocity, can't spell it but I like the sound of it...

I would like to be able to travel from place to place and legally massage as I go... why not.
Mke...our state just formed a state license board a few years ago. Before that it was town by town licensing. So it is not yet mandatory but there are major changes including more hours required and CE requirements. The changes take place I think in May of 2010.


Mike Hinkle said:
Hi Lisa,

Do you have mandatory CE classes after graduation?

Lisa M. Pomerantz said:
I am about to be done with my 500 hour program MA ,my school is a no frills school but we learnt so much. One main thing my school did an I totally agree with this is required 180 hours of clinic. The state only requires 100. Its a hands on business and it makes perfect sense that most of us are hands on kind of people. Most of the schools in my area charge about $12k for a 500 hour program. I feel that is crazy. My school however costs $5,800. The school charges the general public $25 per massage. Its a win/win situation...we get a lot of clinic experience and get to work down the costs so the school doesn't have to charge $12K. If the schools cost that much I would have never been able to achieve my dream because I am a single mom with three kids. Now I am ready to find a job in the field and continue to learn more things. If you love something and have a deep passion for it then you would want to learn as much as you can about the field. Or at least that is how I am.

Mike Hinkle said:
All great comments, guys, I guess we'll find out what the MTBOK Committee comes out with in May 2010. Because until the guidelines are set, we're just blowing in the wind. Keep 'um coming though, there is still a lot of questions and ideas out there.

Gloria Coppola said:
Shawn
Thanks for your input and I am glad you mentioned your training was 8 months.

My argument Mike, was that these 6 month programs don't give the time for students to absorb most of what they need to 'master' their basic training. I personally hate them!

Yes, perhaps the cost might be a little higher. However, in listening to people complain about the pricing for continuing education and not being able to 'afford' it because it usually requires travel expenses too. I don't feel the slightly higher pricing is necessarily a bad idea. Many individuals are also receiving grant monies, loans etc, that weren't available many years ago.

I personally would want the 'better' education, more informed, more hands on practice etc. I have listened to alot of students post trainings that were shorter and Most of them did complain and wish they had more time to practice and get the confidence they lacked. It's like choosing a home study course vs. a university in a sense.

I feel the more we decrease the time/hours and keep it so simple , personally it is a disservice to all of us.
I feel this is a health care profession and health care professionals have much more extensive training.

I have seen even spa therapists not know how to handle problems, ailments etc., and cause harm.

I want my students to be confident, knowledgeable, skilled and prepared.

I also love Shawns comment about the intent of healing. This is so true. Many "tech" schools do not even address this aspect.

Just my feelings of course!

Shawn Maria Brinza said:
I came from a 600 hour requirement school and I was released into the world filled to the gills with information about so many modalities, enthusiasm about being free to learn about anything I wanted, confidence from those 8 months of training. We practiced and recieved massage every single day. We had out-reaches every weekend. We left prepared... but knowing that our education was just beginning. The problem was the cost of the classes that I wanted to take. Being a single mother of 3. The World Massage Festival has made a big difference to people who needed a break in overall cost. Lets face it, most 2 day seminars are around $275. than if its out of town you have hotel and food. Now if you only make 1500. per month and it takes 1200 to run your house, it doesn't work..Mike Hinkle has put together a festival and shown the entire profession how it can be done at a reasonable cost to us. Associations PLEASE TAKE NOTES.....Those who have paved their ways in life and can afford to pay, bless them but lets not make it hard for the loving caring souls who have not had such financial blessing...
I have only been in this fabulous profession for 5 years. I too find that at renewal time I have way over the amount of credits needed. With the exception of course, ethics, law,,,,,those I usually have to refresh a bit...BUT, my point here is that some teachers and / or curriculums infuse the true joys of our work. In taking the healing intent and spiritual linage out of the school curriculum, I am not speaking religion here but truth about the powers of intent. It seems in many cases health care professionals are all about the money.. not healing.
Making the basic program 2000 hours wont help if we arent teaching our students to love learning what it is that we all do... Learning, expressing through touch

Being able to move across the country and support my journey as I go with massage has been and is a dream for me..To touch, teach and expand the universe one person at a time. Just think how much more sharing of knowledge from state to state. So many who have never had a massage might be exposed, or introduced to something new... All of us vote away our rights every day by making things so complicated... if we could shed the great american way of making 100 new laws to cover one small topic.

KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT INEXPENSIVE, Please, this could be quite simple. Resiprocity, can't spell it but I like the sound of it...

I would like to be able to travel from place to place and legally massage as I go... why not.
My schooling was 640 hours over 8 months. The nice thing for me was that at the same time I was mentored by Mike Hinkle at Pensacola Massage Center. I think I learned more from him then I did from my massage instructor. Mike allowed me also to work at the Center doing free massages until the time my license came through. This was offered to my whole massage class. Sadly no one else took him up on it. Now 2 years later I feel like I am just now getting the flow and transition much more smoothly than back then. Mike was a great sport and very patient with me.

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