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With the New MI. Law passed for Massage,who will be Grandfathered in?

By what date do you need a license for doing Massage Therapy In Michigan? Plus who will be Grandfathered in? I have been certified since 1999,what do I need to do? someone told me today that I will need to take the National test. Is this true?

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Permalink Reply by ABMP on January 12, 2010 at 4:39pm

Hi Noreen,
The following is from the Michigan Legislative Updates posted in the ABMP Members section on www.ABMP.com. Licensing has yet to go in effect, but when it does, here's what grandfathering will look like:

Existing practitioners
For approximately the first year license applications are available, existing practitioners will be able qualify for state license by meeting one of these five criteria:

1. Provide evidence that you have been an active member, as a massage therapist, of a professional massage therapy association (such as ABMP) for at least one year; or
2. Establish by affidavit that you have practiced massage therapy for an average of at least 10 hours per week for five or more years; or
3. Establish by affidavit that you have practiced massage therapy for at least 3 years and provide evidence from the school you attended that you also completed at least 300 hours of formal training; or
4. You have passed an exam approved by the board*; or
5. You have completed at least 500 hours of classroom instruction in massage.

Once a massage therapist becomes state licensed, you will be required to complete 18 hours of continuing education and renew your state license every 3 years.

After the initial year of licensing, new candidates for state license will have to complete a 500-hour minimum massage therapy program AND pass an exam (to be) approved by the board*.

For more information, visit http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-27417_27529_53660---,00.html.

Lara Evans Bracciante