ALLIANCE TO PARTNER WITH FSMTB ON NEW NATIONAL CE APPROVAL PROJECT

The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education is pleased to announce that it will collaborate with the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) on the development of a new national program for the approval of both continuing education courses and providers. The Alliance and its members will bring their expertise in the domain of continuing education to help establish a single standardized approval process that meets the needs of state regulators, CE providers and massage therapists alike.

In a November 2010 survey conducted by the Alliance on educational standards, 53.5% of respondents agreed that such an approval program was needed versus 25.6% who disagreed.

As it currently exists, the responsibility for approving continuing education is split among a number of individual state massage board processes and a national provider approval process operated by NCBTMB. Because a significant number of CE providers travel around the country to offer workshops, it is unreasonable to require them to obtain multiple approvals. In addition, the lack of a consistent approval program means that there is little assurance that massage therapists are receiving quality coursework that is relevant to the scopes of practice described in their state laws and rules.

According to Pete Whitridge, Alliance President, "We have analyzed this issue from the perspective of what is best for our members, and what will serve the long-term interests of the massage therapy field as a whole. We believe that a new solution is warranted, and that FSMTB is the optimal choice for the agency that will house and administrate this important program."

On that point, the Alliance recognizes the fundamental difference between voluntary certification and mandatory licensure. State boards must have a direct mechanism of control and supervision over the approval process for CE courses taken for periodic license renewal. FSMTB is ideally positioned to provide this service, in the same way their MBLEx program gives state boards a reliable competency assessment examination to qualify massage school graduates for entry-level licensure.

Whitridge added, "The Alliance's decision to get involved with this new FSMTB initiative is a natural step for our organization. We're advocating for a strong and unified quality assurance process for continuing education because it's a crucial part of the structure of a full-fledged profession. Having competing state and national approval programs is a waste of time and money for our members who offer continuing education, and it creates confusion by having multiple systems with differing standards. The Alliance is honored to be asked to work with our colleagues from the regulatory community on this exciting project, and we'll bring our full resources and experience to ensure a successful outcome."

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About the Alliance:

The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education is the independent voice, advocate and resource for the community of massage therapy schools and educators. It serves the entire education sector from entry-level training programs through post-graduate studies. The National Headquarters of the Alliance is located at 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Virginia 22102. The Alliance website is http://www.afmte.org, the phone number is 703-506-2888, and the general office email address is admin@afmte.org.