Choosing a Massage Therapy Curriculum

Choosing a career in massage therapy is a difficult decision to make as you need to scrutinize each schools’ massage therapy curriculum . For many friends and family it is a big shock to them and it is a decision that needs to be thought out thoroughly.

A massage therapy education is very rewarding from personal perspective. That being said it is important for you to understand you need to take before embarking on your massage therapy career. A massage therapy career is not for everyone.

Massage Therapy Curriculum – Personal Reflection

You need to ask yourself some very serious questions before moving forward with a massage therapy career:

1. Do you enjoy working with people?
2. Do you consider yourself a people person?
3. Do you have compassion?
4. Are you interested in being your boss and setting your hours?
5. Are you entrepreneurial?
6. Do you enjoy working with your hands?
7. Is it part of your personal mission to make a positive difference in people’s lives?

If you answered yes to all these questions then congratulations, then maybe a career in massage therapy is for you!

Your next step towards a career in massage therapy is finding the best school the suits your needs.

You need to evaluate a school’s massage therapy curriculum as part of doing your due diligence.

Massage Therapy Curriculum – Picking the Top Massage Therapy Schools In Canada

There are so many top massage therapy schools out there with amazing claims. So where do you start?

Be aware of false claims for degrees in massage therapy or massage therapy degrees. There are many fly by night programs that offer degrees in massage therapy on the internet. It is vital to do your due diligence.

There are several massage therapy schools in Canada that offer various levels of academic and practical courses. A massage therapy school in Canada in one province may offer less in total time than another.

One of the best ways to know if your school is legitimate is to visit their physical address and meet the current students and instructors.

It is also important to first find out if the massage therapy school is regulated or accredited with provincial, state or national governments. Once that is done you want to get the specific academic requirements and discover the “feel” of school.

Each massage therapy school in Canada has something a little different to offer and the curriculum varies as well. With this in mind, here are a few questions you want to ask yourself:

1. How long is the program? Depending on the institution a massage therapy program may be as long as three years or as short as 18 months. Different states or provinces have different hours of required in class teaching that need to be maintained.
2. Is the massage therapy program is approved or accredited by provincial, state or national governments. Buyer beware – there are many less than honest massage therapy programs online!
3. What qualifications, education and years of experience do the massage therapy instructors have?
4. Will the school allow you to sit in on a lecture?
5. Does the massage therapy education institution have a resource counselor?
6. What are the class sizes? – Some schools have ratio of one instructor to 20 or 25 students where others it is lot bigger!
7. Are there any exemptions to any of the courses?
Obviously as part of your massage therapy curriculum you will be taking quite a few different courses

Massage Therapy Curriculum – The Courses

Generally speaking any legitimate massage therapy school in Canada have the following courses are offered to massage therapy students:

1. Anatomy –Academic and practical
2. Physiology
3. Neurology
4. Pathology
5. Client Assessment
6. Remedial Exercise
7. Therapeutic Relations
8. Law and Ethics
9. Business
10. Basic Massage Therapy Techniques
11. Advanced Massage Therapy Treatments

Typically most massage therapy schools also have some form of co-op, outreach and/or clinic programs where students get to practice what they have learned in class under the supervision of a registered or licensed massage therapist.

The co-op or outreach may deal with but is not limited to sporting environments, seniors, cancer survivors, infant and pregnancy massage. Chances are that the curriculum you choose will also have student massage therapy clinics as well.

Starting a new career in massage therapy is major personal decision. Unfortunately some people think massage is “easy” until they have to study for anatomy, neurology or treatments etc. Are you prepared to make the necessary sacrifices for your massage therapy education?

Finally, thoroughly go to through the massage therapy curriculum of each school you visit and make an informed decision.

To find a massage therapy curriculum in your province you may find a list of schools in a massage therapy schools Canada guide.

Visit Bryan College to get an idea of a solid massage therapy curriculum