Massage Therapy Case Study

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The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) is a regulatory body responsible for oversight of the profession of massage therapy within British Columbia (BC) (1). Established in 1994 by the BC Provincial Government under the Health Professions Act, the CMTBC is responsible for responding to complaints, setting the standards of practice for Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) and enforcing those rules and standards (2,3). Acquiring and maintaining active registration status with the CMTBC is necessary for practicing massage therapy in BC (3). The requirements include: maintaining active liability insurance, having valid First Aid and CPR certifications, regular criminal record checks, paying all fines and fees, and complying …show more content…
Professional liability insurance is required with coverage for claims of up to $2,000,000. A current certification in Standard First Aid/CPR-C is also required, and must be provided by either the Canadian Red Cross, Canadian Ski Patrol, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Lifesaving Society or St. John Ambulance. Also, any fines or fees - including a yearly registration renewal fee - must be paid in full (4). Further, a criminal record check must be provided every five years, and it must be free of any charge or conviction that would suggest the registrant would present a risk of abuse towards children or vulnerable adults (8). While not technically a requirement for renewal, it should be mentioned that the College can cancel an active registration for misconduct, violation of the CMTBC Bylaws or CMTBC Code of Ethics. Therefore adherence to these principles of professional conduct can be considered necessary (4,9). Finally, maintaining an active registration requires that an RMT complies with any QA requirements laid out by the …show more content…
To meet this responsibility, the CMTBC develops a QA program (7) that registrants are required to comply with (4). Currently this program focuses on continued practical education, using a system of Continuing Education Credits weighted heavily in favour of learning new techniques and modalities (7). However, over the next two years it will be transitioning to a focus on “ethics, practice and professional standards” (6). Part of the Strategic Plan of the CMTBC is that the College will offer “program [sic] and services that improve registrants safe and ethical practice” and one of the practice support offerings mentioned is self-assessment, with an aim for registrants knowing “what they must do to remain competent and current in their practice” (10). The College has also stated that they are developing other components, including “online assessment tools” (7) and that these components will include mandatory measures. It is likely then that the future role of an online self-assessment tool developed by the College will be as a part of the QA program requirements that must be completed. In this role, a self-assessment tool could be a mandatory component to allow a massage therapist to understand the areas in which their practice or care could be improved, and to individualise the QA