The NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork) is currently in the process of creating an advanced certification massage exam. I have to say I am skeptical right from the start and always have been since the inception of this organization. It was created back in 1988 just when I was getting out of massage school. Their history is quite rocky to begin with. I was never a supporter mainly because I saw how it was created. There was never any research done from what I could see at that time to see if it was needed. It was supposed to be an entrance exam for the AMTA and it somehow all of a sudden just became a certification exam for the massage profession. It was funded by AMTA for starters. They did pay the money back to AMTA and are now independent of AMTA and in fact AMTA has disowned them and does not professionally endorse them any longer and changed their support to the Federation of Massage State Boards exam -the MBLex (AMTA Press Release).
The latest news from the NCB says in their latest news(pdf):
The credential will be the first to enable accomplished practitioners to differentiate themselves in the massage marketplace. It will also make it possible for employers and members of the conventional and integrative healthcare arenas to hire practitioners based on a certified, advanced level of experience and expertise.
Is that what is needed for a massage therapist to differentiate themselves in the marketplace? What proof is there that an exam will help do that? What about teaching MT to do just that by learning a specialty and learning to present themselves in a way that differentiates themselves from all of the other massage therapists out there in their neighborhood. If everyone takes the exam – will they all be differentiated?
Those who earn the advanced credential will be nationally recognized for possessing the critical thinking skills necessary to function in complex situations. In addition, they will be relied upon for their ability to work in a team environment utilizing treatment plans based on research-informed outcomes.
How will they get that training in critical thinking skills and on research when most of the massage therapists out there have little training in research since research is really just in it’s infancy in this profession.
“NCAP practitioners will offer the advanced capabilities increasingly sought out by discerning clients, employers and healthcare providers,” said NCBTMB Chair Neal Delaporta. “The credential will open up new opportunities for therapists in conventional, integrative and clinical healthcare settings. It has the potential to take the entire profession to a new level within the medical community.
Is that what will help us be recognized as a health care profession and be able to work in the medical community billing major medical insurance companies and working with injuries and diseases? Here in WA State we are already recognized as a health care profession and we are able to work with doctors and insurance companies. We are able to do that because we had a very savvy insurance commissioner who also had a great massage therapist – Lori Belenski- who is now working for the WA State Chiropractors Association as a lobbyist. Debra Senn, the insurance commissioner created a law that mandated that insurance companies must pay for massage, Naturopaths and Acupuncturists. The WA State Legislature adopted the “every category of provider” mandate as part of the 1993, Health Care Reform Act to go into effect in 1996. The insurance companies fought it and took it into Superior Court and held it up until 2000. Here is the report done at the time “Issues in Coverage for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Services: Report of the Clinician Workgroup Jan. 2000. The full report that I have a copy of lists the timeline of events leading to the passing of this law.
Does it take an exam to make massage accepted by insurance companies? Not based on WA State since we only have the minimum of 500 hours of education required for massage professional licensing.
What will take the profession to a new level is having reciprocal licensing! Come on already! That’s a simple one to me anyways.
Chair-Elect Alexa Zaledonis added, “For practitioners with the NCAP credential, it means a potential for increased marketability and heightened earning power. It will help connect advanced therapists of all modalities to rewarding positions with high-level employers.”
How will it do that when the major employer in the massage profession are massage franchises. There aren’t any higher level jobs or at least very few. What it takes to find or create higher paying jobs is saying “NO” to low paying jobs and going out there and showing employers just what massage can do and how much you can make for an employer. It is about having the skills to market yourself and negotiate pay – just like most other careers. Since most massage therapists are locked in the “Noble Poverty” – “It’s not about the money” – too many Massage Therapists are not standing up for themselves and are looking for what a job can do for them rather than what they can do for a job.
The next step is a job task analysis “that will ask practitioners to determine the knowledge, skills and abilities that an “advanced practitioner” must possess, as well as the level of importance that should be placed on each.”
What makes for an advanced massage therapist? Is it their skills and training? Is it the amount of time they last in the field? With over 250 different kinds of massage and bodywork out there (and that number growing everyday)- how will they come up with skills that all types of massage therapists will be able to acquire?
In 2009, the NCBTMB did a needs assessment survey to ask the profession to help define the criteria for the possible exam. The survey looked at:
•Defining the Advanced Practitioner
•Identifying the Necessary Characteristics of Advanced Certification
•Identifying the Criteria for Advanced Certification
Personally, I find it interesting that they didn’t ask if they thought an advanced certification was needed. They just assumed that it was and went on to ask questions about it. Since I never saw any benefit to the regular certification exam, what will people get out of the massage advanced certification? I have never in 23 years been asked if I was licensed or certified. I guess I am lucky to live in an area where massage is accepted more and seems to be ahead of the game in being accepted by health care companies.
What makes for an advanced massage therapist? Anyone who can last more than 3-5 years would qualify in my book!