Why Take Massage Therapy Continuing Education Classes?

By Antoinette Boulay

A Continuing Education Unit is a nationally recognized unit of time spent studying to enhance a person’s professional development. Ten hours of instruction equals one CEU. CEUs provide students with a permanent record of continuing education and training for professionals who need to prove to state licensing boards, employers and other interested parties that they are undergoing ongoing training and development in their field. Massage Therapy continuing education classes are vital for therapists who wish to maintain and upgrade their skills and retain credibility in the industry.

Undertaking a massage therapy continuing education class does not count towards any kind of academic credit such as a diploma or degree. What it does is helps the therapist to keep abreast of new developments in the field such as any new techniques that are being introduced.

Well-rounded courses

Aside from the practical applications of massage therapy, the continuing education class may also offer business training, including accounting, marketing and client analysis. These are all vital tools that help a therapist to run a successful, profitable business, while ensuring that clients are well taken care of.

Study at home or on campus

While some courses can be taken in a school environment such as a beauty school’s classrooms, many can be taken online or at home. All the course materials are emailed or posted to the student and assistance can be obtained online or by telephone. This may seem interesting, considering that one might think that a massage therapy continuing education class might be very hands-on. Keep in mind, however that some techniques can be taught via instructional DVD or downloadable streaming video. Other classes are purely theory-based so books and documents form the tools for study.

From basic and advanced anatomy to identifying and treating various health complaints, there are massage therapy continuing education classes to cater for a range of qualifications and disciplines. A therapist who specializes in day spa treatments may not choose to undergo training in Fibromyalgia. Similarly, one who deals with pre-natal and post-natal massage as well as treatment during labor and childbirth may find classes aimed at treating HIV-positive patients unnecessary.

Maintain credibility and uphold standards

Still, a good all-round education is helpful to those therapists who choose not to limit their options in the massage therapy industry. Being qualified in a broad range of areas expands their employment opportunities. Taking massage therapy continuing education classes that deal with specialties outside of one’s usual realm of treatments can lead the student towards new employers or to offer their services to more clients.

Examples of courses Here is a sample listing of the kinds of massage therapy continuing education classes available for students to take online:

• Reflexology
• Prenatal Massage fundamentals
• Shiatsu Anma therapy
• Sports Massage
• Ethical Case Management
• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Advanced Anatomy and Pathology
• Aromatherapy
• Stone Massage
• Cranial-Sacral fundamentals
• Ethical and Legal Considerations in the Practice of Massage Therapy
• Thai Massage

Some schools offer massage therapy continuing education classes in modules that can be taken over a weekend at an in-residence program. Students can choose from a range of classes offered and spend all of Saturday and Sunday in training. This can be a very cost-effective and time-efficient way of attaining CE credits without having to set aside time each evening in the case of online courses. The classes are begun and completed in two days and the credits are attained very promptly.

Since some employers will not take on therapists who do not continually update their training, it’s highly advisable to undergo massage therapy continuing education classes for the sake of one’s career. Even employers aside, taking classes to improve one’s own reputation and credibility as a therapist is highly desirable indeed.

For more on massage therapy training and massage therapy schools, visit medopedia.com.