| In the profession of massage therapy, there is no | | | | of massage, 17% assessment and treatment of |
| one regulatory body that certifies/licenses for the | | | | client with massage, 10% professional practices, |
| practice of massage across the 50 states. | | | | and 13% on ethics, boundaries, and law. |
| Since 1992 the National Certification Board of | | | | To determine which exam is recognized in a |
| Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork | | | | state, the interested person should refer to the |
| (NCBTMB) has been certifying massage therapists | | | | respective web sites of these organizations, for |
| as part of the credentialing process in many | | | | NCBTMB and for the MBLEx (Massage & |
| states. More recently (2007), the Federation of | | | | Bodywork Licensing Exam). In addition, it would be |
| State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) has also | | | | wise to check the state that you would like to |
| served as a credentialing organization in some | | | | practice massage in to confirm information found |
| states. Many states accept the passing scores | | | | on these organizational web sites. |
| from either organization's exams. | | | | I have taken the NCETMB and the MBLEx in the |
| Currently recognized in 33 states plus Guam, the | | | | past year. Although the American Massage |
| Virgin Islands, West Indies, Puerto Rico, and the | | | | Therapy Association supports the MBLEx as the |
| District of Columbia, as the credential for | | | | "exam of choice," I was not impressed with this |
| practicing massage in these states, the NCBTMB | | | | exam for several reasons. |
| offers two exams, the NCETMB and the NCETM. | | | | First, as an Ohio massage therapist, I am uneasy |
| The two certification exams are composed of | | | | about the lack of focus on anatomy and |
| 160 multiple-choice questions and are essentially | | | | physiology, especially the latter. As a person laying |
| the same except one of them, the NCETMB, has | | | | hands on people, I should know the anatomy of |
| a component that tests on Eastern medicine | | | | the human body but better have a good sense of |
| (meridians, chakras, doshas, and the like). Roughly | | | | HOW things work too. Otherwise, physiological |
| 42% of the questions on both of the NCBTMB | | | | effects are pretty hard to determine let alone |
| exams test anatomy and physiology and | | | | understand. For comparisons, fifty percent of the |
| kinesiology content. Twelve percent of the | | | | content tested on in Ohio is anatomy and |
| questions test knowledge of pathology of the | | | | physiology. Forty-two percent of the questions on |
| body. Forty percent of the questions are devoted | | | | the NCBTMB exams is AP related. |
| to therapeutic massage assessment and | | | | Secondly, there were many common sense |
| application. Professional standards, ethics, business | | | | questions with obvious answers that would require |
| and legal practices are the subject of the | | | | no prior massage knowledge. In other words, the |
| remaining 6% of the questions. Both of these | | | | test is too easy. Why test at all if this is the |
| exams costs $225. The test-taker is permitted | | | | case? A certificate or diploma from a massage |
| two hours and 40 minutes for taking either exam | | | | therapy program of so many hours should suffice |
| and the test-taker "sits" for their exam at a | | | | in this instance. |
| PearsonVue testing center ( Results are given | | | | A third concern...If there is to be a national |
| immediately upon completion of the exam. | | | | certification exam in massage therapy that, if |
| The Federation of State Massage Therapy | | | | passed, will permit people to practice massage, |
| Boards is currently recognized in 18 states plus | | | | then let's make the exam something that is |
| the District of Columbia. This 125 multiple-choice | | | | rigorous enough that the passing rate isn't so high |
| test costs $195 to take and is taken at a | | | | that passing the test doesn't merely serve as a |
| PearsonVue testing center. The test-taker is | | | | right of passage to practice! |
| permitted 2, 1/2 hours to take the exam and the | | | | Before deciding the "route" you will take to get a |
| results are available immediately. The content | | | | national credential in massage therapy, do your |
| emphasis is as follows: 25% anatomy and | | | | homework and get full value for your |
| physiology, 13% pathology, 5% history of | | | | commitment to the exam you choose! |
| massage, 17% benefits and physiological effects | | | | |