Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/81195
TEN FOR TODAY Never Stop Learning 1. Explore CE Options By Rebecca Jones CONSIDER ONLINE COURSEWORK Though not all regulating boards will allow home study continuing education (CE) hours, their appeal is obvious: they don't involve travel, they're affordable, and they fit easily into a practitioner's busy schedule. "We find that some students learn so much more through home study, where they can review materials at their own pace," says Cheryl Baisley, programming director for the Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies (www.integrative- healthcare.org), which offers more than 125 such courses. 2. TRY AN ONLINE CONFERENCE The World Massage Conference (www. worldmassageconference.com) brings together thousands of massage professionals twice a year for a virtual three-day gathering. Attendees log in for online access to workshops and a virtual trade show, where they can browse exhibitors' "booths." "It's just like watching TV," says Eric Brown, co- founder of the conference. "It's live, but there's the ability to present questions to presenters, a moderator will sort through the questions and pose the interesting ones." In all, the three-day conference offers more than 50 potential CE hours, and the workshops remain accessible online for registrants for nearly a year. 3. UTILIZE ABMP MEMBER OPTIONS ABMP typically offers three webinars per month from some of the most respected names in the business, says ABMP Director of Education Anne Williams. The hour-long webinars are free to watch, and members can take a quiz afterward to earn CE hours for just $12. (Nonmembers pay $35 per quiz.) In addition, there are 68 archived webinars available for viewing at any time. "That's 68 CE hours right there on a variety of topics, as well as 10 two-hour courses," Williams says. Visit www.abmp.com for more information. AND TRADE SHOWS IN PERSON "Our shows are all about having fun, creating excitement," says Scott Dartnall, co-founder of the American Massage Conference (www. americanmassageconference.com; ABMP is the education sponsor for the event), which will be held April 20–22, 2012, in San Diego, California. "We think this is a great time to meet others, socialize with them, take classes with them, and have lunch with them," Dartnall says. At the American Massage 4. Conference, entrance is $40, which includes access to more than a dozen one-hour continuing education classes—"tasters," as Dartnall calls them. OVER THE TOP "If I were taking a continuing education class, I would search for something that would separate me from the thousands of other massage therapists out there," says Ruthie Hardee of Denver, Colorado. "I want something with a 'wow' effect that will jump right off my menu of services." Hardee is the founder and CEO 5. of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, commonly called barefoot massage, and she can teach your feet to do nearly everything your hands can do. In fact, she has a T-shirt that proclaims, "Hands are so last year." Classes range from $199 to $595 LEARN SOMETHING ATTEND CONFERENCES 22 massage & bodywork march/april 2012