Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68175
invited to be part of the process. "We wanted a single source of information that would inform and guide the various domains of massage therapy," Hines says. The acronym the group came up with for the domains was PARCEL—Practice, Accreditation, Research, Certification, Education, and Licensure. "I really like the approach that all those domains, which now largely operate independently, should have a single source about what massage therapy is and what it is not," he says. In an effort to get as much of the massage community involved in the process as possible, the task force twice asked for public input on the document over the past year; approximately 1,400 comments were submitted in response and discussed at length. The result is what the framers hope is an inclusive document, void of politics and agendas, that addresses in the most fundamental form what massage therapy is, what it looks like, and the knowledge and skills necessary to be an entry-level MT. Hines says this is the first time that something like this has been built by and for the profession. "The stewards didn't guide the information; this was the profession doing it itself." ABMP President Les Sweeney, NCTM, said the task force's independence was crucial to the process. "ABMP was pleased to support the project as a steward," Sweeney says. "We felt this was a great opportunity for the profession to take an important step forward, and we were delighted to support the process. Not every part of the MTBOK will be everyone's cup of tea, but its development is a natural and appropriate progression for the field." PUTTING THE MTBOK TO USE The hopes for the MTBOK are vast; the reality of those hopes are pinned on the massage community taking ownership of the document and its guidelines. JoEllen Sefton, director of the Neuromechanics Research Laboratory and assistant professor of kinesiology at Auburn University, was one of the task force members who worked to create the MTBOK. She envisions the new guidelines being utilized by all facets of the massage community. "Educators could use the MTBOK to determine where current curricula and programs could use revision or development. Massage therapists and potential students can use the MTBOK to evaluate educational programs and determine which school best meets their needs," she says. "The general public could also use the document to discover more about the massage therapy profession and our educational practice, standards, and values. Finally, lawmakers and those working to establish licensure and legislation could use the document to help establish standards, scope of practice, and educational requirements." EDUCATIONAL IMPACT Michael Shea, a MTBOK task force member and founder of the Shea Educational Group, says the impact of the MTBOK could be significant. "It's where the rubber meets the road," he explains. In the past, Shea says, massage therapy school curricula were guided by each school owner's personality, background, and training. By meeting the new MTBOK guidelines, schools can know that while they can still make their curricula special and unique, they can also ensure their students are receiving entry-level skills, at the very least. "[The MTBOK] gives you the academic domain of the stream of information that feeds into the profession, that then streams into a standards of practice, then gets fed into a replicable curriculum," he explains. "We want to get this into the hands of school owners, who then get it into the hands of their faculty, who then get it to students." He says while the document lays out what entry level is, it also gives schools the opportunity to go deeper than what the MTBOK describes. For some schools, it might show them where they may be falling short in their curriculum. Ultimately, it opens the door to a more standards- based educational model. "It leaves open a great deal of possibility." For someone looking to enter massage school, Hines says the MTBOK will eventually prove invaluable. "When looking at your education, you should be able to find similarities. Schools should provide consistent curriculum from school to school, at least at a basic level. The accreditation process will then ensure schools are in line with the MTBOK." Hines says the end result is a supplement to job surveys, not a replacement for it. "This is more what we think should be taught." Hines says the BOK begins to offer a consistency on how topics are approached, defined, and discussed. This doesn't mean, however, that you create a cookie-cutter approach to education, for example. "In reality, you create a consistency in how massage is taught, even though the depth and way it is taught can be different, they should at least be discussing the same sort of information." It's about creating a consistency within the framework, and an expectation of some predictability, at least in the basics of massage training. Task force member Kevin Pierce says it was his position as program manager of massage therapy at Anthem Education Group that prompted him to volunteer his time for the MTBOK. "I do a lot of development with curriculum at multiple campuses and across state lines. Having been a therapist myself and gone through the process and seeing the intrinsic challenges we face as a profession, and the mishmash of licensing and regulation we face, I saw [the MTBOK] as something very necessary for the coming years." Through the MTBOK, Pierce says he envisions schools will be guided to a more centralized and comprehensive level of standards-based education. connect with your colleagues on massageprofessionals.com 47