Canadian Council of
Massotherapeutic Examiners
(CCME)
Details on the education and examination requirements for Massage therapists and
reasons why massotherapeutic medicine can play a vital role in the healthcare
system.
Interest in alternative medicine has grown significantly over the last decade,
creating a demand for alternative practitioners. Three elements must be present
to ensure that these healthcare professionals do not pose a threat to public
health:
|
1. |
Practitioners must be educated at medical colleges that have been
accredited by an agency recognized by the
Alternative Medicine Examiners
Council of Canada (AMECC).;
|
|
2. |
Practitioners must be examined by a national examining board that sets
high standards for eligibility and provides standardized test
administration; board examinations must be developed in accordance with
national testing standards; and
|
|
3. |
Practitioners must be licensed, required to take continuing education, and
subject to peer review.
|
One
massage therapy college in Canada is currently accredited by the
Alternative Medicine Examiners Council
of Canada (AMECC)..
The CCNE is the only massage therapy accrediting body recognized by the
Alternative Medicine Examiners Council
of Canada (AMECC).
The
education a Massage Therapist follows a path similar to that of
physiotherapists. Applicants enter massotherapy school after receiving a
baccalaureate degree (usually pre-med) from a four-year college or equivalent.
Students complete two years of post-graduate basic science coursework then have
two to three years of didactic and clinical training, including time spent in
supervised patient care.
The
Canadian Council of Massotherapeutic Examiners (CCME) uses the CCMEX to examine
all massage therapists who want to be licensed in provinces that license massage
therapists. The Canadian Council of Massotherapeutic Examiners (CCMEX) are
criterion-referenced examinations. Part I - Basic Science Examinations cover
anatomy, physiology, immunology, and pathology. The Part I Examinations are
taken after the second year of training. Part II - Clinical Science Examinations
cover diagnosis using physical examination and lab testing, emergency and
medical procedures, as well as massage treatment modalities (botanical medicine,
physical medicine, counseling & health psychotherapy). The CCMEX examinations
are developed according to all the guidelines set forth in the Standards for
Educational and Psychological Testing.
After graduation from the accredited Massage Therapy college and passage of Part
II - Clinical Science Examinations, candidates apply to one of the jurisdictions
that have laws that enable licensed Massage Therapists to serve their
communities as providers of care in Canada. Licensed Massage Therapists are
required to obtain continuing education and are subject to peer review.
Massage Therapy can play a vital, cost-effective role in the healthcare system:
|
1. |
Massage Therapists are care providers who treat patients for a variety of
conditions, using therapies that are non-invasive, safe, and effective. More
patients are demanding these kinds of treatment options, and the cost of
Massage Therapy care is minimal when compared to the skyrocketing costs of
drugs. |
|
|
|
|
2. |
Because Massage Therapy places significant emphasis on prevention (not
merely on screening for pre-existing conditions), it can help stem the
increasing incidence of chronic disease. For a small expenditure now,
significant costs can be prevented later. |
|
|
|
|
3. |
Massage Therapy provides vital adjunctive care when a patient is being
treated by a medical doctor for a serious condition. For example, Massage
Therapy can help allay the severe side effects of medication and can provide
support for better healing. A study done recently showed that this valuable
care accounts for only 2% of the cost of other treatments. |
|
|
|
|
4. |
Massage Therapist’s can meet the growing shortage of healthcare providers in
rural areas. Efforts are under way to allow Massage Therapists to be granted
the same kinds of loan repayment options to encourage participation in
rural, veteran’s, and Indian health programs that are available for MDs, DCs,
DOs, and other eligible providers. |
|
|
|
|
5. |
A patient who is rushed through appointments and feels that her/his doctor
does not listen is more likely to file a lawsuit in the case of a mistake
than is a patient who feels a respectful partnership with her/his physician.
Massage Therapists spend a great deal of time listening to their patients,
attending to their emotional, mental, and spiritual needs as well as to
their physical symptoms. Cases of malpractice are extremely rare in the
Massage Therapy profession. |
MASSAGE THERAPY ORGANIZATION WEBSITES
Alternative
Medicine Examiners Council of Canada (AMECC)
Conseil des Examinateurs en
Massothérapie du Québec (CEMQ)
Le Syndicat
Professionnel des Techniciens en Thérapie Manuelle du Québec (SPTTMQ)
Collège
de Massothérapie du Québec a Montreal (CMQM)
Le
Syndicat Professionnel des Massothérapeutes du Québec (SPMQ)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
During the first 2 ½ - 3 years of massage school, the education of Massage
Therapy follows a path similar to that of physiotherapists. Students in both
allopathic and Massage Therapy colleges receive extensive training in the
medical sciences, and in physical, and clinical diagnosis. Both receive training
in emergency procedures, public health, and principles of pharmacology. The
Massage Therapy colleges use standard medical texts for this phase of the
training. The paths of Massage Therapy education and allopathic medical
education diverge after this point. Physiotherapists learn how to work with
patients who have been prescribed drugs from MDs and or refer for surgery.
Massage Therapists learn how to help patients who have been prescribed drugs
from MDs. With physical medicine (e.g., hydrotherapy, soft tissue massage,
osseous manipulation, etc.) mind-body medicine also refers to NDs, DCs, DOs, and
Psychotherapists.
Four keys differences distinguish the Massage therapy approach from the approach
used by allopathic physiotherapists:
|
· |
Emphasis on prevention |
|
|
· |
Search for and treatment of the cause of illness (as compared to an approach
that treats the symptoms of the illness) |
|
|
· |
Individualized treatment (e.g. two patients being treated for the same
pathology may have completely different treatment protocols) |
|
|
· |
A goal of removing obstacles to the body’s own innate healing processes (as
compared to the idea that “cure” must come from external sources) |
|
|
Massage Therapist License
Requirements
|
|
|
Massage
Therapy:
Initial License Requirements
-
Submit a
massage therapist license application & pay the required license fee;
-
Possess a
good moral and professional reputation;
-
Be
physically and mentally fit to practice massage therapy;
-
Graduate
from a massage therapy college that is accredited by the Council or
another such accrediting agency recognized by the federal government; or
graduate from a foreign country osteopathic medical college that
possesses equivalent qualifications; and
-
Successfully complete the Canadian Council of Massage Therapy Examiners
(CCME) examinations.
|
The
Alternative Medicine Examiners Council
of Canada (AMECC)'s mission is to ensure
the high quality of alternative medicine education in Canada through the
voluntary accreditation of four-year, graduate-level programs in alternative
medicine. Students and graduates of programs accredited or pre-accredited
(candidacy) by AMECC are eligible to apply for the osteopathic licensing
examinations administered by the Canadian Council of Massage Therapist Examiners
(CCME).
Founded in 1991, CCME is accepted as the
programmatic accrediting agency for osteopathic medical education by the
osteopathic college and programs in Canada, by the Canadian National Massage
Therapy Professional Syndicates CNMPS, and by AMECC. CCME advocates for high
standards in Massage therapy education, and its grant of accreditation to a
college or program indicates prospective students and the public may have
confidence in the college or program. The CCME is the national accrediting
agency for programs leading to the Massage Therapist degree.
An accreditation handbook, containing CCME
standards, policies, procedures, and governing documents, is available for $20,
prepaid. A free PDF version is available by e-mail upon request. The PDF file
may be opened and printed with Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download.
CCME also certifies postdoctoral programs
in Massage Therapy. Among these programs are massage therapy residencies that
provide licensed massage therapists with postgraduate training in massage
therapy family care and other specialties. A manual containing CCME's standards
for residency programs may be ordered for $15, prepaid. A free PDF version is
available by e-mail.
CCME is a member of the
Alternative Medicine Examiners Council
of Canada (AMECC) and abides by the CPMDQ
Code of Good Practice.
The accredited and candidate of Massage
therapy programs, as well as the certified residency programs, are listed on the
links page. After accessing the links page, click the name of the program or its
logo to go to the Website for the college or university that offers the program.
For frequently asked
questions, click "FAQs" on the menu.
CCMEs next meeting will be held April 8 &
9, 2006, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Login
