Nurse Massage Therapy

[nurseyperson]

Hello! This new forum is for anyone interested in massage, nursing and the combination. I am an RN working mostly ICU, Neo ICU and ER (all prn), a former

travel nurse and wife and Mom. I am currently taking classes for Medical Massage Therapy. Anyone who is a massage therapist, nurse interested in it, or wanting information to benefit you patients is invited to post.

There are different types of massage therapy. There is the mostly widely known Swedish massage with oils. The kind I do is with clothes on, no oils and is medially based. It is a combination of trigger point therapy, neuromuscular reeducation, myofascial release, soft tissue mobilization, manual lymph drainage, acupressure, to name a few aspects of it. Add in nutritional support, and a nurse's knowledge and common sense and I can help most people in some way or another. The whole idea is to balance the systems and regions of the body, especially effective with neuromuscularskeletal dysfunctions. I use the GUT Method, which was developed by Elena Goetzel after years of "putting it all together". Very interesting!!! and effective!!

So.... let's talk!!!

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nurseyperson

[Kinky Slinky RN]

Hey guys!!! I will hopefully be an RN by December, and afterwards I planned on going to massage therapy school. My mom is a massage therapist now, and it is so wonderful to have a mom with that gift, so I was hoping to have that gift as well, so I will be a better mother, girlfriend/wife, and nurse. I had never heard of a Nurse Massage Therapist. Is it the same training that I would get if I went to a regular massage therapy school? Do you take it at a regular massage therapy school or is there a specific place for medical massage?? I live in Texas now so I know that I am required to have a license (being that my moms a RMT.) I am just not sure of the difference between swedish massage therapy and medical massage? Any information would help!! Thanks!!!!

[Fibril_late]

Greetings. I'm an Rn of 23 years in California. "Semi-retired" secondary to work injury. I spotted a Massage Therapy school opportunity that couldn't be beat, so I got started last month. It's a 500 hour program. Here in California, there is not yet a unified state certification/licensing. Every little burg in the state can make up their own qualifications and in fact, seem to do just that.

My intention at the end of all this training will to acquire the National Cert, because you know how it is, we nurses just gotta get as many initials after our names as possible. No one knows what they mean anyway, but it sure looks impressive.

I have been in many respects a student of alternative medicine for 30 years, but now getting some legit training. I enjoy it and frankly, all that nursing education, has made this study not too difficult.

Anyway, that was a ramble, but I'm glad to see the NMT community alive and kickin'.

Fibril_late

[spirited]

This is for nurseyperson:

I am interested in doing massage while i finish up college and since I live in kansas where they don't require me to be licensed, i was wondering if you knew if I needed to have some hours or could I just get started? do i need insurance, are there any legal issues that may need to be dealt with?

thanks for your time~Spirited

[d_lee_CSE]

Poptart and Nuresyperson, hi there, after expenses massage works out to be about $18/hour when you charge $50/hr, but you can cut corners and endup getting about $45/hour out of $50/hr. it all comes down to superannuation and sick leave and hoilday pay etc. Thanks for the title - NMMP Nursing Medical Massage Practitioner, I will probably use a variation of this. Have a good one mate.

[joswald]

wow, this is really great to learn about this. I had never heard of a nurse massage therapist before. I am currently a nursing student and about half way through the program last year i quit nursing school and got ready to start massage therapy school. Then at the last minute i decided to go ahead and finish nursing school, so thats where I am now, graduating in may this year. It's actually really comforting to know that I can still do both! I will look into what my state requires and look for some schools I can attend after I graduate. Very exciting!

[healingtouchRN]

great! do it. I do both & love both of my jobs. I have insurance, benefits & seniority thru my hospital job in PACU. I have the independence, flexibility of self employment with my private practice. It's small & growing. Very rewarding. Great to become one with the muscles while in a peaceful, dimly lit room full of aromatherapy, barefoot, comfy skort, t-shirt & lovely music. Plus I get payment daily instead every two weeks. Both have benefits.

[joswald]

that is great! i defintitely will pursue this career. I love helping people, and it owuld be nice to be able to do so in a nice, calming environment!

Also, do you know any nurse managers/directors(not necessarily masssage therapists) that would be willing to answer some questions i have for an assignment for school? These are the questions..... thanks for your advice and for any help with these questions....

The questions:

1. How long have you been a Nurse Manager and what changes have you seen in nursing over the past five years?

2. How long have you been the Nurse Manager of the unit you are at now and wha other units have you managed?

3.What are the major challenges that you face in your rold today as a Nurse Manager?

4. Looking back on your own nursing career, what lessons have you learned that have helped bring you to where you are today?

5. When you interbiew new graduates for your unit, what knowledge, skills, and abilities do you look for in that person?

6. In your opinion, what tupe of orientation do new nursing graduates need today?

7. Do you have ay reservations about hiring new graduates for your unit? If yes, what are they?

8. What advice would you offer to new graduates about how to make a successful transition during their first year of emplyment in today's healthcare environment?

9. In your opinion, what changes if any, will the Nursing Profession need to make to adapt to the Nursing Shortage?

10. What recommendations or advice regarding career planning would you give to me if I were interested in becoming a nurse leader in the future?

11. How do you feel about the idea of having high school nursing volunteers helping at your unit?

12. If there is anything else you would like to add, please feel free to do so.

THANKS!!!!

[LVN2006]

I absolutely believe that massage is a healing process and that only people that have been given the knowledge through a nursing background should be giving them. Case in point, Anna Nicole Smith...Anyway, I also think that products are important in doing the massages. I am signed up with Melaleuca for natural products in this and would greatly appreciate anyone interested in massage therapy would allow me to set up a webcast for you to see.....live questions and responses in the webcast

LVN2006

[Ms.Kamille]

Wow! this is so cool! I'm a pre nusring student with only 3 pre reqs left. I have decided to go to massage school this fall before I finish them. I never really knew that other people were doing massage and nursing. Actually I'm wondering whether I should finish with nursing school first than go to massage. I was thinking I could do massage for extra cash while in the nursing program though. Do you all think I should wait or go ahead with massage first?

Thanks, Kamille.

[healingtouchRN]

Depends on what state you are in. In Alabama, one must take the NCTMB (like NCLEX) then apply for insurance then AL licensure as an LMT. This is not true of other states, like GA. This is an exmemberve undertaking. I spend way less upstarting my RN career. Finish nursing program, take boards & meanwhile can be working as a TRN or GN until you have RN license. No so for LMT in AL. so check it out. I like doing both careers & both meet different needs in my life. My MT career cost more to pursue than my BSN, of course that was class of '89 & I completed CMT school in "05. Best wishes! :balloons:

Wow! this is so cool! I'm a pre nusring student with only 3 pre reqs left. I have decided to go to massage school this fall before I finish them. I never really knew that other people were doing massage and nursing. Actually I'm wondering whether I should finish with nursing school first than go to massage. I was thinking I could do massage for extra cash while in the nursing program though. Do you all think I should wait or go ahead with massage first?

Thanks, Kamille.

[MassagetoRN]

So, the majority of this thread is fairly old with many nurses looking into a dual career in massage therapy or incorporating massage into their nursing. I am wondering where everyone is at, did you go to school and what success and frustrations have you encountered? I am a massage therapist, licensed & certified through NCBTMB for the last 3 years. I also teach massage therapy and I am pursuing my RN. Thanks for your response!

[healingtouchRN]

I went to nursing school at Auburn University (Montgomery), AL in the 80's. Was a youngster then. Went back to CMT school at Montgomery School of Bodywork & Massage from '04-'05. took the part time route since I was & still am a FT RN on 3rd shift. 18+ years an RN. I will not quit nursing unless I hit the lotto (then I will be an awesome volunteer!). I have to have benefits & retirement. I practice MT & nurse consulting PT my own biz. I am also in grad school working on an MS in Natural Healthcare & Wellness Counseling. What better to have one stop health instruction during the bodywork time? I also have taught at the university but since I am not impressed with the pay, I will focus on doing seminars for practicing MT's & RN's.