R.N. Going To Massage Therapy School

TraumaSurfer · Oct 19, 2013

Wow. As a massage therapist in CA for the last 12 years I'm not sure where you are getting your info from. California requires all massage therapists to be certified through the California Massage Therapy council. To qualify for certification you need a minimum of 250 hours of training from an approved school. I've never worked anywhere where they overlooked this law. Additionally therapeutic massage is not within a nurses scope of practice, nursing school is very clear on the difference between massaging a patients sore spot and providing therapeutic massage. Also, as a massage therapist I have never made less than $50 an hour, I usually make at least $70. I encourage anyone to supplement their nursing education with massage therapy training. As I complete my last year in a BSN program I am constantly seeing the benefit of my previous and ongoing training in massage.

Totally not true. Certification is voluntary. There is not even a basic knowledge test required.

Lax Enforcement of Massage Industry Allows Illicit Spas to Proliferate - Police & Fire - Petaluma, CA Patch

Probably next to EMS in California, Massage Therapy is the next most dysfunctional "profession". Buyer be aware and very, very careful in this state. Never ever buy a gift certificate for a massage to give to someone you care about unless you have done some extensive research on the person calling themselves a massage therapist.

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“There is no requirement for certification in California unless you are in a city or county that requires a business to be certified, and most do not,” said Ahmos Netanel, chief executive officer of the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), created in 2009 as a result of legislation aimed at regulating the industry and which offers certification for massage therapists who seek it out on their own.

This is not completely true. In a RN position, a nurse CAN practice therapeutic massage, we were taught effleurage, and other swedish and deep techniques, however a RN cannot go outside a healthcare setting and offer "therapeutic massage" as an unlicensed individual.
Its is definitely within our scope of practice. Why wouldnt be, we do many invasive(this is non invasive) and skilled things

Some Paramedics can also do most and even more than an RN but that does not make them an RN or allow them to practice as one. But unfortunately in California which is basically still an unregulated state for Massage Therapists, anyone can call them a Massage Therapist which is why this state still has "Massage Parlors".

I have yet to see a nurse do effeurage or any of the deep tissue techniques massage therapists can do or even spend enough time with each patient to do this. In states like NY and FL they want you to spend at least 150 hours actually doing massage to get the license. I don't know any nursing school which has just 150 hours of clinicals dedicated to giving a patient a full body massage. We were basically taught a few prinicples for "massaging the skin" for circulation and applying lotion. Just like some other things in nursing school we only got an overview. EKGs, respiratory therapy and emergency procedures are also examples. For massage this is the loop hole which allows just about anyone to call themselves a massage therapist or to practice massage therapy without any specifically regulated education or training or even testing. Some massage schools might allow RNs to challenge out of the A&P part but I don't know many RNs who can name all the muscles and their origins and insertion points the way many truly professional Massage Therapists can.

Soapbox? Yeah. It is a ***** to send someone a gift certificate for a massage and have them end up in pain from some idiot with a weekend massage school "certification". Lesson learned in a bad way.

MTtoBSN · Dec 21, 2013

I'm not here to shatter anyone's dreams, and everyone is certainly within their right to do what works best for their situation. That being said, I've been a massage therapist for about 7 years now, graduated massage therapy school in 2007 (in California). up until about 2010 (which is when I moved to Atlanta to be with who is now my wife) as far as the law was concerned, there was not state-wide licensing (that's because California could not agree on minimum requirements as a state) so that meant you had to get licensed in every city you practiced in. Many of the cities had different requirements. In Riverside around glen ivy, it was about 250hrs minimum I think. In other places it was 500, some even required 1,000.

I did MT school first and I love the profession. I enjoyed every day I went to work. No one is ever angry at you, all your clients love you, it's great. That being said, I am now in nursing school to get my BSN. I agree that to go from a RN to MT does not make sense financially, but if that is what brings you fulfillment, by all means, do what works for you. I too made about $50 an hour (okay 47.50 with $20 tips here and there) but you must remember that this will not always be the norm. Even if you make that much, you will work less hours and it will balance out. Secondly, regardless of how you pitch it "medical", "therapeutic", "pampering yourself", your income is directly subjected the ups and downs of the economy. Especially since most places don't cover massage under insurance (aside from chiropractors, physical therapists and some others). Lastly, if you try to maximize your hours to get closer to nursing pay, you'll burn yourself out physically. They teach you how to use proper body mechanics in MT school, but this is only to reduce the stress of the therapists body, not eliminate it completely. Therapist burnout is very common (carpal tunnel, tendinitis, shoulder problems, etc.), especially as you get older. I know nurses can get burnt out with all that they do, but imagine the same hours, just more physically demanding. I used to do lots of deep-tissue massages in one day, and I would work up a sweat during each one (because you're working hard, and you have to keep the client comfortably warm. Since they aren't active, they get colder more easily, which means keeping the room warmer than usual.)

I'm not bashing the profession, I loved it! I'm just making sure you know all the objective facts before going all in. People tend to romanticize this field, and it is truly a great field, but everything has its trade-offs. Me personally, as a nursing student, I hope nursing will be every bit as fulfilling, but I know it will put me in a place where I want to be financially.

Whatever you choose, good luck. :up:

MTtoBSN · Dec 21, 2013

but you must remember that this will not always be the norm. Even if you make that much, you will work less hours and it will balance out.

By this I meant, "even if you make $50/hr as an MT, you'll work fewer hours than the typical 12 hr shift an RN works, and so it initially looks like MT's make more, but when taking hours into consideration, it isn't as much as an RN (depending on location)". Also, even if you're willing to work 12 hr shifts as an MT, you may not always have clients to fill every single spot.

It sounds like I'm bashing it, and I'm really not, I have gained a skill that I love and will cherish and continue to use for the rest of my life. It's nice to get free haircuts because I barter with the hairstylists haha. I would love to incorporate my experience and knowledge of therapeutic massage as a nurse, but I feel that there are fewer benefits (to me personally) to incorporate nursing employed as a massage therapist.

Sorry for the novels, just my $0.25 worth. (had too much coffee and am sitting here late at night on AN).

MTtoBSN · Dec 21, 2013

Last thing, I promise!

with regard to qualifications, that is another problem. Not all massage therapy schools are created equal. I went to a 750hr program and believe I received a quality education. What I learned has helped me from pre-nursing into nursing school still (mainly anatomy, and bony landmarks). However, with all these trade schools popping out of nowhere, some are not as good as others. It also depends on the student and how devoted they are to mastering the craft.

Also, while I was regarded as very intelligent and knowledgeable by my clients, many people don't recognize massage as an allied medical profession. This is why I explained things to them from a scientific, physiological approach using medical terminology and then explaining it in lames terms. This helps to- 1. educate the client, and 2. help them establish confidence in you as a knowledgeable allied healthcare professional who knows what they're doing and won't mess them up.

...I gotta cut back on the coffee :/