Nov 27, 2007 08:43 AM - FYI, we are not masseuses, we are massage therapists or practitioners. I am a licensed massage therapist pursuing a BSN/RN. Specializing in pain relief due to injury and/or stress, it is my perception that nurse massage therapists receive referrals from docs more frequently than massage therapists w/o a medical background. It is unfortunate that as nurses, there is no time to provide massage therapy to patients, however, many hospitals are now providing optional massage therapy services which the patient must pay for. However, you must be an RN to do it. Nurses are everywhere! Nice to have so many options.

Nov 28, 2007 04:51 PM - i strongly agree on a massage thearpist, i would love to make an elderly person feel good, even though they are old.SO WHAT!!! they deserve to be pain free, and feel good. i wish i could do that for them....

Nov 29, 2007 06:36 PM - Sorry Trinh, I did not mean to insult you. Actually I was being a bit sarcastic because someone wrote an email being very negative about RN's giving massages to patients and she had used (or attempted) to use the word "Masseusses" and had spelt it wrong. I did not want to be too nasty in my answer so I spelt the word correctly and made a comment after it. I am very aware that that title is an inappropriate description of the skill and education that is put into this wonderful craft. I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Sorry

Dec 09, 2007 12:58 PM - I absolutely enjoyed this article and couldn't agree more! I think massage therapy would be a wonderful practice to incorporate into the nursing profession! I've always had a very keen interest in alternative/holistic treatments. I'm currently enrolled in a practical nursing program and, upon finishing, would like to further my education towards a RN license. A massage therapy course is on the horizon and, although I've quite a ways to go, I believe it's well worth it to be able to bring comfort to a patient the way "dsoginer" did, which was absolutely beautiful!

Dec 09, 2007 02:14 PM - My original career path was massage therapy until a counselor opened by eyes to nursing. I often integrate massage if I feel a patient would benefit (or a fellow nurse!) if they approve of me doing so. I generally just work the shoulders and upper back, and put a little lotion on which people REALLY appreciate especially when they have all sorts of itchy bed wrinkles!

Tait

Dec 10, 2007 06:26 PM - Awesome article and I think massage should always be a part of healing. I don't know if my experience and training in deep muscle massage on performance horses counts for massage training but my co-workers certainly love my skills! Gentle massage for my patients is always appreciated too. I usually just ask if they would like some lotion applied after a bed bath and it becomes a gentle soft tissue massage.

Dec 12, 2007 09:19 PM - I must admit when I first saw the title of this thread, I thought ppffffftttt....how is it my job to massage someone? I shall qualify that thought with the fact that I'm still a nursing student, so I'm inexperienced in the nursing realm. Also, I'm a guy so the idea of close personal contact with a stranger seems foreign to me.

However, I must say that everyones stories here have given me much to think on, as what you have said makes a lot of sense. Five minutes of reading may have just changed how I provide care for the next 30 years

Dec 31, 2007 09:44 AM - Yeah,as far as it improves nursing skills it also enhances relationship to the patient int terms of Care Aspects