Nurse Massage Therapy

First...Tired Nurse...I am also in Kansas!!!..Southwest. Where are you? I agree, there are a lot of us that are looking for something else...a real life. Where you don't have to work Holidays, weekends, told you have to float, etc. I knew i wanted to stay in the field of "health care" or even helping people. With the medical massage, my nursing background definately helped me. I don't do Swedish...in fact the school I went to didn't even teach it, just an overview for boards.
A few sites that might be helpful.
NANMT, National Association of Nurse Massage Therapists, http://members.aol.com/nanmt1/
AMMA American Medical Massage Association http://www.americanmedicalmassage.com/
NCBTMB National Certification Board Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork http://www.ncbtmb.com/
AMTA Amercian Massage Therapy Associationhttp://www.amtamassage.org/
And I have a business card on Netscape. http://card.netscape.com/nrsmedmassage

Only about half of the states in the US require a massage therapist of have a state license. You have to check with your state about if they require a license and how many hours they require because that varies, too. It is too bad, too. Since the states (mine included..Kansas) does not require a license, there are lots of schools that are not approved by the State Board of Education or the State Board of Regents. So anyone can take as little as 30 hours and SAY they are a massage therapist.
Make sure if you are looking for a school that it is state approved and approved by the AMTA and/or COMTA. So in the future if the state does start requiring a license that you are "legal". In the states that are not licensed, in addition to going to a State approved school, it is beneficial if you take the National Certification test. Some states allow 3rd party reimbursement such as worker's compensation, auto and liability accident insurance, and some medical insurance, but you have to have a states license and most of the time be nationally certified. You may also be able to work with a doctor or chiropractor and get reimbursed thru them.
I just started my own practice last week, and have had more business than I thought I would to start out with. I have lots of contacts with the hospital, doctors, chiropractors, have advertised in a couple newspapers.
Pay scales vary drastically. Because I will take my National Certification soon and will be able to bill third party, I will charge more. The codes that I will charge for are some of the same ones that physical therapy charges...neuromuscular reeducation, soft tissue mobilization, etc. and the charges for those are up to around $100/h.
But it is illegal to charge insurance one charge and other people lower, so I am not charging that much!!! I also give a cash discount and have a "membership" that lowers the price for individuals. Also doing Manual Lymph Drainage for post mastectomy patients...very helpful and working on CEUs for both nursing and massage therapy. And will problably give classes on infant and labor massage to those departments at my hospital. I also give education on prescription/herbal and OTC drugs to my clients. Mostly about interactions with their Rx drugs, etc. My nursing has certainly helped with that. I sort of bring Eastern and Western medicines together.
Any other questions, feel free to post here or e-mail me at my work e-mail
wkmm2001@yahoo.com.
I'm interested also in what others are doing!!!! Let us know. It is exciting to be on the leading edge of this blossoming field!!!

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nurseyperson

I looked at the AMTA book and one school there in Austin is COMTA approved by (Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation) and AMTA Council of Schools
Lauterstein-Conway Massage School in Austin have a web site http://www.tlcschool.com/ and on their site...

Please join us for our next FREE Introduction to our Basic
and Advanced Massage Therapy Training on Friday
February 16, 2001 from 6:30 - 9:30pm. This evening
program, hosted by David Lauterstein, TLC Co-Director, will
give you essential information about our classes. We will
have faculty demonstrations of Swedish Massage, Deep
Massage, Zero Balancing and Shiatsu.

To reserve your place, please
fill out and e-mail our Info Request Form
or call
Lisa Capece at #512/374-9222
(toll free #800/474-0852 ext. 14)
From looking at their info, they seem like a good school, but you need to go and see.
You need at least 500 hours. Sounds like TX only requires 300, but most other states require at least 500, so if you moved to another state, you would have to have their required # of hours. "Would I have to attend the approved schools in order to become a medical massage therapist?" To be legal, yes, you have to go to an approved school to practice any kind of massage therapy.
My school said it was medical massage. The focus was on the medical aspect.
Unfortunately, massage therapy isn't as regulated as it needs to be, so anyone could call themselves a medical massage therapist.. ( by the way, we were told the correct term now by the AMTA and NCBTMB is Certified Massage Practitioner, so that is what CMP is. same as massage therapist, and graduated from an approved school, so got a certificate from that school.)
Difference between MMT, (med msg therpt) MT and nurse MT. Anyone can be MT, and in the states that do not require a license, anyone IS a MT. MMT, as I said, is an MT who states they specialize in the medical aspect, again anyone can say that. You want the education and certification, state license, and national certification to back that up. Because you would be a nurse and a MT, that is a NMT, no special certification, etc. As I said, MT needs regulation
I would suggest you go to the free day at the MT school there in Austin and ask them TONS of questions. I didn't learn Swedish massage and techniques of that nature, and wish I did, just for the heck of it, because that is what everyone is used to and I would be informed as to that more. I think since you are a nurse, that program sounds like it would be OK, depends on schedule, etc, but it is up to you to decide. Took me a while to find the program I wanted, and had to travel across Kansas every month, stay for almost a week, for 6 months.
And as for satisfaction...I just started and need more clients (doing pretty good, tho) but no one tells me when to work, where to float to, no one yells at me because the chart is missing or the xray wasn't done, I don't have to work weekends or holidays, don't have to put up with backstabbing co-workers...you get the idea. People that I have worked on are very appreciative of the work that you do...they are relieved to find something to help the pain they have had for years. But I am self-employed, so that is always a hassle. Am I glad I did it? You bet. I found that I can work one on one with the patients as I did in ICU and actually do something that helps them, do lots of teaching, and be on my own.
hope this helps. Let me know what is going on, and if you have any other questions.

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nurseyperson

Poptart...you're welcome. Charges vary, depending on the kind of massage and the location. $50.00 is an average. If you can bill insurance (be Nationally Certified in the states that don't require a license, not sure if you need Ntl Cert. if you are state licensed and go to an approved school) the codes that you would use are the same as some chiropractors and physical therapists use, such as neuromuscular reeducation, soft tissue mobilization, myofascial release, hot/cold packs, therapeutic activity/exercise, etc. and the prices for them are anywhere from $18.00 to almost 25.00 per 15 minutes, which comes out to almost 90 to $100.00/h. Also you can charge for the assessment/evaluation, which is more. Unfortunately, in Kansas, we are behind. No license, and insurance and medicare do NOT pay here. Actually, I wam working on getting insurance to pay...I have referrals from Docs to do pts in the hospital and working on getting privileges and then being paid thru the hospital, which some insurances will do. Not Medicare here in KS, tho. You would have to check with each insurance, etc. to see if they would pay. Auto accident and work comp often will pay, tho.
Don't worry about being overweight!!!! My class was small and not typical. You need all kinds of people to work on. Even if you are a little heavy, classmates would love it because they would have to work a little harder to find things!!!!! And in the real world, you work on all kinds and sizes and need the experience.
Good luck. By the way, I have also thought about calling myself a NMMP. I always have to spell out all the initials in my advertising, anyway, or else no one knows what they are!!!!
Let me know how things go.
Connie nurseyperson