The Massage Therapy field in California is changing. Starting September 1, 2009, licensing requirements will change for every city. This is all because of new legislation signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger September 27, 2008 and became effective January 1, 2009.
Shortly after being signed into law, the CAMTC was formed. The California Massage Therapy Council was founded as the non-profit massage therapy organization established to provide California statewide voluntary massage certification.
Massage Therapists have been required to purchase a license from each individual city we work in while maintaining our records to match requirements for that city while other cities requirements vary. This has made working in California more difficult for some.
So what does this mean for continuing education? According to the CAMTC web site ” Massage schools can position themselves with curricula that provide for the requirements for students to become Certified Massage Therapists or Certified Massage Practitioners” . Also included, SB 731 does not provide for regulation of massage therapy schools, California has not replaced the former Bureau of Private Post-secondary and Vocational Education or ( BPPVE).
If your school or continuing education provider like HealthPositive! has followed the regulations of the BPPVE then your credits are still accepted by the CAMTC for certification requirements.
HealthPositive! has maintained a stellar record for adhering to the regulations of the BPPVE. This makes your work easier. Having a trusted source on the Internet that you can count on for your continuing education can make the certification process less stressful.
Certification under the new guidelines are easier to understand and maintain. Certified Massage Practitioner requires 250 hours with 100 of those hours accumulated in,
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Contraindications
- Health and Hygiene
- Business Ethics
The fee for the application process is $150.00 and non-refundable. This is not a worry for you if you think your curricula may not reach all of the requirements. Once you have sent in your forms you will be contacted for any changes needed in your application before final approval or disapproval is given.
The Certified Massage Therapist needs 500 hours with 250 of those hours coming from an approved school.
The CAMTC was given the authority from this legislation to determine if the hours you have meet the curricula standard. This is why it is so important that you acquire all of your education from a BPPVE approved education provider.
You can find all of this information including updates on the CAMTC web site and for detailed information on requirements you can visit the portals section of their site.
Be sure to frequently check the CAMTC web site for any changes or updates.
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