Where can I find a great Massage Therapy job?

Knowing your job options BEFORE you embark on a massage therapy career can help you better decide if this is the profession for you.

Start your own practice – this is a great option for those who are entrepreneurial minded. It means you can call all of the shots, but be forewarned, if you don’t already have entrepreneurial experience, you have quite a learning curve. You’ll have to know when to take off your therapist’s hat and put on your business one, and keep it separate. It can be done, many therapists successfully own their own clinic.

Join a clinic that hosts a variety of treatment modalities. This could be anything from physiotherapy, chiropractic and massage therapy to a naturopathic or holistic clinic or doctor’s office. It’s a wonderful thing to be surrounded by people who are passionate about integrated health care. You will have the benefit of working with other professionals who are highly trained, and you will participate in the care of patients with a variety of conditions, from common injuries to extensive rehabilitation.

Start a mobile massage service – if you don’t like the idea of being stuck in a small room all day, and like to get out and about, this could be great for you. The key is to be organized – time management is really important in this business, and it is even more so when you are mobile.

Go corporate! Many large companies provide employee benefits that include massage therapy, and the coverage is usually great. Corporations provide these benefits because they realize that employees who use stress management tools such as massage therapy miss less time and are more productive. Even better if the therapist is on site, then employees miss less time going to and from appointments.

Health or Fitness facility – massage therapy is a great adjunct to fitness, so many club owners are wising up to having a massage therapist available. They realize that having qualified therapists on hand enhances their professional image by providing an additional service to clients seeking optimal fitness performance.

Sports teams or facilities – this is a little more intense than your average health club. This is where you will find budding stars with huge performance goals – as a result, you, too, will have to be at the top of your game whenever you are needed. Unless you have a sports medicine background or contacts in the business already, you probably won’t get into this right out of school, but that’s not saying it’s not a possibility. Work hard, get your sports massage certification (there are different programs available in Canada and the United States), volunteer, and it could just happen. What a great way to combine a love of sports with a passion for health.

Spa – not all spas employ licensed, certified or registered massage therapists, but many do, and the number is growing. If esthetics and hydrotherapy interest you, a spa could be a great place to start learning in that capacity. Medical spas are also growing in number, with treatments being a little more therapeutic in nature – let’s think lymphatic drainage after cosmetic procedures. Either way, a bonus is that you may get discounted or even free esthetic services, which is really great. Pedicure, anyone?

A resort or cruise ship – Depending on the location of the resort or cruise line, either one may give you the opportunity to rub elbows with a high end clientele. Your accommodation may be provided, and will definitely be part of the plan when you are on a ship. In the case of working for a cruise ship, while the hours are long and the pay is not so great, tips can be fantastic, everything is provided for you, and if you have a bit of wanderlust, working for a cruise ship could be your ticket to the world.

Hospitals or palliative care. It takes a special type of person to work in these environments, but if you have “the stuff” to do it, then it can be a very rewarding career path. Whether the service you provide is in a rehabilitative capacity with a physiotherapist or bed side with palliative care patients, you will be providing human contact to people who may be touch deprived. You may not be able to make a living per se, but you can improve the quality of life for someone, even if (in the case of palliative care) it is only for a brief period of time.

Senior’s centres – with a growing aging population, the need for extended health care grows as well. Your clients can range from a vibrant “80 years young” to a senior with a few more health concerns. Once again, a lot of times it’s about providing company and human contact to the elderly more so than the massage itself, which is a very compassionate way to enhance the quality of life for someone.

Any way you look at it, there is a ton of potential with a massage therapy career. It is Ok to change course as well, and you may find that you like to try your hands in different capacities until you find the perfect one for you.

© Copyright 2009
www.whymassagetherapy.com
All Rights Reserved.

Is a vegan or a vegetarian diet REALLY healthy?

My response to an article “Cruising to Health” in Organic Spa Magazine.

Hello,

My name is Jodi Forsythe, and I am a Registered Massage Therapist (Canada) and the creator of www.WhyMassageTherapy.com. I wanted to first of all commend you on a fantastic magazine which combines two of my favorite things – organic living and spas.

Secondly, I would like to comment on the article in the August 2009 edition “Cruising to Health” by Judith Fein. I am always interested in hearing of new things which help people attain the highest quality of life possible, but I am concerned with the sweeping generalization in the article that a “vegan” lifestyle is the panacea for achievement of optimal health.

While I would not argue that there are numerous benefits to switching to a mostly plant based and/or raw food diet, I am concerned that in an article such as the one mentioned above, no further resources are mentioned which may help people make an informed and balanced decision. If I would have had proper information during my attempt at veganism 13 years ago, I would have done it a lot differently by consulting a health care professional who knew what she was talking about, or not at all. As it was, from the misinformation I read, all that I achieved was extreme suboptimal health which took a long time to heal.

During my healing process, I was struck by the reality that humans are omnivores, and that agriculture did not begin in earnest until about 5000 years ago, before which our species were hunter-gatherers. (notice that “hunter” comes first … ) I do not believe that a diet free of animal products is how our species has evolved over millenia, and I firmly believe that animal protein is necessary for humans to obtain optimal health.

Please note that I am not talking about the rampant over-eating and gluttony of processed and damaged food which is so pervasive in our society, including chemically processed and packaged food products. I am talking about eating food that is actually part of the food chain, which we can in theory “pick, hunt, gather, milk or fish” (Thanks to Dr. Diana Schwarzbein for that useful perspective). Our bodies recognize and assimilate the raw material as needed, and because we are receiving the nutrients that we require to thrive, we are not cursed with the chronic hunger and ill health which happens in an over-fed yet under-nourished society.

I firmly defend my decision to eat chicken, beef and fish, but I also believe in animal welfare and sustainable farming and fishing practices. Using animals for food can be done at far less of a humane and environmental cost than is currently occurring. For example, purchasing only meat, poultry and dairy products from farms and organizations which support animal welfare is the best way to start. I’m thinking grass-fed beef, which actually produces far less methane than their corn-fed counterparts, or free range chickens that are not factory farmed and stuffed with feed made from renderings of other dead animals.

On the flip side, if we are so concerned with the environmental cost of food production, we should also take a look at the prevalence of genetically modified crops such as soy, and the impact on human health and the environment. So recent is this scientific development that the gravity of our choices isn’t even beginning to be understood yet, and I am concerned for what is to come. And please, don’t even get me started by saying that switching to a plant-only diet would allow us to feed so many more starving people. It is a fact that food aid sent to impoverished countries often doesn’t make it to the intended recipients, but is rather diverted by hostile regimes for their own purposes. At this point in time famine has much less to do with a shortage of food than it does with politics, and that is the real crime.

In closing, while this piece was interesting and well written, I would like to see more articles with a balanced viewpoint on what a “healthy diet” really means; preferably from a variety of medical and naturopathic professionals who can then refer readers to accurate information and resources.

Regardless, I will continue to purchase and enjoy your magazine, and look forward to reading more interesting articles.

Sincerely,
Jodi Forsythe, BA, RMT
Registered Massage Therapist

http://www.whymassagetherapy.com

Massage Therapy – a tool for living well.

© Copyright 2009
www.whymassagetherapy.com
All Rights Reserved.

How to Keep Your Children Safe From Environmental Toxins

Health Canada is FINALLY getting on board with banning toxins in children’s toys – but is it too little or too late?

I am proud to be Canadian, I really am. I am so fortunate to live in a country where I have rights not only as a human being, but as a woman. Because I am so lucky to live where I do, I also have the option every day to make choices which are environmentally sustainable and responsible. I’m not perfect, but I do my best. It is for this reason that I am happy that Health Canada is finally doing something to prevent children from being exposed unnecessarily to even more toxins than they are already.

On the flip side, I am also very frustrated at the seeming inability of the masses, not just Canadians, to see how the chemical sludge in which we live affects our health. As an example, in the last 50 years, the incidence of breast cancer has increased in women from 1 in 50 to 1 in 8. Fertility rates are dropping, and the rate of boys being born is dropping as well – just watch the Canadian documentary “The Disappearing Male” if you really want to understand the impact of environmental toxins on human fertility.

The restriction on phthalates in children’s toys is a huge step forward, but my question is this: If Health Canada is acknowledging the potential danger of toxins in children’s toys, how can they ignore the danger of environmental toxins in everything else? And, how come big business and industry isn’t being held accountable for manufacturing them in the first place? Honestly, if our country has the technology to build the space arm, then surely we (as a species and nation) have the ability to find environmentally safe and sustainable alternatives to the products which have infiltrated our lives at every level and are quite probably responsible for many health issues. Just a thought.

For more information on the impact of environmental toxins on human health, there are a few really good books that have opened my eyes. Try reading Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things, written by Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defence. Another eye opener concerning the environmental and human cost of the oil industry in Canada Stupid to the Last Drop: How Alberta Is Bringing Environmental Armageddon to Canada (And Doesn’t Seem to Care).

I honestly feel that the more aware we are, the more power we have to affect change in our own lives; after all, even small changes every day can make a huge cumulative difference.

Live well!

© Copyright 2009
www.whymassagetherapy.com
All Rights Reserved.

Massage Therapy – is the customer always right? (Part 2)

As a follow up to my post a few days ago – “Massage Therapy – Health Profession or Customer Service? “, I’m pretty sure that you know where I’m going with this.

At the forefront of my thoughts when talking about massage therapists and customer service (as in “is the customer always right?”) is that ultimately because the health and well-being of our clients is our responsibility during treatment, it supersedes the customer service aspect of the profession.

That being said, for the most part therapists will very seldom encounter situations where they have to pull out their “health professional first” hat and decline a customer request. Ultimately, if what you do as a massage therapist during treatment presents a risk of harm to the client, then you need to stick to your decision if you decide to refuse or alter a treatment. Cases where this might happen:

1) Your client refuses to fill out a health history form.

This is pretty basic – I won’t treat a client if I don’t know what is going on with his or her health. End of story. The client may say “my health is fine”, but really, what does fine mean? “Fine” is different between members of the general public and health professionals, and most people, as previously discussed, don’t have the knowledge to have any kind of discernment when it comes to therapeutic techniques. Can you imagine getting a severe diabetic client who wants scar tissue work done, or a client with a history of TIA (transient ischemic attack) or stroke who wants to “work the kinks out” of his or her neck. These are two conditions which require precaution when treating, and for which certain techniques are contraindicated.

How to approach this? Tell your client that there are often conditions which require a treatment to be modified, or that treatment may even be unsuitable. You as a therapist are unable to plan and deliver the best treatment possible without this health information. You can also remind them that the health history is fully confidential and their information will not be disclosed. If they are really sticky, you can quite simply say that you are not willing to be liable for any injury caused because you weren’t informed, and that you will not treat them. (

*Any time you have this type of conversation with a client, you need to keep an incident report of it, even if you didn’t end up treating them. This will cover all of your bases in the event that the client feels like accusing you of being unprofessional. (Personally, I haven’t ever heard of this, but it’s better to be safe than sorry))

2) Your (new) client is adamant about getting “really deep pressure”.

This is actually quite common, and I have had to finesse my way around this several times. John (or Jane) Doe may say “My therapist uses really deep pressure, it’s the only thing that works for me.” and you start treating and suddenly your client finds your moderate pressure too much. Why is this? It’s because everything is relative and subjective – what is deep to one person is too light for another, or too much. What feels good to one client may be excruciatingly painful to another. Your colleague’s pressure might be considered deep, but relative to whom? This is a situation where being creative and flexible really comes in handy.

The fact of the matter is that it is always better to use the first appointment as a trial run, so to speak. I’m not saying to just put oil or gel on your client and spread it around so that he or she gets no benefit – that would just be annoying and I can pretty much guarantee they wouldn’t rebook. What I’m suggesting is that you use moderate pressure (I love that word) and check in frequently – and don’t forget to advise your client that he or she may feel a bit sore the next day (informed verbal consent should have done even before getting them on the table anyway).

How to approach this? You can say to your client “Since I haven’t seen you before, I’m not sure how you are going to react to the treatment, or my pressure. What I usually do is use moderate but firm pressure during the first appointment, and then if you react well to the treatment, I’ll use more pressure next time. This is to prevent you from getting really sore in case I use too much pressure – you might not realize this until it’s too late, and you could be sore for days.” This is usually sufficient, but if the client argues further, I will say that I rarely have complaints about my pressure being too light, or my clients being too sore (but this my experience, you’ll have to figure out your own explanation )

3) Your client shows up with a bad cough, fever or chills

Many clients will show up when they are getting ill with acute bronchitis or flu-like symptoms because “everything hurts” and they think that a massage will make them feel better. At this point you should ask them if you can call a cab for them and rebook when they are feeling better. Don’t take “no” for an answer. Seriously.

It’s not just that treating someone with an acute or systemic infection will be really bad for them (after all, they body is already trying to fight off a virus or bacteria – increasing circulation won’t help them at this point) – you are also putting yourself, other clients and your clinic at risk of infection. Remember the SARS epidemic (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in Ontario, Canada in 2003? It was absolute chaos for a while, and massage therapists all over Ontario received guidelines from the CMTO concerning protocol in preventing the spread of infection. The last thing you need is to be remembered as the therapist or clinic that was an incubator for infection – even if it wasn’t your fault.

What I would suggest that you say to a client in these or similar events is something like this “Since you are not feeling well, I believe that it is in your best interest to go home and rest until you get better, the massage won’t help you and may make you worse. Let your body deal with the infection, and then call me in a week or so to rebook.

The bottom line is this, a client will 99% of the time appreciate that you are making his or her health as a priority. If a client cannot see reason in your commitment to her health or well-being, then you may risk losing her business. But, in my experience, I would rather have 20 clients who respected my knowledge and professional judgement than 40 who did not.

For more information on building and maintaining a practice, check out a fantastic, tried and true resource – Business Mastery: A Guide for Creating a Fulfilling, Thriving Business and Keeping it Successful

© Copyright 2008-2009
Jodi Forsythe
www.whymassagetherapy.com
All Rights Reserved.

Massage Therapy – Health Profession or Customer Service? part 1

Nine years ago when I graduated from my Massage Therapy Diploma program, I was so excited to start practicing – after all, I had toiled for 2 years to earn not only my diploma, but also to earn my Registered Massage Therapist designation through the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario, which I did 4 weeks after graduating.

For those not familiar with massage therapy regulation in Canada, Ontario is one of 3 provinces in which massage therapy is a Regulated Health Profession, and a massage therapist must have passed College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) Board exams. The purpose of the professional college is the protection of the public and maintenance of the integrity of professionals by establishing standards and quality assurance guidelines. By being a member of this professional college, I take great care to uphold the standards of the college and do my best to serve my clients in a responsible and ethical way. This however, can sometimes be easier said than done.

What I quickly found out after graduating is that no amount of instruction or coaching can replace real-life
experience, and I’m sure that is true of everything in life. For those of us who do have some customer service experience, we quickly found out that that massage therapists hold a unique position in an industry which has one foot in service, and the other in health care.

People outside of the profession may wonder why this “foot in both worlds” makes a difference to the practice of massage therapy. After 9 years of practice, I have learned that it all boils down to this: being a health-care practitioner obliges us to caring for client health first and foremost, with the customer service aspect falling a distant second, even if it means potentially losing the almighty (and necessary) business dollar.

In this industry, is the client “always right”?

No, absolutely not. And before customer service gurus go crazy at this statement, let me tell you why.

The ultimate responsibility of a massage therapist is to improve or enhance the health and functionality of a client within a therapeutic relationship of mutual trust and respect. Add to that privacy and confidentiality issues, and one can understand the depth of this responsibility. Since most clients coming in to see massage therapists have little to no knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, and even less of how massage therapy can affect the human body, they often don’t have the level of discernment necessary to dictate to a therapist what is needed.

How many times has a client asked me “Why are you looking at my neck, the pain I have is in my elbow?” Questions such as this are very valid, and give the massage therapy community the perfect opportunity to educate our clients one-on-one about the profession and about their own bodies. How else would a client know that irritated nerves in the cervical spine can affect sensory or motor function of the upper limb? The only way many clients ever learn anything is by spending time with a health professional who takes the time to educate them. Massage therapists are in the position of privilege and should take advantage of the opportunity to educate their clients.

Does this mean that every therapist takes the time to educate their clients? No, and sometimes it may not be necessary. What I would like to instill in new therapists is that while clients might not actually care why or how a certain symptom comes about, this lack of knowledge or caring doesn’t give a client by default the right to dictate to a therapist what needs to be done.

Case in point: I recall on one occasion when speaking with a potential client on the phone, she became very belligerent when she said she would refuse to fill out a health history form, and I then had to tell her that I would not be able to treat her. She proceeded to tell me that “it is absolutely none of your business what my health issues are or have been”, to which I replied “It is my business, as there may be an issue which may adversely affect your health if I treat you without being aware of it.”

Let’s just say that that conversation did end with my losing a potential client, and that was perfectly fine. I
had the confidence at that point to place the responsibility I had as a therapist above her desire to dictate how I perform my job. I can also tell you this – I would not want to be in a defendant’s chair in a lawsuit where I treated a client without adequate knowledge of her health, and she ended up getting hurt. If such were the case, and I lost the suit, not only could I end up paying a lot of money, I could lose my profession.

Part 2 to follow: Massage therapy – is the customer always right?

For a great read on the practice and business of massage therapy, check out Business Mastery by Cherie Sohnen-Moe.

© Copyright 2008-2009
Jodi Forsythe
www.whymassagetherapy.com
All Rights Reserved.

Massage Therapy – Going Green on Earth Day

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Here in Halifax we are getting Mother Nature’s finest display of rain and wind I have seen for a while, but it’s all good. After all, every day is a bonus.

As a Massage Therapist, I have often contemplated the role the environment plays in my health and that of my clients. I have always been concerned about the environment, but have had a really hard time until recently a) finding accurate information which can help me live as eco-friendly as possible, and b) being taken seriously by skeptical folks (it’s getting better, but as we all know, there are some people who think global warming is a hoax).

Now, just let me clarify one thing – I am not a perfect, eco-friendly being. Yes, I have a car, but it is energy efficient, I take care of it in the most eco-friendly ways possible, and I really don’t drive that much. I do recycle a lot, have a stainless steel mug for my shade-grown coffee (for the most part), and lie awake at wondering at the plight of the whales, polar bears, honey bees and (sometimes) the human race.

When it comes to massage therapy as a profession, I chose to join an alternative health care industry out of my belief in a more holistic way of being and providing health care. I am sure that there are many others who share my beliefs, and at the very least, most massage therapists will acknowledge that what is applied to skin during treatment is absorbed into it and can affect the body. While there is a great deal of evidence which suggests that parabens found in many skin care and massage therapy products may be carcinogenic, how many of us are willing to absorb the extra cost of providing our clients with toxin-free mediums? Not only might we be exposing our clients to harmful chemicals, but we are literally elbow deep in the stuff for up to 5 or 6 hours a day.

For hygiene purposes, to prevent the spread of communicable disease, it is a generally accepted fact that linens be washed in hot water with chlorine bleach after each use – how environmentally friendly is that? I am 100% on board with washing anything that has touched bare skin of a client after its use, but I wonder if there are alternatives to performing our daily duties in a more sustainable way, so as to help preserve the environment? Perhaps washing a full load of linen in hot water with non-chlorine bleach followed by a cold rinse would suffice? Also, how about using a laundry detergent that is not only scent-free, for our clients and colleagues with environmental sensitivity, but also is absent of ingredients such as phosphates, dyes and perfumes? While we’re at it, why don’t we ban the dryer sheets and ensure that our appliances are working as efficiently as possible? Not only is this approach good for the environment, it is great for the pocket book.

The clinic itself is often an area where a multitude of environmental sins takes place. From massage table cleaner to floor, rug and bathroom cleaner, hygiene doesn’t have to equal toxic but it often does. There are several suitable alternatives to toxic, commercial and household cleaning products if you take the time to seek them out (bear with me, I am trying to help my readers with just that issue).

The bottom line is this – in an alternative health care industry such as massage therapy, how can we stand idly by and ignore our own behaviours which are contributing (in a small but not insignificant way) to the growing crisis in the environment? Isn’t it our responsibility in teaching our clients about holistic health care to acknowledge that our lives depend on the very health of the planet? If we fail to at least make a minimal effort to “green” our practices, then we are not only failing our clients and ourselves, we are failing the planet and future generations.

We don’t have to be perfect, a little effort can go a long way. Today, Earth Day, is the perfect opportunity to start thinking about how the massage therapy industry can have a positive impact on our clients, ourselves and our planet.