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.

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 Launched into CyberSpace – PRWeb Press Release

WhyMassageTherapy(.com) provides resources and in depth information concerning the massage therapy profession.

Nova Scotia, Canada (PRWEB) April 26, 2009 — Where do industry knowledge and experience meet to create the most unique and relevant massage therapy website in cyberspace?

Why Massage Therapy? (.com) is an information portal for all things concerning massage therapy, and was developed by Jodi Forsythe (RMT) in response to her desire to find information online that was professional, relevant and accurate.

“In the 9 years I have been a practicing massage therapist and a massage therapy educator, I have seen a huge need for public education about the profession.” stated Jodi Forsythe, creator of WhyMassageTherapy. “There are so many misconceptions about the profession that I want to provide information to the public not only about the benefits of therapeutic massage, but also about the practice and the business of massage. In this climate of economic uncertainty, the site also provides a perfect reality check for those going through a professional transition who might be considering a massage therapy career.

De-mystifying the practice and profession of massage therapy is meant to empower potential students, schools and massage therapy businesses by ensuring that people know what they are really getting into. “As a former educator in the profession, I definitely noticed that the more realistic vision a student had upon entering massage therapy school, and the more information they had before enrolling, the more likely he or she was to succeed, not only academically, but in business as well. With increased preparation comes increased student retention, it just makes sense. For me, it’s about attracting the best candidates to the profession, and then supporting them with resources to help them succeed throughout school and into their chosen career.”

The website is not just for benefit of newcomers to the profession, and members of the public, it is also meant provide moral support for therapists as well. “There is such an advantage to being able to bounce ideas off of other therapists and professionals. Everything from business and practice management to anatomy review, treatment techniques, products – you name it, it will be discussed on the blog.”

To learn more about what the massage therapy profession is all about, visit Why Massage Therapy?(.com), where knowledge and experience meet to provide the most industry relevant information on massage therapy.