For all USA practitioners, teachers, and students: RIGHT TO PRACTICE: Recently, in the US the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) put forth a Model Practice Act for public comment. The FSMTB did a Job Task Analysis of the Massage Therapy profession and have decided from their limited research to promote a Model Practice Act that encourages the people writing new massage therapy laws and the state regulators who create the rules for massage licensing laws, to pass legislation and rules that inappropriately regulate non-massage professions. This is bad public policy, unfair and therefore ISMETA does not support the FSMTB’s Model Practice Act. We strongly encourage you to take a look at the information below sent from the FSMTB, read over their Model Practice Act, form your own opinion about the act, and respond to their public comment forum. Time is of the essence as you have only until June 15, 2014 to comment. For clarification, below are the primary concerns ISMETA has with the Model Practice Act. If your opinion is in keeping with ours, you are welcome to use these “talking points” to guide your public comment. The FSMTB’s Model Practice Act endorses bad public policy in at least four ways: 1) In its Rationale, the Model Practice Act uses the words Massage Therapy and Bodywork as one profession and yet only uses the term Massage Therapy Practice Act in their model. This use of the term bodywork unfairly regulates a number of well-established professions who refer to themselves as bodywork and that have completely different trainings, philosophies, and understandings of the human body (See p. 6, Section 101. Title of Act). 2) Also in the Rationale, the use of the term modalities is used inconsistently and incorrectly. Modalities of massage include things highlighted in the definition—stroking, gliding, the application of hot and cold, and use of hydrotherapy. Modalities are not other practices that require a complete training to become professionally proficient—such as Asian Bodywork Therapy, Structural Integration, or Somatic Movement. These are unique professions. 3) By writing a broad definition of massage therapy and ignoring explicit exemptions in massage therapy laws, the laws the FSMTB promotes will regulate other professions that include touch that are not massage therapy (See p. 9, Section 104. Special Provisions ). It is our experience that when legislators are educated properly, they see the importance and proper exemption language, and do not find exemptions confusing or problematic. 4) Following this proposed act, state massage therapy board members would need to have professional members of many “bodywork” professions to fairly regulate the diverse number of professions that would be included under this kind of massage therapy law. There is nothing written in the Model Practice Act to assure proper representation of professions that are not massage therapy that would be regulated. Without diverse representation on state regulatory boards, these professions will be unfairly regulated by people uninformed about the profession’s educational requirements, professional standards, and scope of practice (See p. 12, Section 202. Board Composition & Qualifications ). We encourage you to see the serious problems of the right to practice that this type of Model Practice Act promotes. It is truly bad public policy and we do not support it. What ISMETA would support is a Model Practice Act that truly supports Massage Therapy as a profession unto itself, and clearly exempts non-massage therapy professions from its regulation. Details on how to make public comment are below. You may also write to your elected state officials and Massage Therapy Regulatory Boards (particularly if you reside and work in OR, NY, CA, MN or any states with no Massage Therapy laws), The Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals ( ABMP) who are seemingly endorsing the Model Practice Act, FSMTB directly and other associates you may have encouraging them to make public comment now. If you have any questions about our position feel free to contact us at [email protected]. Sincerely, Mary Abrams, MA, RSME ISMETA, Government Relations Representative Elisa Cotroneo, RSME, RSMT ISMETA, Executive Director Mark Taylor, RSME ISMETA, Board President
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 19:24:18 +0000
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