South Carolina LMTs CONTACT your Legislators! Laura Allen can you help get the word out please) Here is what Im sending to my legislators and the governor Two new house bills have been introduced that may affect the people of the state and I want to express my opposition to both these bills. These bills would allow those with a 10th grade education rather than a high school diploma or GED to start in a massage therapy program. I feel that this change in the practice law will diminish my profession rather than enhance it. Currently at the National level, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork is requiring more education to be Nationally Certified and many States are requiring massage therapy professionals to take advanced classes to become rightful partners in the healthcare community, we should NOT be going backwards here in SC. The current requirements for massage therapy licensure in South Carolina have been established as the minimum regulation necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The age and educational competency of applicants is important to consider because of the need to successfully master massage therapy coursework and be a competent and skilled massage therapist. H 5065 would reduce the entry level requirement of education for applicants for licensure and create both a challenge for those with lesser education to graduate massage therapy school and inconsistency in the level of professionalism in the field of massage therapy. Completing a 10th grade curriculum is not equivalent to obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalency and would not account for the necessary baseline education needed to graduate from a massage therapy program and pass the required exam to practice in the state. In effect, the legislation would set up false expectations for potential students, decreasing their likelihood of success and burdening them with debt if they are unable to complete their massage therapy training. Reducing this requirement for applicants for licensure also could increase the risk to the public and consumers, as such individuals may not be prepared to handle the necessary business aspects of the profession. Massage therapy can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and well-being. It is in the best interest of the general public to know the benefits associated with massage therapy, as well as the qualifications needed for someone to practice effectively and safely. Requiring minimum standards for licensure for the practice of massage therapy is essential to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the general public from those who do not possess the education and experience needed. An individual without an adequate understanding of massage therapy could injure the person they massage, especially if the person has a medical condition that could contraindicate types of massage or massage therapy itself. Only by maintaining the currently established requirements for application for licensure can we ensure practitioners are best capable of providing services safely and effectively. It is in the best interest of the general public and those who pursue a massage therapy license to maintain the current requirements for licensure. For these reasons I oppose the bill and I hope you will as well. Thank you for your time. Ann Blair Kennedy LMT DrPH(c) Copy and paste to your hearts content.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 00:28:12 +0000
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