Just out of school

[shane]

I recenty graduated a 900 hour course and passed my nationals, but I still feel as if I didn't learn that much. I never missed a day of class, and studied all that I could, but my teacher was new, had only been a therapist for a couple of years and I felt like I got a raw deal. Only 2 people in my class have passed the nationals out of 20. My question is I am kinda scared to leave my job that I am at to persue a massage industry job, is it true that you don't start learning until you get into the field? How much are you expected to know when you start at a chiropractors office or at a spa? We never were really taught a wrong way or right way to give a massage. It was like just try it and see what the other students tell you, if it felt good or not. Don't get me wrong I learned the major muscles and what I needed to so that I could pass my nationals but it just seemed like they rushed us through and we didn't learn what we needed to. Anyone else feel like this?

[jazzy529]

I've been licensed for five years in N.Y and Just got My license in N.C and I'm nationally certified, I feel very confident with my skills and felt that way while I was in college(which was over 1000 hours of in clinic studies) I think you must have gotten the raw end of the deal which really is a shame, and the proof lies within your fellow students test results, however if you passed you know your stuff!!! you can't just get lucky with that test. there is a high and low failure rates depending on where you studied!!!
there should be an intent when you start your treatment for example if they want relaxation or more of a therapeutic massage
you dont just give any kind of massage and hope they like it!!!
you should know Exactly what your going to do to that client!!
if they say they have low back pain then you treat that by doing all the techniques you've learned for that particular complaint!!
Maybe you should get together with some of your fellow students and treat and practice on eachother, you can learn from eachother and you'll feel more confident, therees so much information out there for you, subscribe to a massage magazine or go to seminars!! hope this helped, dont give up!!

[billnkaren]

Shane!
First of all, Congrats on graduating and passing the national. Both are extremely difficult tasks. I was in the same boat that you are when I graduated. I am the only person from my school to pass the national, and most of my class hours were spent watching tv (literally) and goofing off, all at the fault of the instructors. But, having graduated 18 mos ago, I am now profitably self employed, doing massage full time (well 20 hours a week... hehehehe). I left a $35k a yr + full benefits job to do what I do. Yes, it is super scary to leave steady employment for the unknown! My advice to you is to stick to the day job, or change shifts so you have more daytime hours free. Then every waking minute you aren't there, you work on your massage business. Network, network, network!! You have to be your own biggest chearleader! Get hooked up with your local chamber of commerce or small biz development and go to networking events. Network with new chiropractors that don't have a massage therapist and do free chair massage in their office and with them at events, health fairs, and runs. As far as working for a chiro, I don't advise it. In my area, Phoenix, the chiros want you to work for $10-$20 an hour, really deep tissue/rehab work, and either can only give you 10-15 hrs a week, where you starve or 35-40 hrs a week where you pay the bills but wear out your hands. Plus the chiro is billing insurance for $100-$150 an hour for your services. If you don't feel confident in your skills (believe me, if you know enough anatomy to pass the national, your skills can't be that bad) then practice practice, practice. My friends and family have never turned down a free massage. Start your private practice with offering 1 hour massages at a low rate, like $25-$35 an hour. Getting your hands on as many bodies as possible will build your confidence. As massage therapists, we never stop learning, and will never know it all. Keep up with your ceu's and look for seminars that interest you. Hope all this advice helps! I know you can do it!

[bluebelle945]

Congrats on passing the national also. I believe after you are done with school that there is so much more you can learn. There is so many people out there with unique conditions, many that you may have not touched on in school. Do not be discouraged by what you do not know, even physicians do research on what their not familiar with. When you come across a new ailment your not familiar with, research it, that is what will make you a better massage therapist. I had around a 1000 hrs of class time and have learned so much working in a physical therapy office.
Best of luck, bluebelle945

[Thisby]

OMG only 2 includiing you passed Nationals?!?!? Your teacher really must have sucked, because Nationals for me was a snap. I goofed off way too much during school, didn't do my homework, barely passed my classes. Six months after I graduated I took the test and I procrastinated on studying so much that I DIDN'T study. But I also had a very well rounded education 1250 hours class and clinic with 4 different teachers, only one was a dufus the rest were great. But I have also heard that Nationals got harder after I took them in the summer of '03. Anyways congrats.

They're right, the most learning IS in the field. The more comfortable you get with your massage the easier it gets. Forget the book stuff, 2 years down the road you'll hardly remember it. But working for a chiro I'm sure they have to SOAP chart to no end, so I guess it would be harder for you to forget any of that, which is probably a good thing.

I think what really might help you is getting a mentor. Try to find an MT in your area to trade massage with. Working with another MT is perfect becuase they will be honest with you about your massage, what feels good and what doesn't, and they can show you a few moves of their own. Finding a collegue like that shouldn't be too hard. If they are not too busy, they love to pass down their skills.

Hope I helped. :)

[Kaelyn]

With the rapid proliferation of massage schools, quality has definitely gone downhill. I've been in Medical Massage for 22 years now and I still love it. I can't tell you how many kids I see who are in your boat, it saddens me. While running a clinic in CA, I did hands on interviews at least once a week for 4 months solid and couldn't find someone whose hands on skills met my standards for even a basic therapist. Let's not even discuss those who thought they were a deep tissue "specialist". After moving from CA to a state which licenses as a state (NC), I had to take the Nationals. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am insulted by the level of simplicity in that test. I had harder anatomy finals in high school.

Schools, in the name of "quality education" try to shove a lot of book knowledge at you. If you don't form a kinesthetic connection between the info in the book, and how to use it on a body, your brain won't keep it on hand. Using a technique for 10 minutes on another student is just not enough. The other student rarely has the experience or skill to tell you how you're doing, and if you're in a "career college" they don't have Teaching Assistants to help out. Since part of their accreditation depends on how many of their students pass the Nationals, they teach the test.

Most Chiropractors have little to no massage training. Many will work you to death, and try to pay you slave wages while billing you out @ $100/ hr or more. Look for one that already has a therapist, but needs a second, and talk to that therapist as well. If the Chiro is rude or condescending to their people, you don't want to work there. I prefer not to work for a Chiro with under 10 years in practice. Another red warning flag... Chiro not busy enough to keep a receptionist.

The best thing to do is find another therapist with 10 years or more in full-time (for us) practice, who makes their entire living at it, and request that they mentor you. Don't give up your day job just yet, get more practice on people and start building your clientele.

I have had a huge number of clients over the years say things like "My other therapist never did that... they never told me anything about that..... that makes sense...." etc. Unfortunately, with the way the education laws are written, if you show up for class and pass your tests, regardless of how good you are or aren't they pretty much have to graduate you, even if you suck. Some of the posts on this forum make that quite clear. If you can memorize things, you will pass the Nationals, even if your palpation skills stink. There are a LOT of crappy therapists out there, most of whom have passed the same National Exam I did. The Nationals cannot measure touch.

If you want to be a good therapist, get yourself a mentor, and study. Keep in mind that you are asking us to teach you, so be prepared to offer us something of real value, not just to "trade". Most of the really good therapists out there have gotten really picky about who we'll let work on us.

What I look for when someone wants to mentor with me is a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. I look for a real appreciation of the time I spend with them, and the knowledge I pass on. I expect NO WHINING when I tell them to get their anatomy knowledge up to par, or do the homework I assign. Most of the people I've mentored do not have lots of cash to pay me, and my rates aren't cheap. They've done other things for me instead, like teach me Tai Chi, or help lay brick for my raised garden beds, or help me clean out my garage. I'll tell you right now that I don't know everything, but I'll help you find the answer if I don't have it, or I'll send you to someone who has the info.

This can be a very rewarding profession, but it will take time, and lots of practice.

[abe]

Shane,
I'm sceptical about the training you received. With that many hours one should have been taught several routines, had plenty of guided practice, and felt confident in being able to deliver some type of general massage.
My 15 years of experience tells me, passing written tests are nice, but your hands on is more important. Learn a routine to start, than branch out. Best wishes, abe