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Your massage school is temporarily closed. What now? By: Shelly Diez, LMT CFSMT Instructor To a screeching halt. That’s how my massage school closed. We arrived on Monday at 9am, ready to teach. Sadly, the owner updated the faculty & staff on the newest CoVid-19 statistics and made the most difficult yet ethical decision – he temporarily closed the massage school. Ideally, in two weeks, we can return. But let’s be honest, we don’t really know when.  So, what can a massage student do in the meantime? Well, you study. Ha! As a former student, I can relate to the common response, “Uhm, excuse me but I need some guidance. I can’t do this by myself!” Well, in social distancing, you have to. You must. And, I am here to tell you how. Make anatomy notecards. In your own handwriting, make notecards of your most challenging topics. On the front of the card, jot down a term or concept, and on the back, place the meaning or description. Don’t worry about the stuff you know. Not one bit. You need to review the terms & topics that never seem to stick. Use those cards to quiz yourself during this social distancing. Review the organs of the digestive system before binging that show; quiz yourself on the cranial nerves whilst walking the dog; assess your understanding of the eye’s structure and function until the pizza delivery arrives. Notecards never need recharging and they can fit in your pocket. Repetition to master muscle OIA. Write a muscle’s origin, insertion, and action. Over, and over… and over. Five times, to be exact. Repetition and the number five is what your brain craves when memorizing heaps of unfamiliar information. The first and second iteration is simply practice. By the fourth repetition, you will feel your memory kicking in. So by the fifth time, not only is your hand cramping, those neurons in your brain have been firing long enough to create a solid connection to that impossible-to-memorize fact. What do you do when you don’t have it memorized by the fifth time? You guessed it, do it five times each again. And maybe use a notecard to make absolutely sure you know that muscle. Summarize one pathology per day. Create a shorthand version of the vast information involved in one pathology. Think of it as a large notecard. In your own words, summarize all that data to include demographics, pathophysiology, signs & symptoms, treatments, medications and other cautions for massage. And then, explain that pathology to a willing audience. Make a Pictionary game out of the skin pathologies to bring everyone up to date on the differences between ringworm and dermatitis. Practice massage. On yourself, significant other, your children, and pets. That’s it. Everyone else must wait for their free student massage until after this crippling pandemic passes. And if you don’t have any of those options, make some pizza dough and proceed to knead, compress, lift & spread. This will keep those fingers and wrist joints in shape. And while you’re at it, describe the history of the massage to your cockatiel. While massaging her little birdy feet, I’m sure she would appreciate knowing who the father of Swedish massage is. Until our lives can return to the new normal. Until we can return to our center of learning. Read, write, quiz, and repeat. Stick to the topics that give you the most trouble. Keep it simple by practicing just one topic at a time. Talk to anyone and anything about what you find so darn interesting in massage school. Do they know how many muscles and bones make up the human body? Would they like to?

Scope of practice of Massage Therapy in Florida by definition In Florida Chapter 480 is the Massage Therapy Laws governing our profession. Chapter 480 defines Massage Therapy as: Massage means the manipulation of the soft tissues of the human body with the hand, foot, arm or elbow, whether or not such manipulation is aided by hydrotherapy, including colonic irrigation, or thermal therapy, any electrical or mechanical device, or the application to the human body of a chemical or herbal preparation. So what modalities can a license massage therapist provide citizens of Florida? If you look at the first part of the definition it states massage means the manipulation of the soft tissue of the human body. This means most modalities of hands touching the body. common hands on modalities of massage therapy include: Swedish or basic massage, myofascial, neuromuscular, cranial sacral therapy, sports massage, medical massage, orthopedic massage, shiatsu, pregnancy massage, reflexology and many other modalities. The definition does not attempt to name every modality because they are too numerous to mention and new modalities are constantly being created. The Florida Board of Massage has stated that if you are touching human beings in the State of Florida for therapeutic reasons, the minimum licensure required from the Department of Health is a Massage Therapy license. The word Hydrotherapy means the use of water as a therapeutic modality. Massage Therapists can include hot and cold packs in their treatments. Some spas include water treatments that include showers and baths. Foot baths can be administered before a massage as a way to help the customer relax before the massage. The use of ice therapies vary greatly as a massage modality. Cool or ice baths can be administered to relieve pain and reduce inflammation of soft tissue. Ice massage and the application of ice packs to injured tissue can be very therapeutic. In the massage definition thermal therapies introduce heat to the body. In clinical treatments ultrasound can be applied to deep tissues of the body that the hands cannot reach. Both hot packs and hot stones are applied to the body to reduce discomfort and bring soothing relief to minor aches and pains. Electrical and mechanical devices often included in massage therapy treatments include electrical stimulation equipment and thumpers and vibrators. Electrical stimulators come in many forms and can be used for many different outcomes. Electrical Stimulation and Ultrasound require additional training beyond the required basic massage therapy training. Mechanical devices may include resistive bands used to stress an area where massage is being administered and help reeducate muscles and joints after the massage. The last parts states a massage therapist may apply chemical or herbal preparations to the human body. Many massage lotions, creams and oils may be applied to the customer while receiving a massage. These oils, lotions and creams help relax and can effect healing when applied appropriately. Some massage therapist study to create their own oils, lotions and creams. I believe the definition of massage therapy in the State of Florida is one of the best in the United States. It allows massage therapists to gain employment or create self employment in various environments where touch is appropriate and therapeutic. A massage therapy student after graduating from a Board of Massage Therapy approved school and receiving their license can choose to work for an employer of choose self employment. A massage therapist can choose how many hours they want to work and in what environment they would be happy working in. Massage therapists can set up a quite relaxing room to de-stress customers or could set up a more medically oriented massage practice. Each massage therapy student is exposed to various massage modalities in school and is required to participate in student clinic, where they learn to apply massage modalities to the general public. The Central Florida School of Massage Therapy is designed to prepare its students for the real life expectations of a Licensed Massage therapist employed in Florida. Our students refer to their experience at the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy as a life evolving experience. A start at a new rewarding career!!!

Central Florida School of Massage Therapy Why are some Massage Schools better than others? One of the first questions that might be asked about a massage school is: “What is the schools mission?” The Institutional Mission of the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy is; “The Central Florida School of Massage Therapy’s faculty and staff provide comprehensive education in the art and science of Massage Therapy, balancing professional expertise with personal growth in a supportive environment.” What’s in the Mission Statement? It is important for the student considering attending a massage school to know what the schools mission is all about. At the Central Florida School of Massage Therapy the philosophy is about learning to treat people holistically. What does treating people holistically mean? The learning at the school is designed to teach students to consider the people they treat as spiritual, mental, emotional and physical beings. Is the school mission just about providing massage therapy education? No, it’s about teaching people who want to become massage therapists about massage therapy while allowing them to experience personal growth. Our students proclaim attending the school is “A Life Evolving Experience!” A second question commonly considered is: “Who owns the massage school?” Massage school ownership varies from public schools, vocational, technical, colleges, large corporate schools and smaller private schools. Many of the original massage schools were owned by massage therapists who loved massage and wanted to share their knowledge of massage with those students who had a sincere desire to help people. What type of students are the admissions personnel trying to attract to the school? Not everyone is a good candidate for massage school. The admissions director is there to screen potential students to make sure they are candidates for massage therapy school. The admissions director needs to make sure a potential student can pass the academic requirements, has the physical ability to perform massage and is mature enough to handle the one on one relationship required of a massage therapist with diverse clients. What are the qualities of the teachers working at the school? In Florida, all of the teachers that teach massage must have a massage therapy license. They must have a thorough understanding of the subjects they are responsible to teach and they must be able to present the information in a kind and compassionate way. What role do the administrators at the school play in providing a quality experience? The administrators are extremely important in keeping all the records necessary for a student to receive their diploma, graduate and provide the student paperwork necessary for state licensure. Administrators provide the students with class schedules, record grades, track class rolls, record make-ups and issue diplomas. A great massage school starts with good ownership and a great mission. A great massage school requires great admissions people who assure the students are going to be successful. A great massage school has great administrators who have a well thought out curriculum that is scheduled properly. A great massage school has great teachers who love what they teach and who they are teaching to. Quality massage schools require that everyone working at and attending the school really are living by the mission of the school. This is what we have successfully had since 1996, the longest operating massage school in Central Florida.