Continuing Education: On-site or Online?

Continuing Education: On-site or Online?

Victoria Jordan Stone, MA, NCMT

In the past two years the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) has granted approval for an ever-increasing smorgasbord of online continuing education (CE) classes to satisfy the requirements for ongoing national, and in some states, state massage therapy certification. The major massage therapy organizations through which members can obtain professional liability insurance have lines up to require the same number of hours (48 every four years) for professional level membership.

Most of us have become so dependent on computers, and savvy in their use, that it seems like a logical extension of our day to day life to sit down at our computer, at our convenience any time of the day or night, and register for a "certification" in a bodywork modality or meet our specific ethics requirements for re-certification. In times of economic downturn it can seem appealing to pay only $35 for 15 hours of approved continuing education that does not require travel or lodging costs, and which requires no special scheduling, no break in our routine of seeing clients.

But is it really the bargain it appears to be? Is it a good idea at all?

Most on-site continuing education costs $10 - 15 per credit hour, which represents a considerably larger monetary investment in professional development and enhancement of skills, but as in so many things  - you often get what you pay for.

In a traditional on-site  "graduate level" CE one or more instructors provide lecture, discussion, demonstration,  and supervised bodywork practice time for learning, similar to the process used in "undergraduate" massage programs. This system has proved effective over a long educational history, and is particularly well-suited to the kind of learners who are drawn to massage therapy as a career. Questions can be addressed in this educational format, and the discussions that ensue among those engaged in the profession are often thought-provoking and applicable to the daily practices of everyone  in the class. Practicing colleagues will bring their own "flavor" to the in-class practice time, and there is considerable "cross-fertilization"  of specialized skills and different styles of working among the participants that adds value beyond the techniques and information the instructor provides.

Let's face it - most of us work in a vacuum with few, if any, professional peers we can use as sounding boards for problems we encounter with clients' conditions, ethical quandaries, or our own self-care. Getting together with a group of active massage professionals sparks lively, varied discussion, fosters the sharing of ideas and techniques, and reduces isolation with the fellowship of  like-minded individuals, some old friends, others new acquaintances, and all with much in common.  On-site CEs can also provide much needed time off and a beneficial, tax-deductible vacation to those of us who work busy schedules, whether to a nearby town or a tropical retreat.

There are many reasons good massage therapy programs are undertaken with students and instructors in the same location, working together.  Massage therapy is a hand's on, high touch profession, and while we can absolutely glean useful information sitting at our computers, there is no substitute, n learning bodywork modalities, for actual physical participation.  It has been my observation as a CE instructor  that even those who I personally know who had developed good body mechanics by the time they graduated from school have often developed potentially harmful postural habits and ways of working after spending many hours working unobserved with clients: we all need good mirrors from time to time to make sure we don't compromise our bodies in the good work we perform.

Even the obvious choices for online CEs - ethics and business practices - are more rewarding and beneficial in a group setting, where the insights and experiences of professional peers can be freely shared.  It's always a delight to me to see how animated and interested participants in any form of continuing education class are in each others' presence - who, after all, can understand us like other in our chosen profession can? I have never regretted any of the financial cost or time and money spent in travel to attend workshops and trainings for continuing education, and I have taken over 1000 hours over the past twenty years.  It has kept me current in my skills, breathed new life  into my practice, introduced me to some excellent instructors and acquainted me with a lot of professional peers as interested in the work as I am, and who have been great folks to get to know.

Victoria Jordan Stone, MA, NCMT is a director of Blue Ridge School of Massage & Yoga in Blacksburg , Virginia. She has taught CE classes in Pregnancy Massage; Hot Stone Therapy; Integrated Deep Tissue Techniques for various regions of the body; Ethics, Self-care: and Thai Yoga Massage. She has an upcoming Yoga, Self-care and Integrated Deep Tissue Techniques for Prevention and Treatment of Repetitive Strain Conditions of the Arms, Hands & Shoulders in Costa Rica, for the second year at Ylang Ylang Beach Resort  from January 31 - February 7, 2012. Further information is available at http://www.blueridgemassage.org

She is author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Massage Illustrated  and  The World's Best Massage Techniques, and is currently in the process of writing a text on yoga, wellness, and body mechanics for massage therapists, to be introduced in 2012.