Massage Therapy
How can we better perpare students that are interested in working in a Spa for massage therapy
To prepeare a student I believe we would need to specialize in that are , make sure the school's curriculum has a strong emphasis on that area. If we don't know what the student wants to do or if they want to practice in various areas, make sure the school teaches a variety of massage modalities. The more modalities you learn, the better massage therapist you will be—and the more career opportunities you will have. I think that The best massage therapy schools operate clinics where students have the opportunity to practice on members of the public. The more experience you receive while in school, the better prepared you will be when you graduate.
The best preparation would be for them to gain experience while they are going through the program and to also have a contact person with experience that they can ask their questions to.
I work at a school that does not offer Massage Therapy as a program of choice however that does not rule out the option of him/her attending my school entirely. If the student was very adimant about the program on the phone and was not interested whatsoever in anything else I would them wish him/her the best of luck. However, if through the phone call I realize the student is just looking at Massage Therapy as an option I would speak to them more about their motivaations and interests in that field because that will tell me alot about the person. In talking, I am able to learn more about the student, I can then invite them in to speak more about the school in general and it is at that time that I can talk to them more about our specific programs at our location.
also the income level they might expect at graduation.
If the school offers Massage Therapy, have the prospective student attend a "Student Clinic" and receive a massage from a current student. This will not only give them a feel for the job/spa setting, but it will allow them to see an actual class, type of equipment the school is using, and gauge the knowledge of the students and instructors that the school has coming from the massage program.
The school I represent has a Massage Therapy program and an in-house massage clinic. We're a school that's small enough to offer prospective students, or even a student's spouse or parent, the opportunity to sit in on a class on a pre-determined day and time to get a feel for what's being taught and how it's being taught.
Daniel,
These are great suggestions. Although it is not always feasible, having students talk with employers and graduates will give them a better understanding of where their training may evetually lead them.
John Ware
If I were to recruit a massage therapy student, I would help them prepare by doing the following:
(1) Have them speak to the program director for Massage Therapy
(2) Have them speak to our spa manager at the college
(3) Have them speak to a current student, to get a student's perspective of the coursework
(4) Have them visit a couple employers that employ massage therapy graduates
After this, they should have a better understanding of what they are getting into. A big misconception is that they are not prepared for the coursework and the daily workload of a massage therapist.
We do not offer a massage therapy program but if we did I would do the following.
When meeting with a student who has a desire to work in a spa for massage therapy it would be beneficial to ascertain how much knowledge they have regarding the field. Help them to understand fully the type of hours and duties by pulling up the Bureau of Labor and Statistics job description to show them a realistic overview of their desired career field.
As they will be working with people, possibly elderly and or youth let them know there will be a background check as we would need to comply with state statues. If having been convicted of a felony will prohibit them from obtaining their license or finding employment they should be made aware of this. Cost of the program, placement rates for last three years, cost of books, uniforms etc should be fully disclosed as well.
A list of the courses they will take with course descriptions will also help them to fully understand what their academic agenda will be like. They will see they will need to take anatomy and physiology and can make a well informed decision on if this is truly what they want to do. Media can glamorize a career field leaving a person not fully aware of how much knowledge they will need to acquire in order to do the work of a certain profession. This will help with retention when you fully disclose all aspects of the program so they are not surprised by a challenging course they will need to take.
When they ask questions about financial aid it is best to advise them their questions are founded and a trained financial aid representative can meet with them to answer their questions.
When they have questions regarding salary I would again direct them to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website. I would also encourage them to shadow a massage therapist to obtain a more realistic view of what working in a spa as a massage therapist would truly entail. As I am not a financial aid representative, I know our FA reps do entrance counseling for loans and exit counseling as well.
