The Oregon Board of Massage Therapists recently adopted changes to the state’s continuing education (CE) rules. These changes go into effect on July 1, 2016. All licensees renewing their licenses on or after July 1, 2016, must have fulfilled these CE requirements when they renew, unless they are renewing their license for the first time.
Click here to view the amended rules.
The primary features of the rule amendments are:
• There is no change to the number of CE hours required: 25 hours of CE per two-year renewal period are still required. However, the rules now specify the particular subject areas in which the CE must be earned:
“The continuing education hours must be from the following topics: (A) Massage and bodywork techniques; (B) Use of thermal modalities, topical preparations, mechanical assistive; devices/appliances; (C) Stretching and gymnastics that lengthen and shorten soft tissues; (D) Posture and movement assessment; (E) Massage and bodywork business practices; (F) Anatomy and physiology of the human body; (G) Kinesiology of the human body; (H) Pathology of the human body; (I) Professional Ethics, Boundaries or Communication; (J) Cultural competency (K) Body mechanics; (L) Somatic education; or (M) CPR/First Aid.”
CE credit will only be given for hours completed in the subjects listed above.
• At least 15 of the 25 hours must be contact hours, meaning “actual hours in class under the instruction of and in the physical presence of an instructor; or an interactive distance learning course.” Hours in “individual interactive distance learning study courses” can only be obtained in topic areas E–J listed above.
• The methods of obtaining CE contact hours are:
(a) Attending courses, seminars, and workshops sponsored, certified by a licensed or accredited massage and bodywork training program;
(b) Attending courses or activities for continuing education offered by a provider recognized by a massage and bodywork professional organization;
(c) Attending courses provided by an accredited institution of higher education if topics are listed in topic areas A–M above;
(d) Attending courses, seminars, and workshops that meet the content requirement of topics A–M above [Note: this subsection (d) seems to make irrelevant the provider limitations of subsections (a)–(c) directly above];
(e) Individual interactive distance learning study courses with subject matter that is listed in topic areas E–J above;
(f) Courses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation/first aid if taken in the presence of an instructor;
(g) Providing Board requested peer supervision or Board exam proctoring; one hour of CE contact credit will be given for each meeting/day;
(h) Attendance at an Oregon Board of Massage Therapists board meeting, board committee meeting, board task force, or serving on these committees/task forces. One hour of CE contact credit will be given for each meeting.
• At least 4 of the contact hours must be in Professional Ethics, Boundaries, and/or Communication.
• 10 of the 25 hours may be “non-contact” hours, meaning “education hours independently acquired outside the presence of an instructor.” Non-contact hours include: publishing an article relating to massage and bodywork; self-study based on media (i.e., book/video, periodical, web based, DVD); and presenting courses or lectures on massage and bodywork. A licensee may receive credit for presenting a course or lecture only one time per renewal period regardless of how many times he or she presents the course or lecture.
• The CE must be completed during the renewal period. Contact hours taken and submitted during renewal in excess of the total number required may only be carried over to the subsequent renewal period.
• The CE requirement does not apply to a licensee’s first renewal. However, any CE taken during the first renewal period can be may be submitted with the second renewal.
As before, licenses expire on the last day of the licensees’ birth month of even numbered years for licensees with even-numbered birth years, and odd numbered years for licensees with odd-numbered birth years.
If you have specific questions about these new rules, please contact the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists: www.oregon.gov/OBMT/Pages/contact_us.aspx
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Cultural Competency