Becoming a Massage Therapist in Manitoba
Congratulations on considering massage therapy as a professional career! As a healthcare profession, massage therapy is rooted in the health sciences. Graduates receive comprehensive training in areas such as physiology, human anatomy, musculoskeletal anatomy, kinesiology, pathology, assessment and treatment planning, massage theory and techniques, communication skills, ethics, professionalism, and more.
General Information
To enter the field, the Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba requires a minimum of 2200 hours of academic and practical/clinical education from an approved curriculum. It is important to note that any school you are considering should follow the National Competency Standards for Massage Therapists and the associated performance indicators for those who want to practice in Canada.
For the safety of both the student and the client, MTAM also supports the national expectation that students of massage therapy do not practice unsupervised until they have graduated. This reflects the profession’s minimum standards and shows respect for all involved.
Local Programs
Manitoba has five Private Vocational Schools offering massage therapy courses whose graduates are accepted by MTAM. The schools’ curriculums undergo review every two to three years by MTAM to ensure compliance with national practice standards.
Each of the following schools is registered with the Province of Manitoba – Advanced Education & Literacy and provides diploma programs of at least 2200 hours / two years of instruction:
- Evolve College of Massage Therapy
- Hua Xia Acupuncture, Massage, Herb College
- Robertson College Winnipeg Campus
- The Learning Company
- Wellington College of Remedial Massage Therapy: Two-Year and Distance Education (FULL programs only)
- Acupuncture College of Manitoba – This program is new, and the curriculum is still under review.
Inter-Jurisdictional Practice Competencies for Massage Therapists
To be recognized by MTAM, curriculums need to follow the practice competencies set by the profession in 2012 and revised in 2016:
http://www.fomtrac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/FOMTRAC-PCs-PIs-September-2016.pdf