Educational Requirements

Educational Requirements. All applicants must meet the requirements set forth in § 73- 67-35, as revised, in order to be licensed. A. To obtain a massage therapy license, an applicant must submit to the Board the applicant’s official and certified transcript(s) from the applicant’s massage therapy school. Official transcripts must be submitted to the Board directly from the approved massage therapy school. If a transcript is submitted directly from other than an approved massage therapy school for an applicant who does not qualify under the reciprocity provisions of Rule 4.5, then the applicant’s massage therapy school must be accredited and must meet the educational and curriculum requirements of Section 73-67-35, as revised. For a massage therapy school that has ceased operation, the transcript must be provided by a third party that is acceptable to the Board, such as the custodian of the school’s records, or that state’s massage regulatory body, or the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, or the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. B. The transcript must verify that the applicant has completed a board-approved training program of not less than five hundred fifty (550) hours of massage therapy instruction, and at least fifty (50) hours of student clinic, for a total of six hundred (600) hours, with a minimum grade requirement of “C” or better in every course of instruction, in the following subjects 1. Two hundred (200) hours in massage theory and practicum, which must include a minimum of the following classroom hours in the specified subject areas: a. Ten (10) hours in legalities including Mississippi massage law and ethics. Students must be furnished complete copies of the most current MS Law 73-67-1 et seq., and the Rules and Regulations for this class; b. Twenty (20) hours in history, benefits, indications and contraindications; c. One hundred (100) hours in massage demonstration and supervised practice, which must include, but is not limited to, client evaluation, stroking, kneading, stretching, friction, percussion, vibration, range of motion, hand held tools and devices designated as t-bars or knobbies, and draping and turning; and d. The remaining seventy (70) hours may expand on any or all of the previous three (3) subject areas including electric hand held massagers, and/or be related to practical massage. 2. Two hundred (200) hours in science of the human body and must include a minimum of the following classroom hours in the specified subject areas: a. Twenty (20) hours in anatomy, including all body systems; b. Twenty (20) hours in physiology, including all body systems; c. Twenty (20) hours in myology/kinesiology; d. Twenty (20) hours in neurology; e. Twenty (20) hours in pathology, including medical terminology; and f. The remaining one hundred (100) hours may expand on any or all of the previous six (6) subject areas and/or be related to the science of the human body. 3. Two hundred (200) hours in allied modalities and must include, but are not limited to, a minimum of the following classroom hours in the specified subject areas: a. Seven (7) hours in Eastern, European and Western theory/methods; b. Eight (8) hours in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid; c. Ten (10) hours in charting and documentation; d. Twenty-five (25) hours in hydrotherapy and infrared heat; e. Twenty (20) hours in referral methods within the health care system; and f. The remaining one hundred eighty (80) hours may expand on any or all of the previous five (5) subject areas, including The Americans with Disabilities Act, and/or be devoted to any approach to massage therapy and wellness, such as trigger points, management, communication, safety, oriental or Eastern massage techniques and specialized populations. 4. One hundred (100) hours in supervised student clinic and must include at least fifty (50) practical hands-on one-hour massage therapy sessions. Each session is to be documented on a student clinic log, signed and dated by both the instructor and the student. Supporting session documents shall include; a. A client intake form with the client’s name and address, as well as reasons for the session, medical history and possible indications and contraindications, and a medical release, signed and dated by the client, instructor and the student therapist; b. Session notes documented in SOAP format, signed and dated by the instructor and the student therapist, c. An evaluation of the session by the client, including the client’s name, the date of the session, and the signatures and date of the client, instructor and the student therapist. All session documents shall be kept on file at the school for a minimum period of two (2) years. Each completed session shall constitute two (2) hours of student clinic, to include the one hour of actual session and one hour of class time for instruction and evaluation of the session. All 100 hours shall be acquired in the school student clinic. All hands-on sessions must be supervised by an instructor, board licensed in the area being supervised. While students are prevented from accepting any form of compensation for these sessions, and a notice to this effect shall be clearly posted in the clinic reception area, the school may maintain a tip jar for those clients desiring to tip. Any such proceeds shall be used for the benefit of the class as a whole or may be donated to a charitable organization. C. All persons seeking licensure with the Board must pass one of the Board Comprehensive Examinations. D. Effective January 1, 2011 all persons submitting an application for licensure with the Board must also pass the Mississippi State Law Examination (MSLE) that is given by the Mississippi State Board or its representative. Any student graduating from a Board approved massage therapy school may request a waiver of this requirement if the graduate will not be practicing in Mississippi. The content includes the Mississippi Professional Massage Therapy Act § 73-67 and its relevant MSBMT Rules and Regulations. The Board may schedule a session of the MSLE in coordination with a school. A minimum score of 70% is required prior to licensure.