Licensure Process

(1) To practice massage therapy in Tennessee a person must possess a lawfully issued license from the Board. The process for obtaining a license is as follows: GENERAL RULES GOVERNING LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPISTS CHAPTER 0870-01 AND ESTABLISHMENTS (a) An application packet shall be requested from the Board’s Administrative Office. The application process may be completed and submitted online through the Board’s authorized licensure system found and outlined on the Board ‘s website. (b) An applicant shall respond truthfully and completely to every question or request for information contained in the application form. The applicant shall submit the application along with all required documentation and fees to the Board Administrative Office. It is the intent of this rule that activities necessary to accomplish the filing of the required documentation be completed prior to filing an application and that all documentation be filed as close to simultaneously as possible. (c) Applications will be accepted throughout the year. Supporting documentation required by these rules must be timely received in the Board Administrative Office as provided in rule 0870-01-.08(3) or the file will be closed. (d) An applicant shall submit a copy of his/her birth certificate or its equivalent which indicates that the applicant is, at the time of application, at least eighteen (18) years of age. Applicants who are not citizens of the United States or whose birth certificates reflect that they were not born in the United States shall submit proof of their immigration status demonstrating their lawful presence in the United States in accordance with T.C.A. § 4-58-103. (e) Applicants shall request that a transcript from one (1) or more post-secondary academic institution(s) approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission or its equivalent in another state(s), or approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents and approved by the Tennessee Massage Licensure Board, be submitted directly from the institution(s) to the Board Administrative Office. The transcript must carry the official seal of the institution(s) and must show that the applicant has successfully completed a massage, bodywork, and/or somatic therapy curriculum(s) consisting of no less than six hundred fifty (650) classroom hours, specifically delineated as follows: 1. Two hundred (200) classroom hours of the six hundred fifty (650) classroom hour requirement shall consist of sciences including, but not limited to, anatomy, physiology-Western and/or Eastern, kinesiology, pathology, HIV/AIDS and blood- borne pathogens, and hygiene (including standard precautions). Other sciences related to the human body may be included with Board approval. 2. Three hundred (300) classroom hours of the six hundred fifty (650) classroom hour requirement shall consist of basic massage theory and practice including, but not limited to, history, benefits, indications, contraindications, demonstration and supervised practice, client assessment/evaluation, soft tissue manipulations including: gliding, kneading, friction, compression, vibration, percussion, stretching, joint movements, draping, positioning, turning, feedback, charting/documentation, proper body mechanics, self-care, and intern clinic. 3. One hundred twenty-five (125) classroom hours of the six hundred fifty (650) classroom hour requirement shall consist of related subjects including, but not limited to, business standards of practice, communication skills, CPR/First Aid, the Americans with Disabilities Act, referral methods, specialized populations, and specialized and adjunct therapies/massage modalities such as eastern theory, lymphatic, prenatal, infant, sports, craniosacral, and hydrotherapy. This also may include Spa modalities. 4. Twenty (20) classroom hours of the six hundred fifty (650) classroom hour requirement shall consist of ethics instruction. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPISTS CHAPTER 0870-01 AND ESTABLISHMENTS 5. Five (5) classroom hours of the six hundred fifty (650) classroom hour requirement shall consist of instruction regarding Tennessee massage statutes and regulations. These hours must be completed in person or in a live/real time format. (f) Applicants may obtain up to, but not exceeding, one hundred and ninety-five (195) classroom hours online. None of the following course work requirements may be obtained online: 1. Kinesiology; and 2. Hands on coursework. (g) Applicants shall request that verification of having successfully completed an examination, as provided in rule 0870-01-.09, be submitted directly from the examining agency or its successor organization to the Board Administrative Office. (h) Applicants shall submit evidence of good moral character. Such evidence shall consist of two (2) recent (within the preceding 12 months) original signed and dated letters from health care professionals that include the professional’s licensing credentials and attest to the applicant’s personal character and professional ethics. The letters should be drafted on the writer’s professional letterhead and include the writer’s contact information. (i) Applicants shall disclose the circumstances surrounding any of the following: 1. Conviction of any criminal offense (except minor traffic offenses) of any country, state or municipality, including without limitation, conviction for prostitution or any sexual misconduct offense. A conviction for prostitution or sexual misconduct offenses shall disqualify an applicant from receiving a license. A conviction for a felony under the laws of Tennessee may disqualify an applicant from receiving a license. 2. The denial of professional licensure/certification by any other state or the discipline of licensure/certification in any state. 3. Loss or restriction of licensure/certification. 4. Any civil suit judgment or civil suit settlement in which the applicant was a party defendant in any actions involving malpractice, negligence and/or fraud. 5. Failure of any professional licensure or certification examination. (j) Applicants shall cause to be submitted to the Board Administrative Office directly from the vendor identified in the Board’s licensure application materials, the result of a criminal background check. (k) If an applicant holds or has ever held a license/certificate to practice any profession in any other state, the applicant shall cause to be submitted the equivalent of a Tennessee Certificate of Endorsement (verification of licensure/certification) from each such licensing board which indicates the applicant holds or held an active license/certificate and whether it is presently in good standing or was in good standing at the time it became inactive. GENERAL RULES GOVERNING LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPISTS CHAPTER 0870-01 AND ESTABLISHMENTS (l) An applicant shall submit the application fee and state regulatory fee as provided in rule 0870-01-.07. (m) When necessary, all required documents shall be translated into English and such translation and original documents certified as to authenticity by the issuing source. Both versions must be submitted. (n) Reciprocity Licensure 1. Applicants who are licensed or have been licensed in another state and are seeking reciprocity licensure in Tennessee may do so in one of two ways: (i) An applicant may request that one or more transcripts compliant with rule 0870-01-.05(1)(e)1.–4. and verification of having successfully completed an approved competency examination as provided in 0870-01-.09 be submitted directly to the Board Administrative Office; or (ii) An applicant can avoid the educational requirements of rule 0870-01- .05(1)(e)1.–4. if they qualify under the terms of Tennessee Code Annotated § 63-18-116. Such applicants must request that proof from the NCBTMB of their certification for the five (5) year period immediately preceding application for licensure be submitted directly to the Board Administrative Office and must submit documentation satisfactory to the Board that they have engaged in the practice of massage therapy in another state for the five (5) year period immediately preceding application for licensure. 2. All applicants for reciprocity licensure must submit proof of having successfully completed five (5) classroom hours of instruction regarding Tennessee massage statutes and regulations and must have had at least twenty (20) classroom hours of ethics instruction, as required in rule 0870-01-.05(1)(e)4. and 5. These hours shall not be self-directed. (2) All applications shall be sworn to and signed by the applicant. All applications and documents submitted for licensure purposes become the property of the State of Tennessee and will not be returned. Neither the application form nor any required document will be accepted if any portion has been executed and dated prior to one (1) year before receipt by the Board Administrative Office. (3) Application review and all licensure decisions shall be governed by rule 0870-01-.08. (4) Applicants who graduated from schools that are no longer in operation may be asked to submit additional documentary evidence of their education.