Massage Therapy: An alternative health career for young and not as young as we once were
Many of the jobs of tomorrow are not even in existence yet, but this isn't stopping the ancient art and science of Massage Therapy from steady growth. With mental and physical stress on the rise, is it any wonder we are seeing both new graduates from high school and mature employees choosing a second career alike turning to this hands-on field? Even those retiring from long held positions are making the change to follow a passion into alternative health care.
The array of pathologies in existence today is as varied as the methods for treating them. Massage Therapy is one field in the alternative health spectrum that is experiencing increased demand. The Ontario Government anticipates from 2009-2019 we will see an increase in demand for Registered Massage Therapy by 19%. (Massage Therapy Ontario, 2016) 35% of Canadians are trying massage therapy reports The Fraser Institute, up from 23% a decade before (2007). And between 1997 and 2011, Statistics Canada reports "household spending in the category of personal care services that includes massage increased by a staggering 140%".
We are even seeing an emerging trend for "wellness tourism" internationally. The Canadian Tourism Commission has established a task force to evaluate this trends viability as a planned tourism expansion for the country. (Massage Therapy Canada, 2005)
Interdisciplinary teams are becoming more and more in demand, mixing physicians and physiotherapists with naturopathic physicians, osteopaths, nutritionists, massage therapy and acupuncture. Clients enjoy the ability to have a spectrum of Eastern and Western practitioners who communicate well and clearly at their fingertips in one facility.
What experiences have you had using alternative wellness?
Massage Therapy is currently taught at private and public institutions in a 2 or 3 year diploma program and is moving towards national accreditation with a national competencies document. It has been established there is a need for more academic advancement opportunities for RMT's in Canada, (Dryden, 2002) with only a hand full of baccalaureate alternatives recognizing this diploma. More expansion for additional academic advancements are actively in discussion across the country. Such advancement is likely to lead to more industry specific research, more interdisciplinary integration and improved excellence in multidisciplinary collaborations.
Regardless, the Massage Therapy diploma offers an accessible gateway into alternative health care for compassionate care givers of any age.
Where do you want your diploma to take you?
References:
Demand for Massage Therapists in South Eastern Ontario. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.massagetherapyontario.net/demand-massage-therapists-canada/
The Fraser Institute, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Canada: Trends in Use and Public Attitudes, 1997-2006, website last accessed on June 25th 2016.
Statistics Canada, National Household Survey (NHS), website last accessed on June 25, 2016.
New trends in the spa industry. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.massagetherapycanada.com/news/new-trends-in-the-spa-industry-1453
Dryden, T. (n.d.). Report on Research. Retrieved June 25, 2016, from http://www.massagetherapycanada.com/regulations/report-on-research-1244
