1st massage on instructor

[this kitty needs a hug]

Ok Ugh.

Our whole class was nervous, understandably. I thought I had the whole massage part down, just nervous about incorporating the right stretches and naming all of the relevant anatomy and not just drawing a blank..

:::sigh:::

I'm half hoping for a re-do because I KNOW I can do so much better. Well, at least it's over for now. :roll:

Thanks for letting me share.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I remember that feeling. Don't be to hard on yourself. You may have done better then you thought and if not, well thats what learning is all about. If you knew it all you wouldn't be a student. Hang in there!

 

[Pompal 09.]

At the end of my Swedish class, I (along with everyone else) was given five minutes to put my best massage down on my instructor. I was into it barely a minute when he popped his head up and said, "I've been trying to figure out what it is that you're missing since we started, and I just figured it out.

"You've got good technique, but you doubt yourself too much. You're going to be a great therapist when you stop thinking about it and just learn to trust that you know what you're doing."

That turned out to be the best advice I could have gotten, and I remember it every day. Maybe it will help you, too--not necessarily today, but maybe down the line.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Since I finished school again, just 6 months ago... I can totally relate to those jitters of working on an instructor.

Fortunately, we never had to work on instructors for tests. We had something called "Preceptors", a one hour massage to evaluate how we were applying the techniques learned in class. We did 6 of them over the year, and it had to be someone who went through our school. We got to choose our preceptors from a list provided by the school. Well, I chose to do 4 out of my 6 on instructors. Every time I would get SO nervous. The preceptors often had to remind me to calm down, this was not a test or a grade.... just an evaluation of our skills.... YEAH, like that made it ANY less intense. And I already did massage professionally in another state for over 2 years before I went back to school...

At least, know this.... You will never feel THAT nervous when working on a client... not even for the very first time as a professional therapist.

 

[t.n.h]

Thanks.

All night I have been doing the 'heavy sigh' at myself.

I forgot to do the adductors on the leg in the supine position! I just feel like clunking myself on the head. There were a few other things, some we both chuckled about.

I seriously just felt like crying. I know, I probably sound like a big baby.

Thing is, I REALLY do want the constructive criticism because that is what helps me the most. It is just so hard to hear it when I already know how I messed up.

Ok, I guess I am done beating myself up about this. I can not imagine feeling this nervous ever again. Maybe I shouldn't say that? LOL

 

[heyyah123]

I seriously just felt like crying. I know, I probably sound like a big baby.

Wouldn't be massage school if it didn't make you cry, IMO ;-)

I don't understand schools where the instructors never receive the students' work. How do they know if they're succeeding at their jobs or not? I guess the "preceptors" idea works. Never heard of that before.

 

[Scorched Eartha Policy]

first male client in clinic

My first male client in student clinic, I completely forgot to do his posterior legs!

Not only was he the first male client, but the Dean of Students and a regular in the clinic; I was a bundle of nerves! Grounding and affirmations were not settling the butterflies, either.

I walked into the station, he was supine and the drape was at his waist. That was a first, too, considering up until that point I'd only worked on fellow female students! I did the supine work, head to toe and he rolled over. Since the back was already undraped, that is what I massaged --clearly, I wasn't grounded at all! We were taught, "Start where you finished" which meant I should have started on the legs when I had him roll over.

I didn't even realize my mistake until I was changing the table, and he didn't mention it on the client evaluation. Thankfully, he returned as a client of mine, and I was able to apologize

O! and my first teacher massage? lets just say we had draping issues

 

[One week til Candice!!]

Another point to remember: a massage that pleases an instructor is likely to be twice as good as the average client has experienced, if your school is any kind of a decent one. When I left massage school and started working on clients, I would find myself forgetting things (although I never did the "start where you finished" thing...never heard that before. I habitually end prone on the scalp and start supine at the feet, but that's part of my routin, I guess...) and I would kick myself when I finished, but the clients would still rave about the job I did! I was shocked, until I started going to the student clinics at my alma mater and feeling their skills develop over time.

We're our own harshest critics. Just like we can't go back to a time when we could look at a beautiful person of the opposite sex and NOT think about tightened traps and unlevel hips, we often can't (at least, this is true for me) go back to laying on a table and appreciating a massage for what it is without analyzing it.

Which reminds me of one other thing, slightly off-topic: when you graduate, and start your career, NEVER tell anyone who's giving you a massage what you do for a living. Trust me on that one. :roll:

 

[acswwediva3344]

I just did my first massage on the instructor last night....GAH! It was nerve racking!! And I know it shouldn't be....Heck, she even gave me a massage first (we were odd in class for trade practice, so the teacher "volunteered" to trade with someone) but I couldn't relax enough to completely enjoy the massage.

But the feedback from the instructor will help me become better...It is just a "DOH!" moment when I read it and realized my mistakes..

 

[Land in Sicht]

I always decided that the instructor on the table was just another body in need of work. That helped me stay calm and focused, and I felt good about the work I did.

Then again, I spent years competing in combat sports, and giving a massage just doesn't get adrenaline going like having people try to punch or choke you unconscious. :

 

[Agent: Yip]

I always decided that the instructor on the table was just another body in need of work. That helped me stay calm and focused, and I felt good about the work I did.

Then again, I spent years competing in combat sports, and giving a massage just doesn't get adrenaline going like having people try to punch or choke you unconscious. :

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the first massage came and went and I survived! :grin:

Now I have to get that visual out of my head, I tend to giggle at inappropriate moments... lol

 

[Deren]

I remember those days..we all get through it..congrats to everyone!!!

 

[uchaboo]

I too,remember the days of instructor massage......nerve-racking but beneficial. She truly enjoyed my work and gave great feedback! She kept snoring at some points on the table,as I was apparently doing something right! Just relax,breathe,and have fun. Don't take the criticism the instructor gives you personally.....it will only make you a better therapist in the long run!

Johnny

 

[Simply Telisha]

I was nervous as well when I did mine. Several of my classmates literally got sick. I was so nervous that I totally forgot about moving the bolster when I flipped her into the supine position. So there she was with the bolster under her ankles. I didn't even notice when I massaged her feet! I still managed to get a good grade though, but boy was I embarrassed when she told me what I did.