What would make it great?

[Pompal 09.]

As a newly appointed Program Director, I am wondering what the students think. What would make your massage program great? Feel free to go into detail! What is great about your program, what is not?

 

[Fl_lCK OBAMA]

What would make it great?

As a newly appointed Program Director, I am wondering what the students think. What would make your massage program great? Feel free to go into detail! What is great about your program, what is not?

I am starting in September so I do not know what my school offers for electives quite yet save an aromatherapy class. I would love to have a class that focuses on developing intuition while working on the client. A reiki class would be a nice idea especially if you have a Master Teacher on hand be they a student or teacher at the school. I would make it an elective but it would be a nice thing to offer.

Another great class to offer might be one on general herbalism and herb use. I know my journey into the healing arts as I like to call it started with aromatherapy and herbs. Work with basic herbs like Lavender, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, and Thyme and go from there. This could be different from the aromatherapy class because you can talk about making scrubs, and salves, things like that.

That is all I can think of right now but I hope it helps.

holistichealer

 

[HelpingHand]

I am out of school, but I will tell you one of the things that made me really like my program (and there are many, but just one for now):

You signed up for a class/track , and that class schedule stayed the same throughout the program. For instance, I went on Tuesday evenings and all day on Saturdays. That was it- no worrying about changing schedules, trying to get into the right classes, etc. Just show up when I am supposed to, and everything else was already set.

 

[Raqhim]

I graduated in 2004 but I remember a thing or two that had me and my fellow students talking.....

While each instructor has his or her own beliefs on what makes a great massage and how to go about it, it can be very confusing to students when one instructor advises one thing (such as low table height) and another instructor advises the exact opposite! Obviosly each student must find what works for them the best but again, when you're just learning the ropes it can make you feel pulled in 2 different directions.

We had a class about advanced therapies (ie: aromatherapy, shiatsu, hot stone, ect.) it was a good class and gave upcoming graduating students a little taste of what other modatlities where out there.

We also had to complete an intership with approved businesses. I believe it was at least 24 hours. Some students, like myself, had wonderful experiences while others had some very unfortunate things happen. Please, if you require this in your course make sure the businesses are all reputable. I hope I don't offend but I had a close friend that was propositioned by a male client while she was doing her internship. This client obtained her home phone number and had called her a couple of time! She was very upset and felt our school and our director had put her in an unsafe situation. It was really very disturbing!

All the best of luck!
Steph!

 

[Mr Jim]

Be sure to incorporate Self-Care Training into the program:

1. Teach stretches for hands, forearms & whole body. Also model the importance of this by starting every hands-on class with guided stretches.
2. Teach the students how to massage their own hands & forearms. There are DVD's like "Healthy Hands, Wrists & Forearms" by Martin Gray or "Healing Wrist Pain Naturally" by Sean Riehl. It would be great to show the DVD's to the students and also have them available in your lending library for home-study. You could then end your hands-on massage classes with some guided self-massage techniques.
3. Energy protection techniques. (A lot of students post on the board about feeling drained after working on a client, or actually taking on their client's pain.) There are some simple techniques to avoid this.
4. Support group discussion, maybe once a week or once a month, where students can share how massage school is affecting their personal life. Some students end up having problems with spouses; others have trouble handling the stress of school and work. Support group isn't about "fixing" the problems, but rather knowing they're not alone & receiving advice from others going through the same thing.
5. Tell them about massageplanet, too.

 

[AessaMenevrah]

Be sure to incorporate Self-Care Training into the program:

1. Teach stretches for hands, forearms & whole body. Also model the importance of this by starting every hands-on class with guided stretches.

2. Teach the students how to massage their own hands & forearms...... You could then end your hands-on massage classes with some guided self-massage techniques.

WONDERFUL ideas! I think teaching new students to be mindful of how the stretch and prepare for a massage is every bit as important as the body mechanics they will learn to use durring the massage.

I especially second #2! We did watch a self care/massage DVD but it would have been great to actaully end our hands on classes with self-massage techniques!

Steph!

 

[Pompal 09.]

At my school, each graduating class had a name and took all their classes together, moving through the program as a unit. I don't know how it works at your school. But if it is like that, here are some things that made my program great:

1) There was an opening ceremony on the first day of school and a closing ceremony on the last day of school, both facilitated by the school's directors. It bookended things nicely.

2) On the very first day of classes, our first teacher (happened to be A&P but could be any class) led us in an exercise where we made a "class contract" (can't remember the exact name). Essentially, all 15 of us agreed on what we would need to do to help each other succeed in the program. (I remember my favorite was that we would all help each other along the trail, leaving no-one behind -- we would reach the summit together.) Periodically a faculty member would review our "contract" with us as a group, and every new faculty member we worked with would review it with us as a way to get to know our group.

3) Our class met every 3rd weekend for 3 full days, so we had long periods apart. At the beginning of one class per weekend (not necessarily always the first class), a faculty member would lead us in a short check-in so we all knew a bit about where our classmates were coming from. Didn't take a lot of time, but it helped us help each other.

4) The school's administration were always very clear about expectations. From how a classroom was to be left clean, to when monies were payable, to what dress was acceptable/unacceptable for student clinic, policies were spelled out very thoroughly in writing and the faculty were all very familiar with them. (Faculty met weekly - v. important.) And if there were still questions, admin was regularly available to clarify. Making expectations very, very clear, including how to try again to meet them if they were not (pass/fail policies, etc.) helps students complete their program.

5) My school was very clear about its purpose -- to select and train only students who would go on to be professional massage therapists (not skilled hobbyists or people not fit for independent work). So their interview and admissions procedures are geared very carefully to selecting only students who are also working toward that goal. Honing the admission process so that the right students find your school helps the school's reputation, because successful MTs will recommend their school just by their work!

6) While each teacher may have differing styles in their own practice, there was an agreed-upon set of styles that faculty taught. Faculty develop the style in conjunction with the admin (all practicing MTs themselves). And when departing from that style, or teaching their own individual methods, faculty were careful to note verbally and clearly that they were doing so.

7) All faculty received ongoing training in adult education, classroom management, and teaching to varied learning styles; they were also available for tutoring (for a fee) in their class content OR in "how to study/learn." This helped every single one of us at various points.

It just really helped me and my classmates to know that the faculty and admin really communicated with each other, were consistent, agreed on what to teach us, hand-selected us, believed we would succeed, and cared about us individually and as a group. I believe that the above points, more than any individual technique taught, had the greatest impact on the fact that every one of us graduated and nearly all of us are successfully working as MTs 4 years later.

 

[dot]

P.S. Congratulations on your new position -- how exciting for you!

 

[Jane Marple]

I agree with everything that has been mentioned so far... but to add to the list...

Hygiene expectations!!! Personal, and professional. You can't be a stinky MT!!!

Student rotations, so clicks don't form and everyone works on everyone no matter what. When I came into techniques, it was up on the board who was working with who that day. But I think this should be done for all hands on classes.

 

[ZombieCakes]

I agree with everything that has been mentioned so far... but to add to the list...

Hygiene expectations!!! Personal, and professional. You can't be a stinky MT!!!

Student rotations, so clicks don't form and everyone works on everyone no matter what. When I came into techniques, it was up on the board who was working with who that day. But I think this should be done for all hands on classes.

I like both of those added ideas Pandora. Hygiene ezpecially but also working with everyone breeds a stronger sense of community. I never thought of that last one.

 

[iiinycboi]

I agree.partner rotation is key---every body works with each other,and there are no cliques,which may lead to arguements and negativity. Hygiene means alot--when I was in school,there was a fella in the night class who really had stinky sweaty feet,and they stunk! I had to go to the director to mention this "nicely",and it was addressed.His problem was cleared up in about 2 weeks! We also had non-class get togethers,went to movies,local parks,and spent time at each others houses. We were so cohesive,and really helped each other through rough spots,and when one failed a test,we were encouraging and supportive,and all 14 of us graduated. The night class of 7 also finished,but were not as tight,as I noticed when I sat in on a class when I needed to makeup a test. Overall the student learning experience should be one they will always remember. We still meet monthly for lunch or dinner and trade with each other regularly. Good luck with your program goals.

Namaste'
Johnny

 

[Meilien]

Student rotations, so clicks don't form and everyone works on everyone no matter what. When I came into techniques, it was up on the board who was working with who that day. But I think this should be done for all hands on classes.

I agree with this completely. I think if I was the teacher, I'd let the students know at the first hands-on class, that they need to change practice-partners every day. I'd then remind them at the start of each class to choose a new partner, but I would also watch & keep track of who was partnering with whom. If people kept choosing the same partners, even with reminders, I would start assigning partners.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I differ a bit on the partnering thing -- although it's a good idea to avoid cliques, honoring each adult's right to choose who touches them is also important. I don't know how to navigate these waters, but there are two sides to it!

 

[-- Distinee]

The school I went to "back in the day" was really focused on teaching us to see the client as an entire WHOLE person -- to think holistically about the client, presenting symptomology, family, work, hobbies, etc and take all of it into account when formulating a treatment plan --- even for relaxation only work. That focus has been a really key part of how I work with all of my clients.

Regarding cliques in school --- it happens no matter what, for bodywork hands on classes, we had to draw numbered poker chips from a hat --- whichever 2 people had matching numbers, those 2 were partnered for the night. No ifs, ands or buts. The reasoning the school gave was that you would have to work with difficult and/or "different" people in the real world, so you might as well learn how to do just that early on in your training. It worked out well for 98% of the class, so, to me that sort of thing was successful.

We were handed a syllabus at the beginning of each semester with the dates of all exams, etc. Specific chapters, subjects, etc were given dates on which they would be covered as well. Then you were expected to follow the syllabus and know what was what without fail. It was nice to know what to expect, and when to expect it...... especially the exams on the really tough stuff [neurology and cardiology for me] so you could study ahead and hopefully not flunk them.

 

[??p??pl? p??????]

I'm a brand new student so I don't have much to say yet but....

Classes should be offered through out ther year. Having to wait until fall is almost painful!

Please assign us partners to massage. It can be like being a kid in grade school waiting to be picked for the team.

Teach proper body mechanics from the very start!

 

[kemperk]

Just a quick tip sandyrose -- you don't have to wait to be picked. Go up to someone and pick *them* -- you have some control and you've made someone feel good too!