ECC massage therapy program now accredited
The massage therapy program of Elgin Community College has been accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation until winter 2012.
Accreditation for the massage therapy program is a voluntary process that identifies and acknowledges educational programs and/or institutions for achieving and maintaining a level of quality, performance and integrity that meets meaningful standards.
"It has been a 32-month process to accreditation," said Deb Keisler, ECC professional program manager. "Not all schools seek accreditation as it is a long process involving self-study, curriculum review and creating exhibits highlighting our standards in everything from adequate physical facilities and accessibility to well thought-out curriculum that connects learning outcomes with testing standards, all the time looking to the profession and the skills a therapist must have in the marketplace."
Massage therapy is a licensed profession in Illinois. ECC prepares students to sit for the national certification exam and upon successful completion of it, apply for their license.
Currently an evening and weekend program with more than 700 hours of classroom study and an additional 50 hours of optional learning, ECC provides students with an education that addresses a multidimensional massage practice and provides therapists with the skills to work in a spa setting, chiropractic office, health club or to start a business of their own.
"One of the things we do differently is to have a prerequisite course that serves as a discernment period for the students," Keisler said. "This four-week course is both academically and personally challenging."
During the course, massage therapy students do bodywork as both the client and the practitioner and learn the Latin names for muscles and bones for a test in the final week. If a student earns a passing grade of 75 percent or better, they generally have a solid chance of making it through the program.
The program has three supervised semesters of clinics, totaling more than 100 hours of contact with the public, simulating a professional clinic. The clinics begin in the first semester to aid students in growing into a level of comfort and confidence in working with the public as they learn more each week about massage techniques, body mechanics and anatomy and physiology.
Students are also responsible for completing a 25-hour externship in the community doing massage at nursing homes, social service agencies, the Open Door Clinic in Elgin or site of their own choosing that meets the program standards.
In this module students demonstrate their knowledge of writing a case study, researching topics, working therapeutically with client populations with special needs and putting everything into a coherent report for their supervisor.
The massage program also incorporates yoga as a way for students to warm and stretch their muscles. This practice and knowledge assists students in preventing work related injuries to their own bodies.
Students from the program also serve as the massage therapy team for Elgin's annual Fox Trot 10-mile run/walk and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life on ECC's main campus. Students learn pre- and post- event massage in class and then work with the walkers and runners on the site of the events.
For more information about the ECC massage therapy program, call the massage therapy office at (847) 214-7773. For information about a daytime program in massage therapy, call Lurana Bain, program coordinator, at (847) 214-7353. For details, visit www.elgin.edu/massage.