How to Become a Massage Therapists

Becoming a massage therapist is a very rewarding career. One of the best things about going into massage therapy is the different career choices that you have once you get your license. Below are some of the top areas to consider:

- Cruise Ships: You might not realize it but cruise ships are one of the top employers of massage therapist in the world. On these ships they can employ 100 or more massage therapists to service the needs to their guests. Trips out at sea can sometimes be for a month and these cruise lines house all of their employees. Often they pay not only good salaries but include of course room and board. Don’t overlook this area of employment when you graduate. Many of the schools that focus on massage therapy training certificate programs have great relationships with cruise line employers and can all but promise you a job after graduation.

- Independent Massage Therapist: As an independent massage therapist you’ll be responsible for getting your own clients and running your own business. This allows you to focus on any type of employment that you want. Often therapists want to work close to home as they are a moving massage therapist that travels to clients home.

- Salon: Many therapists work for local salons. These salons handle haircuts, manicures and other health services and often have needs for massage therapists. Another option would be to be a spa and salon owner.

- Corporate Massage Therapist: As companies get larger and larger the need to attract the best candidates get harder and harder. Having on-site massage therapists allow workers to keep relaxed as well as not leave the company.

Job Description and Responsibilities
You’ll have a lot of job responsibilities as a massage therapists depending on the type of therapy that you specialize in. Below are some of the job descriptions that most employers require:

- Work with your client to first determine what type of issues they are facing and come up with a detailed plan on how to approach their treatment.
- Go over all the different types of massage therapy techniques that you are trained on with your client and how each of them can cure your ailments.
- Be a good listener and be able to listen to what is causing the clients issues. Often being a good listener will help you come up with a plan on helping the client through their injuries.
- Write down detailed information about each client. This will help determine if what you have been doing is helping out the client. Also being able to read doctors notes on possible therapy is important.
- Some of the required skills needed include being a good team player, possessing great customer service skills.
- You’ll need to be able to come up with a detailed plan on how to treat each client and be able to consult with other healthcare professionals such as physicians, psychologists and even chiropractors.

Schools and What to Study
When researching what massage therapist schools to enroll in be sure to find one that focuses on the type of therapist you want to be. As mentioned, often schools have already built relationships with hiring managers at companies and cruise lines so finding employment after you graduate will be easier. These are more important areas to research than the overall tuition cost of the program. Also these trade schools that offer training should be able to get you fully trained in about a year so no need to enroll in a school that offers a degree or extended training periods.

 

 

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Resources:
http://www.college-universities.com/certificate-healthcare-massage-therapy-train-to-become-a-massage-therapist.php