Likewise, in our daily lives, we tend to forget that it is often the “small stuff” which counts. A stellar resume with impressive schooling and a plethora of experience is a fine foundation that may get you to an interview. However, employers most often consider the candidate whom they believe is observant to details and will most likely contribute to the professionalism of their massage establishment.

In informal discussions with employers, reliability is one of the most valued traits of a therapist. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to your work place. Call a day ahead of your scheduled shift, if possible, if you feel ill and need to stay home. Each establishment will have policies regarding tardiness and calling out from work. It is better to give advanced notice of your possible absence than an employer or the front desk staff wondering if you are coming to work. Remember, they need to reschedule those appointments. Likewise with your private practice, show up on time and always be considerate of your client’s time and cancel well in advance of the appointment.

Be willing to be flexible within your work place and schedule. Every work environment may have different in policies and procedures. Be adaptable to a variety of treatment rooms and draping protocols. Even consider flexibility in your schedule. In your own practice, you may have to consider moving your lunch break or rescheduling a client on your usual day off. These may sound extreme, but worth considering. In my years of experience, there is no ideal work situation. Being adaptable is a valuable learning tool towards your professional development as a therapist. A great therapist can readily adapt to a variety of environments. Give yourself the opportunity to experience them.

An employer also looks for a therapist who communicates effectively and builds rapport with a client. Greet a client with direct eye contact and a confidently introduce yourself. Really be present and listen to your client’s needs. If necessary, ask your client to clarify information or repeat and validate what the client told you. Realistically, not everyone will become a regular client for various reasons. However, you can always address and listen to a client with professionalism.

Finally, be attentive to your massage environment. Pick up used paper towels that may be improperly discarded either by you or another therapist. Look at the counter and wipe up oil marks. Routinely disinfect door knobs, stools and any equipment in the treatment room. Disinfecting just doesn’t apply to tables and bolsters. Notice if the trash can is full. Be aware of clutter in your treatment room and maintain organization of lotion bottles and items on the counter. Also, if possible keep your linens in a separate room or in cabinets. The condition of the waiting area, rest rooms and treatment rooms make a huge impression on the professionalism of the establishment.

Employers appreciate a therapist who is attentive to being reliable, flexible, communicates well and is responsible for their own massage environment. Within your own practice clients welcome the same attention to detail. While credentials are important, pay attention to your professional conduct and notice the little things that make a difference in the work place.

- From Lori at our Hoboken campus

Here are just a few ideas to keep your massages creative, your clients regularly surprised, and yourself reinvigorated:

* Swap massages with another therapist. Have them walk you through their favorite techniques. Share your favorite techniques with them. (Bonus if they were taught massage by a different instructor than you!)
* Crack open a massage textbook and read up on techniques that you may have learned while in school but haven’t regularly incorporated into your work.
* Check out YouTube. There are many massage therapists that post videos of their techniques to treat various client injuries or issues.
* Change the way you work. Typically start on the scalp or back? Try starting at the feet or using split strokes on the back and legs. Start your clients prone? Give a supine or side-lying start.
* Get yourself some new tunes. You may find that your repetition of movements is related to your repetition of music. Try changing songs, or artists, or genres and see if you get inspired!

When you try something new, pay attention to your client’s response. Your innovation may increase their satisfaction and motivate you to keep learning more!  What do you do to keep your work fresh?

- Take some “me” time.  Do something you enjoy daily, whether it’s a hobby, like quilting or reading or swimming a few laps in the pool, just do something that makes you happy.

- Keep your friendships current.  People who have a strong circle of friends also have sounding boards and people who can help you work through tough situations.  Have friends.

- Try to eat six small healthy meals each day, instead of focusing just on early morning breakfast, mid-day lunch and early evening dinner.  By only focusing on those three meals you are more likely to indulge in junk food at some point in the day and junk food increases your body’s stress responses.

- Meditate on your faith.  Studies show that people with strong faith are less affected by stress.

- Exercise daily.  It’s not how long you exercise, but how hard you go at it that counts.  Bike, walk, run, weight train, swim, play and practice a sport.  Just get moving as exercise is one of the best stress relievers.

- Get a massage. The combination of a good workout and a great massage can’t be beat.  We dare you to still be stressed after that routine!

Current students continuing on into the new quarter await another milestone in their education, the first day of school clinic.  Finally, classroom studies are put to the test when real application occurs with real clients in a supervised setting.  This prospect can evoke feelings of excitement and fear all at the same time.  It would be easy to view clinic as merely fulfilling a state licensure requirement.  Instead, consider your time in clinic as an enormous opportunity to build your professional foundation as a massage therapist by utilizing the clinic structure and environment.

Recently, a student requested that I book a massage with him in clinic.  Being his technique foundations instructor, the student wished to be evaluated on his progress.  While massaging a faculty member may seem like a daunting prospect to some, depending on the policy of your school, the potential feedback is enormously beneficial.  Especially if he or she is a technique instructor and a professional massage therapist.  Here in Hoboken, faculty and staff are given a different feedback form from the regular clinic visitors.  Because faculty member evaluation is based on having the client experience with you, it is often very comprehensive and addresses more than technique.  This input also provides valuable insight into your customer service and communication skills.

While the clinic supervisor is present to facilitate organization, you are welcome to ask questions and seek guidance.  Perhaps you need advice on how to address a client’s issues or personality.  A resource may be needed to research a medical condition.  You discover that a new draping technique may be beneficial.  Perhaps advice is needed on your treatment timing.  All these issues can be addressed with the clinic supervisor or director.  Take advantage of the faculty’s knowledge and experience as a resource to make your time in clinic a learning experience.

There is more to clinic than the massage treatments.  Running an effective clinic involves management and organizing.  This includes making and filing client charts, booking and confirming appointments, front desk administration such as checking in clients and charging them, also implementing any schedule changes and organizing the massage therapists.  It is highly beneficial to learn any aspect of administration, not only for your own practice but also as an employee at a spa or clinic.

If your clinic has a structure for management duties and paperwork, welcome the experience.  If not, on your down time or when a client is not booked, ask the clinic supervisor if filing needs to be done or perhaps learn how to book clients on the computer.  Often, a supervisor will welcome any assistance.

In addition, consider taking responsibility for your clinic environment. As a supervisor, it is easy to automatically replace paper towels and provide other materials needed for clinic.  As a participant, take on these tasks yourself.  Be observant of the condition and needs of the clinic.  Learn where the paper towels are and notice when they diminish.  Replenish any items needed, such as SOAP note and feedback forms.  Bring pens and clip boards back to the clinic area.  Notice when used paper towels or other items have not been properly disposed.  Adjust the lights and music when needed.  This is your work area, keep it well supplied, comfortable and clean.

Your participation and experience in student clinic lays the solid foundation for your career that looms ahead. By effectively utilizing the wealth of resource the clinic environment provides, you can construct a strong tower with endless possibilities for expansion skyward.

- Lori, Instructor at Cortiva Institute – Hoboken

This article is the first of three addressing student participation in clinic.  The second will concern the application of your clinic experience in job seeking and employment.  The  last of the series will suggest how to enhance employment and the years to come in your massage career.

- You will build core strength.  Utilizing proper body mechanics strengthens core and legs.

- Strengthen muscles and bones.  Research shows that resistance movements strengthen tissue.

- Burn calories.  The only long-proven safe way to manage weight is to manage calorie intake and usage.  Performing massage is active and will help you to burn calories.

- You will gain knowledge that you didn’t have before.  A massage education provides lots of useful knowledge about health and fitness.

- Massage therapy provides a low stress – work environment.

- Massage therapists report high job satisfaction and happy people are healthy people.

- A career in massage therapy provides a good life-work balance, allowing people to truly prioritize life then work, which equates to good health.

- People who give message tend to get massage, leading to stress release and better health.

- Massage therapists tend to learn a heightened body awareness leading them to take better control of their health.

- Massage therapists are givers and giving  creates emotional wellness in individuals.

What’s not to love?

The highlight of the last few months came around week 5 when we received our brand new massage tables at home. We’d all been clamoring for them, since as we’d discovered, it’s really hard on your body to give massages to your friends and family on beds, couches, chairs…and I even tried the floor for some parts. There are students who have their tables set up in private rooms and are sprucing up the ambiance with candles, music, and relaxing décor. Others of us—such as myself—have our tables in a tiny nook of our New York City apartments. I was just as excited as everyone else to receive my table and then came the dawning realization, with no real closets and 500 square feet total, where am I going to set up and store it?!! But as with all things, you make do, and I haven’t heard any complaints from my friends so far. Then again, it’s hard to complain when you’re receiving a free massage. Owning a table makes it all a bit more real though, and it’s finally beginning to set in that in just 10 more months I will be starting a brand new career.

Up until now we’ve just practiced on each other and people we know. The big test is coming—clinic! We have just two more weeks of school left before this quarter ends, then break, and then we start massaging people in clinic (gulp!!). Real people, from the real world, who will be paying for our skills and professionalism and relying on us to make them feel better! As we count down the days, this realization is dawning on all of us. It’s a bit nerve wracking I have to say, especially since a lot of us, including myself I’ll admit, are still trying to remember our routines instead of reading off sheets of paper. But whether we like it or not, the training wheels are about to come off. Check back in a month or so to hear all about my first day in Cortiva’s student clinic.

The most important thing I have learned from my clients…

“…is they have all the answers. They are experts on their own bodies, their own medical conditions and what feels good to them. I do not have to feel like I should know everything about whatever illness they have or what to do when I find a knot. They will tell me. They will tell me what pressure feels right or if I found the right spot or what they are feeling like today, all I have to do is ask; sometimes verbally and sometimes with my hands.

Even if they don’t verbalize something, their body will tell me. I used to feel like when I touched a client I got blindfolded and I was just feeling around in the dark. But, now I feel like I am beginning to discover treasures as if on a treasure hunt…Or ‘If I just stay here a minute longer, I bet it will feel yummy.’ I still feel like I am blindfolded, however now I know I don’t have all the answers, my client does.”

- from Susan, Clinic Manager at Cortiva Institute – Boston

Recently, I was confronted with the most difficult decision of my massage career: to leave a position that no longer suited the therapist I had evolved into. In 26 years, every employer gave me the opportunity to learn and grow in their respective businesses, and each seemed the perfect work setting for that particular point in my career.

Increasing opportunities exist for massage-school graduates within a variety of settings, but the new therapist must decide which environment is right for his or her interests. Likewise, employers must determine if a new therapist is suitable for their existing practices. Here are some ideas for those who hire.

First, look beyond the candidate’s resume as a list of qualifications. Instead, view the resume as a guide toward conducting an effective interview by getting to know the therapist’s interests and potential contributions.

Consider the candidate’s educational and employment background. Perhaps someone with a physical education or nursing degree is looking for a clinical setting, while others with hospitality or service-oriented experience may prefer a resort or day spa. Ask yourself if the background will suit your practice. Although you shouldn’t judge the individual solely by what you see on paper, the resume should allow you to better determine what kinds of questions to address in an interview with the therapist.

Be honest and reveal the expectations of your work environment. Address with the potential candidate whether you are seeking a self-starting independent contractor or an employee responsible for scheduled shifts, showing up on time and working with other therapists. Inquire if the therapist prefers to work alone or with a team. Also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your informal or structured environment.

This brings us to working with a more experienced team. Discuss if the new therapist is open to being trained and mentored by you or another therapist. The integration process is often a difficult adjustment for staff, but it is a growth opportunity for existing and new therapists.

Remember, the new therapist also gains valuable information during the interview. Just as you are determining if the potential candidate is the right fit for your practice, she is also deciding if your business setting is appropriate for her. If you or the therapist declines employment, have business cards available of other employers seeking to hire suitable therapists for their practices. You may contribute to the therapist’s decision toward launching a fulfilling and successful career.

Originally posted on www.massagemag.com on 5/25/2011.  Lori Dobbert has been a licensed massage therapist for 26 yearscurrently teaches at the Cortiva Institute (www.cortiva.com) in Hoboken NJ.

Rewind a few months back. I was living in Tampa, Florida, was heavily involved with Cortiva’s online courses and had my own outcall massage practice. When my husband told me he wanted to move to the Dominican Republic to work with his family’s business I though it was a death sentence for my massage practice. We had already been to the Dominican Republic a few times. When I tried to explain to our Dominican friends and family that I was a massage therapist, they could hardly mask their surprise. On this island, massage was a relatively low paying job that was done by minimally trained people. The average rate for a one-hour outcall massage appointment was about 400 pesos, the equivalent of $10.50. When I asked people what massage opportunities there were they all said, “a spa, I guess,” as if spas were the only option for massage therapists anywhere.

By January of 2011 we made the big move to Santo Domingo. While I anticipate massage opportunities to be scarce, I decided to just talk to as many people about massage as I could and see what the universe threw my way. The first opportunity came when I met one of my neighbors, coincidentally an American that was an alumni of the same university I graduated from. She asked for an appointment and we agreed on a price of $50, low for an outcall appointment in the US but 5 times the going rate for Santo Domingo. She was pleased and sent an email blast to everyone she knew saying a “qualified” massage therapist had arrived. Within a week I had a busy schedule.

The next person I met was the founder of a local home for orphaned and abandon children. She asked if I would be able to offer some therapeutic touch to the babies and children. Having just become a Certified Infant Massage Instructor, I jumped at the opportunity to work with them.

Then I met a doctor who performed open heart surgeries on children from the countryside who could not afford medical care. I offered to provide chair massage to the worried families as they waited outside during the procedure. She is taking me up on my offer.

The cherry on top of it all was meeting a local hotel manager whose spa needed an upgrade. He had a sneaking suspicion that regardless of the type of massage guests were requesting, they always received the same kind of work. And so he hired me to play “tourist” and try out each type of massage they offered and evaluate the therapists’ work. And so it happened… I got “that” job that the comedians joked about!

Just when I thought my work as a massage therapist was all washed up, I’ve had more opportunities fall into my lap than I know what to do with. I have that much greater of an appreciation for this field because now I’ve seen first hand that you really CAN do anything with massage. I am grateful for the education that Cortiva has provided me and the doors that it has opened in this field. Somebody pinch me… I’m living my dream!

- Jillian Brugal

There is nothing that inspires me more than hearing students’ stories. For you, I hope there is nothing that inspires you more than remembering why you started at Cortiva in the first place.

Cortiva students, please share your story. Why are you here? What do you want in the future? What level of greatness would you like to achieve?

Remember that everything you have on your plate this week is just this week in your life. A year or two from now you’ll probably look back and only have a vague recollection of the amount of work you had to do, but an incredible amount of satisfaction from all that you accomplished!

You can do it. You know you can!