Accreditation and the right School

[Serghey]

I am looking for help in finding a massage program the is right for me now and the future. I live in the milwaukee area, and I have found two schools that I believe in, but one is accredited and one is not. After reading all of the confusing info on accreditation I am about to explode. I have read everything from;

Schools that are accredited are the only safe schools
Schools get accreditation to basically offer their students federal grants
Students that graduate from a school that is not accreditated can not sit for the national exams

all this seems scary, I understand the importance of the accreditation, but if the COMTA is so important why does WI have only two schools accredited through them? What happens to all the students who graduate from all of the other massage schools throughout WI?

I want to make the right choice, but at the same time I want to go to a school that I feel good about.

Thanks for any info you can help me with

 

[blitzisbest]

Accreditation and the right School

Students that graduate from a school that is not accreditated can not sit for the national exams

This is not true. In order to find out if the school you go to/went to is sufficient to sit for the exam, go to the exam website and look up their requirements. NCBTMB What you need to know. Basically, as long as your school is approved to operate in your state (either by the massage board, or another state organization if licensing does not exist) you're good.

I am the owner of a new massage school and the only reason I will be getting accreditation is to offer my students federal grants. It is a long, arduous and expensive process that diverts my energy and resources into a lot of red tape b-s.

I think there are many schools (especially smaller ones) who *could* be accredited but choose not to for the reason I just stated. On the other hand, there are probably some schools who could NOT get accredited because their program is not good enough and they are not stable enough. I think accreditation offers peace of mind if you are not willing to do the research on the school yourself. If you research the school, talk to graduates, talk to the teachers, research the curiculum, read all the fine print on all the paperwork, then you can decide for yourself if the school is quality or not. If you don't feel like doing that, you can just look at the accredited schools only.

I believe that students who graduate from schools who are not accredited have the same opportunities as those who graduate from accredited schools. Especially considering that most MTs are in practice for themselves. None of the spas I worked at ever questioned the school I went to. In your local area, some schools may have a better reputation than others and then employees may favor graduates of that school - and that school may or may not be accredited.

From my experience researching schools across the country, accredited schools seem to be less "heart-centered" than non-accredited. (Of course, there are exceptions, Heartwood stands out). Accreditation tends to make programs more dry and leave less room for those kinds of things, especially COMTA, who practically dictates the content of your entire program. Also, accredited schools tend to be larger and more corporate schools, less intimate and more business like.

JMO

 

[Dogbreath]

I graduated from a COMTA-accredited school. The program was top-notch, very professional but with a deeply "heart-centered" philosophy. It included excellent in-depth A&P training with frequent on-site cadaver labs, and emphasized in-depth training in both relaxation and therapeutic techniques.

With the excellent foundation education I received, passing the NCETMB was no problem, and I have had no problem building a loyal clientele. Because the program provides a thorough training in the use of specific therapeutic techniques such as trigger point therapy and cross fiber friction, it has been easy to learn and incorporate other therapeutic modalities. For those interested in getting NMT certified, it's an ideal foundation.

The school also brings in many instructors of various modalities throughout the year, providing many opportunities for continuing education. Many of these events include cadaver labs that connect the course material directly to the relevant body tissues.

These are just a few of the reasons I loved the school I attended. It was a great experience from Day 1, and I am a proud alumn of Northwestern Health Sciences University School of Massage Therapy. For more info on the school, visit http://www.nwhealth.edu

 

[Lust for Lola]

Accreditation and the right School

if the COMTA is so important why does WI have only two schools accredited through them?

You don't need a COMTA school. While many of the programs are excellent, COMTA (and AMTA) would like to lock up the market by making potential students believe that they cannot get good training anywhere BUT a COMTA school. It simply isn't true.

If there is a school you like, check it out thoroughly. Make sure it has a good reputation, a good pass rate, and talk to people who have graduated from there who are now in full-time practice. Ask if they would go to that school again, given the choice. COMTA is not the be-all, end-all of legitimacy.

 

[Thong Man]

Don't schools have to be in operation for some amount of time before even being able to apply for accreditation? Wasn't every accredited school an unaccredited school at some point?

 

[Scooby69]

I went to Lakeside in Madison. They also have a Milwaukee campus. It was a good school with a good curriculum. I went into business for myself right out of school and have done well - operated in the black from the first year. Individual teachers ranged from great to mediocre, but the curriculum was there in black and white and I could read it and work it myself where an instructor didn't bother with parts of it.

I don't know the other schools in Milwaukee, but I have met many who went to Lakeside at either campus, and so far I haven't heard of anyone who felt they would have done better at one of the other schools. One of my instructors - one of the best of them at the time - said he graduated from a different school in Madison and has taught at a couple, so has dealt with students and alumni from all of the schools in the area. What he consistently heard was that while students are IN school, Lakeside gets more complaints and the others are found to be more "comfortable". After graduation, though, it is nearly a 100% shift. Lakeside graduates are very happy with how well we were prepared to work in many different venues, how well prepared we were for the national exam and how confident we feel working with many different clients.

I hope this helps a little. Let us know! We'd love to hear more from you.

 

[Michael Chauncey]

I am a massage school owner. Our grads get jobs and pass the exams - NCE or MBLEx (100%). We have been in business for seven years and each year I have considered accreditation for the purposes of offering federal financial aid. I have decided against it every single time. I have visited several accredited schools and even signed up at a couple before we started our program to see how they operated. It is amazing that these schools were actually accredited. I see no reason for accreditation other than offering financial aid.

My advice to prospective students is to go get massages and talk to your therapist - what school did you go to, if you had to do it all over again would you still go there. More importantly, since you will be spending several thousand dollars, ask them if they are making a comfortable living as a therapist. Also call employers and ask what schools their therapists come from.

I hope this helps.

 

[syph]

I went to an accredited school for two reasons. I didn't have the money without a gov't loan, it was the only one in my area.

Now that I've been into the bodywork field for several years, I have to laugh at how I started school, so naive of anything and everything related to massage. I just WENT. It was a decision that came from the heart, not from the head and I have no idea even now, why I chose this except I just knew it was the right decision. I admire the people who do some investigative work and thought into choosing a school - Lord knows I didn't!

 

[ElDiablo]

Accreditation and the right School

I am looking for help in finding a massage program the is right for me now and the future. I live in the milwaukee area, and I have found two schools that I believe in, but one is accredited and one is not. After reading all of the confusing info on accreditation I am about to explode. I have read everything from;

Schools that are accredited are the only safe schools
Schools get accreditation to basically offer their students federal grants
Students that graduate from a school that is not accreditated can not sit for the national exams

all this seems scary, I understand the importance of the accreditation, but if the COMTA is so important why does WI have only two schools accredited through them? What happens to all the students who graduate from all of the other massage schools throughout WI?

I want to make the right choice, but at the same time I want to go to a school that I feel good about.

Thanks for any info you can help me with

I went to Lakeside, and the reason I chose that school in the Milw area is because I could do the whole schooling in 6 months - full time days (mon - thur) (no weekends). The only time I spent outside those times was for the mandatory volunteer work, and student clinic.
I didn't like the way Blue Sky had various weekend courses that you had to take, and that it took around a year there to get through it.