LC Massage Therapy program receives national accreditation

By Jensen, Randy on May 16, 2020.

LETHBRIDGE HERALD

Lethbridge College’s Massage Therapy program has received a coveted national accreditation. The Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) granted the college full accreditation for three years – the longest term possible for a first-time accreditation.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for the faculty and staff involved with the Massage Therapy program,” says Debra Bardock, Dean of the Centre for Health and Wellness, in a news release. “We have long known this program benefits our students and meets the needs of industry, and this accreditation solidifies that we are leaders in massage therapy education in both the province and the country.”

The process to achieve full accreditation took more than three years, but sets up Lethbridge College graduates for more success and flexibility in their career paths.

Massage therapy practices are regulated on a province-to-province basis and Alberta currently has no regulatory body. This means massage therapists looking to leave Alberta to work in other provinces, particularly British Columbia and Ontario, need to undergo an expensive prior learning assessments and exams. By achieving CMTCA accreditation – the first granted to a program in a non-regulated province – the hope is graduates may now be able to bypass the prior learning assessment when moving to a new province.

“We are extremely proud of our team and excited for our current and future students,” says Brent Gaudreau, Massage Therapy program chair. “National accreditation shows that our program is one of the best in the nation. Being nationally accredited should give our students more opportunities in a competitive field.”

Lethbridge College’s Massage Therapy program is one of just 12 programs accredited by the CMTCA in Canada. The accreditation process involved a detailed application, an assessment of both the program and college services by the CMTCA, and a two-day site visit by CMTCA personnel in February.

The two-year Massage Therapy diploma program began at Lethbridge College in 1998. Each year, the program produces more than 30 graduates who go on to careers in massage clinics and spas, sports medicine or chiropractic clinics, long-term care facilities or as independent practitioners. The program has a nearly 100 per cent success rate of students either gaining employment or going on to pursue further education.

The program will open a new clinic in Fall 2020 that will offer more student spaces in the program, and create a better customer experience for the student-run massage therapy clinic.

Applications for the Massage Therapy program for fall 2020 are open now.

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