School Approval
In order to qualify for a massage practitioners license in this state all applicants must show completion of a state approved massage school or appreticeship program before qualifying for a license. (RCW 18.108.070)
Minimum program requirements:
- 130 hours of anatomy and physiology, at least 40 of these to be kinesiology.
- 50 hours of pathology, including indications and contraindications.
- 265 hours of theory and practice of massage, to include techniques, remedial movements, body mechanics of the practitioner, and the impact of techniques on pathologies. A maximum of 50 of these hours may include time spent in a student clinic. Hydrotherapy is to be included when consistent with the particular area of practice.
- 55 hours of clinical/business practices, minimally to include hygiene, record keeping, medical terminology, professional ethics, business management, human behavior, client interaction and state and local laws.
- Certification in American Red Cross first aid and American Heart Association Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
- Four contact hours of training in HIV-AIDS in the following six topics: Etiology and epidemiology; Transmission and infection control; Testing and counseling; Clinical manifestations and treatment; Legal and technical issues; and Psychosocial issues. Training can be obtained from local community hospitals and colleges.
When your application is received it will be initially reviewed for completeness. At that time, any additional information or materials deemed necessary will be requested. The application will then be provided to two Washington State Board of Massage members for review. The reviewing members will report their findings to the full board at the next available board meeting. The board will then vote to either deny, approve, or conditionally approve the application.
Before your program is approved, the Board will conduct a site-review, and periodic site reviews thereafter, to ensure continued compliance with the standards for approval. The site-review will consist of a self-evaluation, to be completed by the school, and a visit to the school by a representative of the Board.
At the time of a scheduled site-review, if your school or program has recently been reviewed by another accrediting agency, a copy of their review may be accepted by the board in lieu of an additional site-review. Information from the other review will be used to determine whether Board requirements have been satisfied.
How to complete your application:
When your massage school application is received it will be provided to two Washington State Board of Massage members for review. The reviewing members will report their findings to the full board at the next available board meeting. The board will then vote to approve, deny, or conditionally approve the application.
The Board may conduct a site-review, and periodic site reviews thereafter, to ensure continued compliance with the approval standards. The site-review will consist of a self-evaluation, to be completed by the school, and a visit to the school by a Board representative.
At the time of the scheduled site-review, if your school or program has recently been reviewed by another accrediting agency, a copy of their review may be accepted by the Board in lieu of an additional site-review. Information from the other review will be used to determine whether Board requirements have been satisfied.
To assist the Board in making a timely decision, only massage school applications submitted in the required format will be considered. The Board requires applications be submitted five weeks prior to the meeting date in which the application will be reviewed. The Board has the final authority to determine if the information is complete and if it meets the established standards. Massage School Program applications are available to download here.
The Board must receive three copies of the application and each copy must be in a three ring binder. Massage School applications are considered to be complete and ready for board review when they contain the following:
- Table of Contents in the front of each binder.
- An index,
- Consecutively numbered pages, and
- An original school catalog in each binder.
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