Oregon has joined Arkansas in its adoption of the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) exclusively and will drop its use of the National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and National Certification Exam for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork exams administered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), the state announced in mid December.

The MBLEx was created by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB), of which Oregon's board is a member. The exam launched this summer. The FSMTB is a two-year-old organization with a mission to improve communication between states and offer prospects for enhanced licensing reciprocity.

New Mexico and West Virginia have joined a growing roster of states (Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Washington) that have adopted the MBLEx as an

On Dec. 21 the Oregon Board of Massage Therapy's Executive Director Patty Glenn spoke to MASSAGE Magazine about Oregon's exclusive adoption of the MBLEx, which will go into effect July 1. Glenn is also president of the FSMTB.

"When the board compared the NCB exams and the MBLEx, they looked at every piece of it," Glenn said, including: avenues of communication; cost; and the ability of the board to have direct insight and input into the exam process on a regular basis. "They had confidence in the fact that it [the MBLEx] was an appropriate tool," she added.

When the exam launched, Oregon began using it as well as the exams administered by the NCBTMB. Oregon will continue to accept passing score reports from applicants who passed an NCBTMB exam prior to July 1, 2008, Glenn said.

—Karen Menehan, MASSAGE Magazine editor in chief

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