There are so many benefits that can come from a quality continuing education experience. From learning new hands-on skills or business concepts to networking with peers and finding ways to make more money, continuing education for the professional massage therapist or bodyworker can be a wonderful investment.
However, there are certain pitfalls one may need to watch out for as well.
Here, we will take a look at the wide variety of rewards one may be able to gain by selecting the right continuing education class at the right time. We also will take into consideration the temptations that may lead touch therapists to take the wrong continuing education courses—and how to be aware of these particular pitfalls.
To begin with, it is necessary to acknowledge that so many professional massage therapists and bodyworkers work in states or regions that are regulated by a massage governing board.
For these folks, earning continuing education credits may not be an elective matter. Instead, a large number of massage governing boards require licensed practitioners to show proof that they have earned a specific number of continuing education credits at the end of each renewal period.
Depending on the requirements of the specific regulating body, practitioners may even have a list of approved topics or providers when it comes to continuing education. For these folks, the freedom to choose which continuing education course to take may be a bit limited. However, it can still be helpful to think about all the possible benefits of continuing education, and which kinds of classes to perhaps avoid, and then make the best possible decision from there.
For starters, we can take a look at some of the most common benefits or rewards that professional massage therapists or bodyworkers may wish to derive from investing their time and money in a continuing education class.
One of the most common motivations for enrolling in continuing education—besides the need to renew and maintain a license—is the desire to learn a new technique.
In this case, knowing that the continuing education class and provider will be able to successfully teach you the skills you need to apply this new technique in your practice will be an important requirement.
To find this out, you may want to do a bit of research about the continuing education class and provider. See if you can find former students to ask about their experience.
Also, consider the delivery method for the particular continuing education course, and then ask yourself whether it matches up with your own preferred method for learning. For instance, if you know you learn hands-on skills better in person, then you may not want to take an online continuing education course when you’re attempting to learn a whole new technique.
One of the main things to watch out for when it comes to continuing education is the temptation to take what looks like the cheapest, easiest or fastest route to earning any necessary credits. This is because you may find that these courses do not provide much value.