Having a goal or a focus—for yourself, your practice and your career—is one of the best ways to make sure you make the most of your continuing education experience as a massage therapist or bodyworker. If you approach continuing education as a tedious chore to check off your list in order to renew your license, then you are much less likely to reap the full rewards of continuing education.
There are a few ways to ensure earning your continuing education credits is an exciting and fulfilling experience, rather than a rushed and stressful task. A bit of forethought and planning is important here, because if you wait until the last minute to earn your continuing education credits, you may have fewer continuing education classes to choose from and be more inclined to enroll in almost any class to get the necessary credits, regardless of whether that class is relevant and interesting to you and your practice.
The key here is to know when it is going to be time to renew your license to practice, as well as how many continuing education credits you need to earn and whether there are any specifications regarding the type of continuing education class you must take or any guidelines as far as continuing education providers. You should know all of this information well in advance of your license renewal period.
Of course, all of this pertains only to those massage therapists and bodyworkers who happen to live in a state or region where the field of touch therapy is regulated and the requirements include earning a certain number of continue education credits on a regular basis. For these people, knowing such pertinent information in advance is important to making a wise decision, rather than a rushed one.
For those massage therapists and bodyworkers who live in a state where continuing education is not a requirement to practice, there is no renewal deadline stress around the idea of continuing education. However, the problem for these practitioners may be finding the motivation to seek continuing education on a regular basis.
Due to the fact that continuing education classes may not be required in some states or regions, the massage therapists and bodyworkers who live and practice in those states or regions will need to be honest with themselves about the importance of taking regular continuing education classes. After all, professional continuing education is vital to staying current in your career and showing a commitment to your clients.
Whether or not you are required to complete continuing education classes, it is important to have a good idea about the goal you hope to achieve through continuing education.
For example, if you would like to be better able to assist clients who have chronic neck and shoulder pain, then look for a continuing education class that focuses on techniques developed solely to ease pain and promote function in these areas of the body.