The Quality Assurance Regulation requires members to participate in continuing education and professional activities as specified in guidelines published by the College. These guidelines layout the requirements that members are required to meet during their continuing education unit (CEU) cycle. The Quality Assurance Committee has designed the CEU portion of the Quality Assurance Programme to be accessible to all members of the profession, regardless of physical location, financial restraints and / or time limitations. The following guidelines were created taking into account the College’s mission statement, the goals of the Quality Assurance Programme, the needs of the membership, and the College’s regulatory responsibilities.

The Continuing Education Programme consists of two parts, a mandatory reading aspect and a CEU component. CEUs are calculated at 1 CEU for every 2 hours involved in the activity.

Mandatory Articles

The mandatory reading component involves reading a designated article in each issue of The College Standard and composing a response to questions on the article. These articles contain information on various aspects of public protection and professional responsibility including discussions on the Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, Regulations of the Massage Therapy Act, and the Regulated Health Professions Act. The answers to the questions are kept as part of the member’s professional portfolio and will be reviewed for completion during your peer assessment. Members will receive one Category A CEU per year for completion of the three articles for a total of three Category A CEUs per cycle.

Continuing Education Units

Members are required to obtain 30 continuing education units (CEUs) over a three-year period. There are two categories of activities that members may participate in to obtain their CEUs, Category A, in which members must obtain at least 20 CEUs, and Category B.

Category A

Activities in Category A are directly related to the Scope of Practice and the Self-Assessment Tool competencies.

The Scope of Practice stated in the Massage Therapy Act is:
“The practice of massage therapy is the assessment of the soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissues and joints by manipulation to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function, or relieve pain.”

The Self-Assessment Tool Competencies are (for a more detailed description please refer to your Self-Assessment Tool):

1. Business Acumen
2. Business Development
3. Client Focus
4. Client Relations
5. Communications
6. Compliance
7. Conflict Resolution
8. Interprofessional Relations
9. On-going Learning
10. Problem Solving and Decision Making
11. Records Management
12. Self Management
13. Anatomy
14. Physiology
15. Pathology
16. Massage Theory
17. Massage Techniques
18. Client Assessment
19. Pre-treatments
20. Applying Treatments
21. Hydrotherapy
22. Remedial Exercise
23. On-going Client Evaluation
24. Health-care Services Knowledge
25. Public Health

All other modalities are subject to approval by the Quality Assurance Committee.

Category A activities include:

• Attending workshops, seminars or courses relevant to the Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice (attending includes on-line or correspondence courses)
• Presenting workshops, seminars or courses relevant to Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice (including preparation time limited to the first time the presentation is made)
• Presenting workshops, seminars or courses relevant to Self Assessment ToolCompetencies and / or Scope of Practice (including preparation time limited to the first time the presentation is made)
• Membership on committees of the College, RMTAO, CMTA, AMTA or CSMA that are relevant to the Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice
• Serving as an examiner, peer assessor, subject matter expert, or investigator for the College
• Participate in conducting or collaborating in formal research with intent to publish results that is relevant to the Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice
• Submitting articles for publication in Massage Therapy publications that are relevant to the Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice
• Conferring with peers individually or participating in regional association meetings and functions where the outcome is learning relevant to the Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice
• Reviewing books, articles or videos that are relevant to the Self Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice
• Preparation time of a course being taught at an approved massage therapy school, limited to the first time teaching the course or if there has been a 50% or greater revision to the content of the course. The course must be related to the Self-Assessment Tool Competencies and / or Scope of Practice
• Members may claim a maximum of six (6) CEUs for acting as a clinical supervisor at an approved massage therapy school per CEU cycle
  

Category A activities are to be recorded in the member’s professional portfolio referencing the Self-Assessment Tool Competency or modality.

Category B

Category B activities are complementary to massage therapy and are not considered part of a massage therapist’s scope of practice.

All other modalities are subject to approval by the Quality Assurance Committee.

Category B activities include:

• Attending workshops, seminars or courses complementary to massage therapy (attending includes on-line or correspondence courses)
• Presenting workshops, seminars or courses complementary to massage therapy (including preparation time limited to the first time the presentation is made)
• Membership on committees of the College, RMTAO, CMTA, AMTA or CSMA complementary to massage therapy
• Participate in conducting or collaborating in formal research with intent to publish results complementary to massage therapy
• Submitting articles for publication in Massage Therapy publications complementary to massage therapy
• Conferring with peers individually or participating in regional association meetings and functions where the outcome is learning complementary to massage therapy
  Reviewing books, articles or videos complementary to massage therapy
• Reviewing books, articles or videos complementary to massage therapy

Category B activities are to be documented in the member’s professional portfolio referencing the modality.

Recording and Proof of CEUs Acquired

The College has provided you with templates that can be used to record your activities. You are not required to use these log sheets and may keep track of your CEUs in any method you choose. The following items are examples of the type of proof you may retain and use to verify activities:

• Receipts with names of organizations involved and contacts for verification
• Brochures from courses you teach with names of organizations and contacts
• Certificates, transcripts, course outlines, newspaper clippings/media content etc.
• A log of accumulated hours with descriptions of activity and the learning outcomes.
• Names of contacts, leaders, chairs of committees, groups, associations etc.
• Brief synopses of articles, books or videos reviewed.
• A record of the learning that took place by being involved with the activity

Please remember to covert the hours to CEUs in your professional portfolio.

How to Report to the College

The College will send you a CEUs Reporting form near the end of your cycle. The CEU Reporting form will contain a declaration that you have read the mandatory articles from The College Standard and have answered the questions, and require a breakdown of the CEUs you have obtained. This form must be completed and returned to the College office prior to December 31st of that year. Failure to do so may result in a term, condition or limitation placed on the therapist registration.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I have more than 30 CEUs in a cycle, can I carry them forward to the next cycle?

No. Members are expected to be continually upgrading their knowledge and improving their skills.

What happens if I was unable to obtain 30 CEUs during my cycle?

The Quality Assurance Committee has certain discretionary powers in these matters. A member who has not completed the 30 CEUs must write to the Committee at the time that their CEU reporting form is due, explaining the situation clearly. The Committee will render a decision based on the information provided.

How do I get a course assessed?

Send information on the content, duration and a brief description of the modality to the College office.

How do I find courses or determine approved activities?

CEU approved courses can be found on the College’s web site, click here. This is a searchable database of all courses approved by the Quality Assurance Committee.

What happens if I switch to an inactive registration during my CEU cycle?

Members may collect up to half of their CEUs while holding an inactive certificate of registration. The cycle dates do not change.