This information was developed in collaboration with the Access to Professions and Trades Unit, Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in April 1998 and updated in June 2005. Requirements may have changed by the time you apply. Please contact the College of Massage therapists before completing your application.

Copyright in this career map is held jointly by the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario, ©, 1998. This career map may be used or reproduced by any third party for non-commercial, not-for-profit purposes, provided that no fee, payment or royalty of any kind shall be charged by the third party for any further use or reproduction of the career map by any person. Any proposed commercial or for-profit use or reproduction of this career map requires a written license from the Queen's Printer for Ontario and the College Massage Therapists of Ontario.

To practise massage therapy in Ontario, you must obtain a Certificate of Registration from the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (the College). The College under the Massage Therapy Act and the Regulated Health Professions Act sets all registration requirements. You cannot practise as a massage therapist unless you are registered with the College. Only the College of Massage Therapists, the provincial regulatory body, can register Massage Therapists.

Massage Therapists in Ontario are mainly self-employed health professionals. They work in a variety of settings, most often in massage therapy clinics and chiropractic offices. Other workplaces include health clinics, private practice, rehabilitation centres, health spas, health and fitness clubs, nursing homes, community health clinics, and hospitals. Clients may make appointments with massage therapists without being referred by a medical doctor.

Massage Therapists assess and treat physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissue and joints of the body mostly by hands-on manipulation. Assessment and treatment can include orthopaedic and neurological testing, soft tissue manipulation (Swedish massage is the most commonly used technique), hydrotherapy, remedial exercise programmes and client education programmes.

Before you come to Canada, you should write to the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario for an application to become a Massage Therapist in Ontario or download an application from the College’s web site. The College's address and web site are listed at the end of this information. Information on requirements for registration is available in the “Becoming a Member” section of the site and most required forms are available in the “Downloads” section of the site.

The College has developed a prior learning assessment process and a new bridging program, Bridging to Massage Therapy in Ontario, which is available for massage therapists from other provinces and countries. Information on this programme can be found on the College web site or you may telephone the College for information. The programme is not available at all schools. If you will not be residing within a reasonable distance of a school offering the programme, the College will evaluate your credentials as outlined below.

The College suggests that you begin the application process in your country because you will need to contact the educational institution where you obtained your massage therapy training and ask them to provide information on the course of study you completed there. The institution will need to complete the required transcript form and send it with transcripts and detailed course descriptions directly to the College of Massage Therapists.

If you did not start your application process overseas, you must start from Step 1 (see below). The registration process from start to finish takes at least one year. You should apply as soon as you arrive in Canada to help speed up the application process.

Step 1 - Application for Evaluation of Credentials

The Application for Evaluation of Credentials asks for the following:

Step 2 - Transcript Request Form

The second form is the Transcript Request Form. You must send this form to the educational institution where you obtained your massage therapy training. If you attended more than one institution and would like the College to review your credentials from more than one massage therapy programme, photocopy the transcript request form and send it to each institution to complete. Each institution must complete the form and send it together with your transcripts and detailed course descriptions directly to the College of Massage Therapists.

Only original documents or copies of original documents that are certified by a Notary Public or Commissioner for Oaths or Affidavits will be accepted. If your institution sends the College documents that are not in English or French, the College will make a copy of the documents they receive and give them to you. You will then have to get the documents translated and certified at your expense and send them back to the College.

Once the College receives both completed forms, if you are not residing in an area of the province where you can participate in the College’s prior learning assessment and bridging program, an evaluation of your education will be completed by the College’s evaluator who will submit a report to the College. A copy of the report will be sent to you to determine whether there is any additional information you wish to provide. You will also be asked to provide detailed information about your massage therapy practice since completing your programme.

The Registration Committee will then review your application, the evaluator’s report, your response to the report, and the information concerning your employment. The Registration Committee will determine if you have successfully completed a course of study in massage therapy and if the course and your practice since graduation provide equivalent competencies to those taught in the massage therapy programmes in Ontario. To do so, the Committee looks at all of the documentation provided and compares the competencies taught in Ontario with the competencies taught at your institution and acquired in your practice since graduation. There are two outcomes of the credentialing process:

If it is not possible for the educational institution to provide the documents and information requested on the Application for Credentialing, you should inquire about the process for completing a statutory declaration.

Step 3 - Additional Study Required

Currently there are no educational institutions in Ontario offering refresher programmes in massage therapy so any refresher training you require must be obtained through tutors approved by the College. A list of approved tutors is available in the Downloads section of the College’s web site.

Therapists trained outside Ontario are required to complete a course on the Standards of Practice and the Regulations and legislation which govern practice in Ontario. This course is available through the College’s web site. The application for the course is available in the Downloads section of the web site.

If you are required to complete other additional study, the College must receive verification from the approved tutor or the school you attend that you have successfully completed the study.

Step 4 - Certification Examination

You can take the College of Massage Therapists Certification Examinations only after your education and practice credentials have been verified as providing equivalent competencies to the Ontario Massage Therapy programme. Note that the examination consists of two parts: a clinical examination and a written examination.

All applicants must pass the Certification Examination. Before you take the examination, please consult the Examination Section of the College’s website at (http://www.cmto.com/regist/regist1.htm) for detailed information. Currently, there are no educational institutions in Ontario offering examination preparation courses in Massage Therapy so any examination preparation you require must be done with an approved tutor. The College can provide you with a list of approved tutors who can assist you, or you may find the list in the Downloads section of the College web site.

The certification examination has two parts:

You will have three opportunities to take the examination. If you fail the written or practical examination you may wish to have help from an approved tutor to ensure success on your next attempt. The examination feedback you receive with your score will indicate if you are weak in a particular area and this will assist the tutor in determining how best to prepare you for your next attempt at the examination.

Step 5 - Language Assessment

Other fluency tests may be reviewed and approved by the College. Please consult the Language Assessment section of the Becoming a Member area of the College’s web site at http://www.cmto.com/regist/out.htm for current information on approved fluency tests and required scores. If you require fluency tests in French, please contact the College for information about where to take the tests and the required scores.

REGISTRATION

VOLUNTARY PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION

Most massage therapists work in private practice. Hours of work vary depending on the requirements of the workplace. Earnings also depend on the workplace and the skill and experience of the massage therapist. Earnings can vary widely. Reported gross incomes (which includes overhead expenses of 40-60 %) typically range from below$30,000 per year to $50,000 per year for those practitioners who, on average, provide nineteen hours of hands on therapy per week.

If you want more information on income for massage therapists in Ontario you can request a Schedule of Services and Fees from the Ontario Massage Therapist Association. Opportunities to work in this field are found in classified advertisements in the Ontario Massage Therapist Association Newsletter, which is published six times per year and on the OMTA web site.

Annual Registration Fee ........................................................................ $425.00

You must also get professional liability insurance before you can register as a Massage Therapist. Preferred rates for insurance are available, as part of membership benefits from the Ontario Massage Therapist Association or the College can give you the names of insurance brokers who provide liability insurance for members of the profession.