When a Registered Massage Therapist/Massage Therapist (RMT/MT) is also a registrant of another regulated health college, they must be mindful that each profession has a different set of rules, regulations and Scopes of Practice. It is your RMT’s/MT’s responsibility to maintain strict boundaries between professions. As a client, it is important to know when you’re receiving Massage Therapy from your RMT/MT and when the treatment goes beyond their Scope of Practice.

The following is an example of how an RMT/MT effectively separates their Massage Therapy treatment approach from their practice as a Registered Acupuncturist.

Practice Scenario 

Sadie is an RMT/MT and a Registered Acupuncturist with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO). When assessing a new Massage Therapy client, the client mentions they have been experiencing insomnia and asks if Massage Therapy treatment can help.

Drawing on her acupuncture training, Sadie recognizes that specific Traditional Chinese Medicine needling points could help address the client’s sleep dysfunction, but this falls outside of Massage Therapy’s Scope of Practice. Sadie also recognizes that even though Massage Therapy cannot treat the sleep dysfunction itself, it could provide other physiological benefits by promoting relaxation.

Sadie discusses the Scope of Practice for Massage Therapy with the client and offers to include techniques to promote relaxation into today’s treatment, which may help with sleep dysfunction. Sadie also suggests the client might benefit from a separate acupuncture visit by explaining the potential benefits within its Scope of Practice. Sadie clarifies that Massage Therapy and acupuncture treatments need to remain separate, and that a new assessment and treatment plan would have to be developed to start acupuncture treatment.

For more information about RMTs/MTs responsibilities as dual practitioners, please see CMTO’s Guide to Practising More Than One Health Profession.