On September 2, the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) brought together 44 Massage Therapy educators from 23 public and private schools across Ontario to explore competence, performance, and the role of education in helping prevent sexual abuse of patients and Registered Massage Therapists/Massage Therapists (RMTs/MTs).

The day included discussions that focused on:

• Understanding how performance is an outcome of competence and how competence extends beyond knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Recognizing the risks to competence, including previous complaints, personal transitions, burnout, professional environments, and challenges with developing and maintaining a professional identity.
• How performance concerns can involve more than one Standard of Practice and why it is important to recognize potential risks to competence early.
• Preventing sexual abuse through learning strategies using case scenarios. Communication skills and the learning environment were also identified as having important roles in helping learners understand and maintain professional boundaries.

Through collaborations amongst the group, educators were able to share experiences, discuss practice-based cases, and explore reflective learning strategies that can help address performance concerns and support ongoing professional development.

For more information or questions about the topics discussed, RMTs/MTs, Massage Therapy Educators and Students can contact CMTO’s Practice Specialist: practicespecialist@cmto.com.