Policy: Education Requirement for Exam Eligibility and Initial Registration

Summary

Up-to-date education is an important requirement, both at the time the Certification Examinations are completed and at the time of Initial Registration.

An applicant whose education is more than three years old as of the date of their Certification Examination, or as of the date of their application for Initial Registration, must successfully complete a Refresher Course no more than 15 months prior to the date of the exam or the date of the application for Initial Registration.

Background

Two of the requirements for registration as a Registered Massage Therapist in Ontario are:

1. Successful completion of the required Massage Therapy education as identified in subparagraph i of paragraph 1 of subsection 5 (1) of the Registration Regulation under the Massage Therapy Act
2. Successful completion of the certification examinations set or approved by the College, including compliance with all requirements associated with those examinations

In describing the education requirement for Initial Registration, subparagraph i of paragraph 1 of subsection 5 (1) of the Registration Regulation states that the applicant must have successfully completed:

1. a program in massage therapy that was, at the time the applicant completed the program, approved by the Registration Committee or by another body that was approved by the Registration Committee for that purpose

The Registration Regulation also states that for the 30-month period starting July 1, 2024, the Massage Therapy programs approved by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities and provided by a career college in Ontario or by a College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario are deemed to be approved by the Registration Committee.

The Council of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) has determined that up-to-date education is an important requirement, both at the time the Certification Examinations are completed and at the time of Initial Registration.

Policy

The Council of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) has determined that up-to-date education is an important requirement, both at the time the Certification Examinations are completed and at the time of Initial Registration.  Accordingly, the Council of the CMTO has determined that:

1. In order to be eligible to participate in the Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) certification examination or the Objectively Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) certification examination, an applicant must have:
   1. Successfully completed, no more than three years prior to the date of the certification examination administration, an educational program described in  paragraph 1 of subsection 5 (1) of the Registration Regulation, Successfully completed, no more than 15 months prior to the date of the exam administration, a Refresher Course approved by the Council
2. In order to be eligible for registration, the applicant must have:
   1. Successfully completed, no more than three years prior to the date of the application for Initial Registration, of an educational program described in paragraph 1 of subsection 5 (1) of the Registration Regulation, or
   2. Successfully completed, no more than 15 months prior to the date of the application for initial registration, a Refresher Course approved by the Council

Please note:

• Individuals applying for reinstatement of their RMT designation should contact the College form more information about reinstatement requirements.
• Individual applying for Initial Registration under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) should contact the College directly regarding the recognition of their RMT designation from another jurisdiction.

Approved by Council:  December 7, 2015
Implementation Date: January 1, 2016
Reformatted: March 10, 2020
Updated to reflect wording and numbering of amended Registration Regulation: July 1, 2024