Massage therapy is becoming an increasingly popular career choice. Even after you’re certified and complete state requirements, you may want to brush up on your skills or find new skills to add to your services since the standard courses and tests contain limited information compared to what’s available. It’s important for massage therapists to continue their education for many reasons.
New Skills
You may find classes that offer a set of skills you haven’t learned yet. By learning new skills, you open up a world of possibilities. You may be able to expand your client list or even change your rates, depending on your new skills and experience. New techniques are constantly being thought up and tested out. If you want to stay on top of the game, you’ll definitely want to continue your education so you can learn those new techniques.
State Requirements
Even though you may have completed the state requirements when you were first certified, they are subject to change. By continuing your education, you can be sure your skills and certifications are always up to do, regardless of how the state changes their requirements. This prevents you from having to take a temporary leave until you meet the requirements and will also prevent potential legal issues should you unknowingly not meet changing requirements.
Tailoring Your Needs
Most states have pretty standard requirements for state certification. Most massage therapy courses you’ll find will contain the basics as required by the state, but those classes will not prepare you for every experience you may encounter. If you continue your education as a massage therapist, you can tailor your education to your career needs. If you’re looking to specialize in a certain area, continuing your education can give you the tools and resources to reach the top for your target area.
Meet Client Needs
You may have a client or two that you’re not entirely sure how to handle. By continuing your education to learn about the area your client needs, you can safely and legally provide your service to an expanding list of clients.
Increase Income
The longer you continue your education and the more techniques, skills, and experience you have, the more you’ll be able to charge clients. This may not be at the top of everybody’s list on why they should continue their education, but it’s certainly a bonus!
Stand Out
Continued education courses for massage therapists often include certifications. By having several certifications, you’ll stand out from competition and be more likely to land new clients.
Protect Yourself and Clients
Some continued education courses offer assistance on how to handle potential litigation should an injury occur while working with a client. Other courses will teach you the best ways to avoid injury to yourself and your clients, thus offering a way to protect yourself and those you’re serving.
It’s important to continue your education as a massage therapist, since state requirements may change. You’ll not only stay up to date with requirements, but you can also learn new skills and techniques that will allow you to increase your rates, or you can even take classes that will teach you how to protect yourself and clients from injury.
