I think Lauren Muser Cates is one of the blessings to our profession that we can never be thankful enough for. (OK, editor friends, did that sentence parse correctly?) In addition to her beautiful work with oncology massage, she also writes a blog about massage therapists for massage therapists. She can be funny, wry, and even hilarious. She can also be biting and spot on about some of the issues in our profession.
A recent post had me nodding in agreement from the first paragraph to the last (and not just because she mentions me by name!) She talks earnestly and pointedly about what it means to call yourself a "professional" and what behavior doesn't qualify as professional.
I realized that our strongest lessons about what it means to be a massage professional came first from massage school, from the faculty and the administration.
How did they run the school?
How did they move, talk, and represent themselves? Was it with dignity and compassion, and (yes) professionalism?
Was it clear they were as devoted to the profession as they were to making sure your check cleared? Did they attend conferences and participate in professional associations? Were they independent of any given employer of massage therapists?
Did they actually turn people away that they didn't think were wise to be entering this profession? Did they hold back students (or even "flunk" them) when it was clear the student was not able to meet the academic standards of the school? Did you have classmates that clearly couldn't learn this stuff but were passed through anyways? How many of your classmates came out of school reasonably able to pass either national exam (if required in your state) on the first or second try?
Were the faculty now or ever practicing massage therapists themselves? What was the experience of the administration with massage therapy? Did they even receive regular bodywork??
How did they talk about being a professional?
Did they have a clear idea of what you can and can’t do and still consider yourself a “professional”. Could they explain their reasoning? Could the engage in a back and forth about it?
Did they have these conversations with you in and out of the classroom? More than once? Possibly related to every aspect of what they were teaching you? Did they explain why this or that made you more or less of a professional?
Did they set a high or low bar for what it means to be a professional MT? Did they tell you it took more to be a professional than effectively rubbing oil on naked people?
How did they talk about our profession?
Did they denigrate our profession in any way? Did they -- subtly or overtly -- suggest that MTs who talk about "professionalism" are taking themselves too seriously? Did they -- subtly or overtly -- suggest you set your professional expectations low because, after all, you're just a massage therapist. Did they talk about reasons to be (or not) involved in professional associations, conferences, licensing issues, research, and the future of our profession?
Did they talk about being connected to other massage therapists after graduation? Did they talk about other massage therapists as your colleagues or your competition?
Or was it all about where to go to make the biggest buck and let someone else worry about all that other boring stuff?
I suspect too many schools would not do well if measured against these standards. Why? Because I read the invective and confusion out here in the misty reaches of the internet on too many massage therapists boards. I see the hate. I see the befuddlement. I see the hurt. I feel the hurt because it hurts me!
How did / does your school measure up?
Well, in New York State, being professional means that you're licensed in one of the 47 professions that fall under the auspices of the Office for Professional Licensing. Other occupations are licensed by the State Department and are thought of as trades. People consider themselves professional if their activities are providing a livelihood for them, such as a professional golfer. I think other uses of the word are colloquial, as in someone's behavior not being professional. That means someone's behavior fell outside accepted norms, but is probably highly interpretive.
ReplyDeleteMy school, Stillpoint Center School of Massage (now defunct), in central Massachusettes, did a wonderful job imparting professionalism on the students. We did a lot of role playing, discussions, etc, etc. They certainly prepared me well to set up my own massage practice.
Oh Gosh, Cougar Doot is my crazy screen name. I'm better known as Betty Brzuchac on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteOf course I'm not referring to licensing. I'm talking about that internal sense of pride, self-respect, and attachment to a profession (regardless of what the law calls it) that helps one function professionally in all one's business dealings.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear your school did a good job, though now defunct.