SYRACUSE — Crouse Hospital in Syracuse is offering a specialty certificate in military-veteran massage, which Crouse describes as a “first” for the profession. It’s part of a partnership that Crouse has with the Burr Ridge, Illinois–based National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB). Founded in 1992, NCBTMB describes itself as an independent, private, […]
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SYRACUSE — Crouse Hospital in Syracuse is offering a specialty certificate in military-veteran massage, which Crouse describes as a “first” for the profession.
It’s part of a partnership that Crouse has with the Burr Ridge, Illinois–based National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB).
Founded in 1992, NCBTMB describes itself as an independent, private, nonprofit organization that works to “define and advance the highest standards in the massage therapy and bodywork profession” through board certification assigned providers, assigned schools, and other initiatives.
Eligibility
This new certificate program enables therapists with the “education and experience” to provide veterans and their families with “credentialed therapeutic-massage care for veterans,” according to the Crouse website.
The specialty will be available to all participants who successfully complete the Crouse Hospital massage for veterans program (80 hours) and corresponding NCBTMB specialty exam.
Program participants “must be licensed” to provide massage therapy as defined and regulated by the New York State Office of the Professions, which is part of the New York State Education Department.
Licensees must be currently licensed and registered to practice in fields including, but not limited to, massage therapy, physical therapy, nursing, and chiropractic care.
The exam
The military-veteran massage specialty exam includes 80 multiple-choice questions to assess a participant’s knowledge of health-care policies and procedures in relation to the massage therapy scope of practice, Crouse said.
Questions pertain to massage-therapy considerations; treatment adaptations and methodology for veterans; current medical/emotional/psychological challenges of veterans; physical/psychological presentations and massage considerations for veterans with PTSD, MST or TBI; indications/contraindications of massage for veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), MST (military sexual trauma), or TBI (traumatic brain injury); consent and psychological pressure; delegation of authority; ethics and boundaries; and self-care, according to Crouse.
The specialty exam is available for registration on the NCBTMB website. At the time of program registration, participants will be responsible for the $200 specialty-exam fee.
Upon confirmation of eligibility and payment, participants can sign up to take the specialty exam at Crouse Hospital.
Completing the program
Upon finishing Crouse Hospital’s massage for veterans program and passing the corresponding NCBTMB specialty exam, participants will earn a NCBTMB specialty certificate in military-veteran massage.
In addition, participants will receive a letter of verification listing applicable education and training as proof of such credentials to present to employers.
“This is a local and national effort through the dedication of several organizations, including Clear Path for Veterans, Crouse Hospital, NCBTMB, the Syracuse VA [Medical Center], Upstate [University] Hospital, and more,” Steve Kirin, CEO of NCBTMB, said in a news release.
Crouse Hospital’s massage for veterans program partners with the Chittenango–based Clear Path for Veterans, which describes itself as a “veteran resource center.”
“Clear Path embraced our integrative-medicine model, recognizing the contributions of massage therapy, reiki, yoga and more to a veteran’s overall health and wellness,” Nicole Miller, massage-therapy program coordinator at Crouse, said in the release. “Given New York State’s [continuing education] requirement, we designed a clinically-based course that would help support therapists with the knowledge and experience to provide massage therapy to Central New York veterans.”
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
