Online Learning in Remedial Massage and Manual Therapies
Now how can that work ?
The Australian remedial massage industry is steeped in the tradition of ‘hands-on’ learning for very ‘hands-on’ craft. Bit with new trends and technology in education, namely the Internet and on-line learning, the Massage Industry is having to come to terms with the truths and myths of online learning as a valid pathway to qualifications.
Massage Therapies Qualifications Online?
The Diploma of Remedial Massage, the keystone qualification for massage in Australia, is available online – indeed it’s offered by a number of education providers. But Industry Associations have had a lot to say about their value and for many years have not recognised them as sufficient become a member nor consequently, to receive private health fund recognition.
For registered professions such as Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, Acupuncture and Chiropractic, there is only a small number of subjects that can be studied online. It has been this way for good reason right ? Who would want to be needled by an Acupuncturist or have neck manipulated by a Chiropractor when they gained their credentials online? Right, me neither.
Open online learning
The big trend in education is open courses, viewable by anyone anywhere around the world. From a remedial massage perspective, how will online learning of this craft, affect our profession in the future.
A quick search in Dr Google will reveal many of the newer training providers offering massage therapy qualifications, and indeed the longer-serving institutions, have all taken the leap. They provide quite a range of units and subject matter for self-paced learning – on line.
What of the matter of “putting into practice” what has been learned in this self-paced on-line learning experience. Methods of training that included an apprenticeship model – one that combined the two mediums of learning (on-the-job | TAFE classroom) was once a huge point of argument when TAFE began to offer classroom based learning with simulated practical learning – ie in hairdressing, nursing and more. Industry groups were up in arms, unions would not support class-based graduates. And yet, here we are suggesting that the manual therapies such as massage – can be taught not in a class-practicum combinati0n – but a home-based learning environment with clinic placement.
Critics ‘for’ would argue that this opens up the career to a wider number of geographically isolated students. And clinic-based practicums and assessment ensure quality results. Critics ‘against’ would argue that students are not learning under the watchful eye of experts. It is an argument that will continue.
However, for trained qualified professionals seeking ongoing professional development, the rise of online courses in specialties has been greeted as a great step forward for the industry as a whole.
“So convince me… what’s so great about online learning?”
If we look at continuing professional education (CPE), there are many benefits to online training. Some of the simple reasons are;
- You can do it almost anywhere – with mobile and laptop devices, education can occur practically anywhere, even in your own clinic space!.
- You can learn when you want to – we are all busy these days, how much spare time do you have to arrange time ‘off the job’ away from home, for CPE courses?
- You can review/watch the material if you miss something. How many times have you missed a critical piece of information in a lecture or lesson, or just misunderstood what was being said? Online, you can press rewind and watch the lesson again.
- You have the flexibility to complete the content in one session, or several shorter sessions. This is useful if you only have a few minutes between patients or clients! Online training allows you to watch a few minutes at a time, digest the information and come back for more later. You can’t do that at a workshop or course.
- Online course are typically cheaper and this is great news for everyone. Online usually means lower overheads for providers and the savings can be passed on to the customer.
The myths of online learning in massage
There are other issues and myths to consider with online training and for postgraduate manual therapists. In an article published in America’s Massage Today online magazine, Whitney discusses the myths surrounding online learning in massage therapy.
In summary, Whitney busts the following myths:
- ‘Kinesthetic’ learners can’t learn effectively online. On the contrary, there really is no such thing as purely ‘kinesthetic’ learning, as we learn through all 3 channels (visual, auditory and kinesthetic). Also, much of the content for manual therapists is cognitive anyway.
- Online learning is impersonal. It doesn’t have to be, not when the instructor is personally involved in presenting the course online. Students may in fact feel more comfortable raising questions with the instructor online, as opposed to a traditional classroom. I’d also add, at Bright Health Training we actively encourage participation from our students through comments on each of our lessons, to which I always personally reply!
- Online is too passive. Not if simulations, scenarios and problem based learning is employed. I’d also add that interactive video, mobile and other emerging technologies allow online courses to engage students in ways that traditional classrooms cannot.
- Massage is unique and online doesn’t work in our field. This myth is perpetuated by the powers that be, and ignores the fact that many other professions in health and fitness have already embraced and implemented eLearning.
- The quality of most online courses is low. Whitney accepts that there is some truth to this claim, as I do. I’d argue that the potential for poor quality of courses is of equal concern online as it is offline in traditional classrooms. I discussed some of the issue surrounding quality and the industry response in this post. Online providers should look to the Associations for accreditation of their online courses to ensure that standards are raised.
Note on author : Whitney Lowe is a massage therapist and educator in the massage therapy field and author of an excellent text called “Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique”.
