This office, known as BOMTE, establishes licensure criteria and issues licenses to massage therapists and massage practitioners. It determines education and examination requirements.
The board approves massage therapy school programs, posting a list of institutions that meet curriculum standards. It also approves continuing education programs, and enforces license renewal and continuing education requirements for practitioners. Another responsibility is to conduct disciplinary investigations and hearings concerning alleged violations of laws or regulations.
The board is composed of seven volunteer members. Five of them must be licensed massage therapists with at least five years’ experience in Maryland. Two members are consumer representatives with no ties to the profession. The governor appoints the officials, with the advice of the secretary of the Health and Mental Hygiene Department.
Minimum Education Requirements for Massage Therapy Programs in Maryland
The path to become a massage therapist in Maryland starts with a high school education or general education diploma. Postsecondary training must be at an accredited institute or college that offers an MT program satisfying board requirements.
Curricula need to feature a minimum of 600 contact hours of classroom instruction, including 100 hours of anatomy, pathology, physiology, and kinesiology; and 500 hours in massage therapy theory, technique, supervised practice, and professional ethics.
Beyond the basics, some programs have courses in a broader range of massage modalities. Others teach students how to set up their own massage businesses, or provide more extensive hands-on training in clinics.
There are two classifications of Maryland professionals. A licensed massage therapist must complete the 600 hours of education and 60 college credits, and pass the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination. A registered massage practitioner can work only outside healthcare settings. All license applicants have to pass a jurisprudence exam regarding state laws.
When applying for license renewals every two years, massage therapists must show evidence of having received 24 hours of continuing education. There need to be three hours in professional ethics or jurisprudence; three hours in communicable disease education (including AIDS/HIV); 17 hours in massage-related courses that the board has approved; and one hour in diversity or cultural competency.