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COUNTDOWN TO

LICENSE RENEWAL...  


...ONLY 5 MONTHS TO GO!

Your DC LMT license expires January 31, 2015.  That means you have just 5 months to get everything ready for license renewal, particularly continuing education (CE) hours, including Ethics, as well as CPR/First Aid Certification.

 

Each month from now until January we'll send you a friendly reminder about what you need to do to be ready for renewal for before the deadline.  Now's the time to plan -- don't wait until the last minute! 

Has your address changed?
The Health Professionals Licensing Administration (HPLA) of the DC Department of Health (DOH) will mail you information on how to renew your license. Be sure that HPLA has your current contact information so you receive the renewal information on time. Renewals can be done online but you do need to register.

TIP:  Click here to update your contact info with HPLA now.
Have you earned 9 CEUs in massage techniques?

You must complete a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education (CEs) during the 2-year period between license renewals. 

Of the required minimum 12 CE hours, you need at least 9 massage-related CEs. Up to 3 CEs may be taken on-line, but 6 CEs must be in a hands-on, live setting.

Massage therapists in the greater Washington metro area are fortunate to have multiple opportunities for continuing education experiences, including:

  • Local massage schools such at the Northern Virginia School of Therapeutic Massage in Falls Church, VA and the Potomac Massage Training Institute in Silver Spring, MD that offer continuing education courses for all types of bodywork specialities.
  • Local AMTA chapters for the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia that sponsor CE classes for free or reduced cost for their AMTA members.
  • AMTA National Convention concentrates networking, socializing, career and educational opportunities in one fabulous 4-day conference, allowing you to rack up 25+ CEs on a wide variety of bodywork topics.  This year's convention is in Denver, CO from September 17-20 and, with a registration fee of just $484, is by far the most cost-effective way of meeting your continuing education requirements.  Learn more
  •  On-line sources -- convenient, but make sure they are with a NCTMB approved provider!  Learn more about how AMTA members get special rates on more than 50 on-line courses.

TIP: Download this worksheet to list all the CEs you've earned since January 2013 and see whether you need to take more.

Have you earned 3 CEUs in Ethics?

Of the required minimum 12 CE hours, you must have at 3 CEs of Ethics.

On October 17, the AMTA-DC Chapter is sponsoring a workshop on "Self-Care as an Ethical Practice" which meets the continuing education requirement for ethics in massage therapy.  The cost is $10 for DC AMTA members.

TIP: Register now for "Self-Care as an Ethical Practice" on Oct. 17 

Is your CPR/First Aid certification valid?

DC massage licensees are required to maintain a current certification in CPR and First Aid ... AT ALL TIMES during the licensing period. This is a clarification of the rule, which in the past may have been interpreted as suggesting that one must only be current at the time of renewal.  There are a number of available CPR/First Aid classes offered in the DC area:  

  • The DC Fire/EMS Department offers CPR/First Aid training under the American Heart Association Guidelines. Classes are offered on the 1st and 3rd Mondays and the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 4600 Livingston Road, SE. Floor#3, Washington, DC 20032. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required; the cost for CPR/First Aid is $70. For more information please contact the CPR Training Department at (202) 673-6901 or click here
  • PMTI has CPR/First Aid classes scheduled on Sept. 28 from 10am-5pm and on Dec. 7 from 10am-5pm. Cost is $80 and the location is in Silver Spring MD. Learn more.
  • Many private education companies offer CPR/First Aid with meetings scheduled on weekdays, weeknights, and weekends. Learn more.

 

TIP: Check the date on your CPR certification card.  If expires before January 2015, sign up now for a CPR class!

Criminal background check? -- not til 2017!

In 2013 the District of Columbia began requiring a criminal background check (CBC) for all licensed health providers, including massage therapists. This process involves filling out a form, paying a $50 fee, getting fingerprinted. and submitting all materials to HPLA. 

The CBC must be performed every 4 years, which means that current licensees don't need to be concerned about this until the next renewal period in 2017.

First-time applicants for a DC massage must obtain a CBC as part of the application process. Information regarding the CBC can be found on the HPLA website.  

TB test? -- not any more!

 Previously, DC massage therapists were required to be tested for tuberculosis (TB), but were not required to report the results. According to DC Massage Therapy Board Chair Cary Bland, the Massage Board, "recognized the uselessness of this requirement and did away with the mandatory TB test." Thanks Massage Board -- that's one less thing to worry about ! 


AMTA DC Chapter Board

 

Melissa Hall, President

Jaime Bernardo, 1st Vice-president

Cary Bland, 2nd Vice-president

Jessica LaGarde, 3rd Vice-president

Annie Roberts, Treasurer

Elizabeth Shrader, Secretary


 
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Check out our website and learn more today!
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