Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, March 15, 2024
PURPOSE: This amendment clarifies language on
background checks, distance education, and applying for licensure and rescinds
grandfathering provisions.
(1) A person who seeks licensure as a massage
therapist and has completed either five hundred (500) clock hours of massage
therapy training in an apprenticeship with a certified mentor and has
successfully passed an examination approved by the board or massage therapy
studies consisting of at least five hundred (500) clock hours of supervised
instruction from a Coordinating Board of Higher Education (CBHE) certified
school, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
approved vocational program or school, or school, college, university, or other
institution of higher learning in the United States accredited by a regional
accrediting commission recognized by the United States Department of Education
or an equivalent approving body for out-of-state applicants, shall be at least
eighteen (18) years of age and shall submit the following:
(A) A completed notarized application and
application fee;
(B) Two (2) sets
of fingerprints for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check by
the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Any fees due for a fingerprint background check shall be paid by the applicant
directly to the Missouri State Highway Patrol or its approved
vendor(s);
(C) Official evidence of
completing five hundred (500) clock hours of massage therapy training in an
apprenticeship with a certified mentor or an official final transcript showing
successful completion of a massage therapy program to be submitted directly to
the board office from the certified mentor or massage therapy program which
includes:
1. The applicant's name;
2. Date of enrollment;
3. Date of completion; and
4. Documentation that the massage therapy
program consisted of at least five hundred (500) clock hours of supervised
instruction which consisted of-
A. At least
three hundred (300) clock hours dedicated to massage theory and practice
techniques provided directly by the certified mentor or an instructor within a
massage therapy program. An instructor for massage theory and practice
techniques or certified mentor shall document at least two (2) years of massage
therapy practice and either be licensed as a massage therapist in this state or
be licensure eligible, based upon board review of the instructor's credentials.
(I) An instructor of kinesiology or pathology
within the massage therapy program shall submit verification of education
and/or experience in kinesiology or pathology instruction and licensure as a
massage therapist or licensure eligibility is not required;
B. One hundred (100) clock hours
dedicated to the study of anatomy and physiology provided by one (1) of the
following:
(I) The certified mentor who must
hold an associate, bachelor, or advanced degree in a science related field from
a college, university, or other institution of higher learning in the United
States accredited by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education that includes a course of study in anatomy and
physiology. Such degrees include, but are not limited to, physical therapy,
chiropractic, osteopathy, medicine, nursing, chemistry, or biology;
(II) A school, college, university, or other
institution of higher learning in the United States accredited by a regional
accrediting commission recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, a
massage therapy program approved by the Missouri CBHE, or an out-of-state
school approved by an agency equivalent to the Missouri CBHE;
(III) The certified mentor who must have
earned at least fifteen (15) semester hours or twenty-five (25) quarter hours
in science or science related courses from a college, university, or other
institution of higher learning in the United States accredited by a regional
accrediting commission recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All
course work must have a passing grade and at least eight (8) semester hours in
fifteen (15) quarter hours of the course of study shall be in anatomy and
physiology. For the purpose of this regulation a semester hour is equivalent to
fifteen (15) clock hours and a quarter hour is equivalent to ten (10) clock
hours;
(IV) An instructor within a
massage therapy program who must hold an associate, bachelor, or advanced
degree in a science related field that includes a course of study in anatomy
and physiology. Such degrees include, but are not limited to, physical therapy,
chiropractic, osteopathy, medicine, nursing, chemistry, or biology from a
college, university, or other institution of higher learning in the United
States accredited by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education; or
(V) An
instructor within a massage therapy program who must have earned at least
fifteen (15) semester hours or twenty-five (25) quarter hours in science or
science related courses from a college, university, or other institution of
higher learning in the United States accredited by a regional accrediting
commission recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All course work must
have a passing grade and at least eight (8) semester hours or fifteen (15)
quarter hours of the course of study shall be in anatomy and physiology. For
the purpose of this regulation a semester hour is equivalent to fifteen (15)
clock hours and a quarter hour is equivalent to ten (10) clock hours;
C. Fifty (50) clock hours
dedicated to business practice, professional ethics, hygiene, and massage law
in the state of Missouri provided by a certified mentor or an instructor within
a massage therapy program with documented experience/education in a related
field; and
D. Fifty (50) clock
hours dedicated to ancillary therapies provided by a certified mentor or an
instructor(s) within a massage therapy program with documented
experience/education in a related field. The fifty (50) clock hours shall
include at a minimum cardiopul-monary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid
provided by an instructor who holds the respective instructor certification;
and
(D)
Evidence of passing one of the following:
1.
National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
(NCETBM) as administered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic
Massage and Bodywork or its successor organization;
2. National Certification Examination for
Therapeutic Massage (NCETM) as administered by the National Certification Board
for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork or its successor organization;
3. Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT) Examination
as administered by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM);
4. The
American Medical Massage Association National Board Certification Examination
(AMMA NBCE) administered as of 2006;
5. Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination
(MBLEx) as administered by the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards or
its successor organization; or
6.
An examination deemed appropriate by the board;
(E) An applicant completing a massage therapy
program consisting of less than five hundred (500) hours of supervised
instruction from a Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education (CBHE)
approved school, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
(DESE) approved vocational program or school, college, university, or other
institution of higher learning in the United States accredited by a regional
accrediting commission recognized by the United States Department of Education
or an equivalent approving agency for out-of-state schools, or who has
completed a massage therapy program deficient in clock hours according to
20 CSR
2197-2.010(1)(C) 4.A.-D. may complete
deficiencies at either a Missouri CBHE approved school, DESE approved
vocational program, mentorship approved by the board, or school, college,
university, or other institution of higher learning in the United States
accredited by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the United States
Department of Education, or an out-of-state school approved by an agency
equivalent to CBHE; and
(F) For the
purpose of 20 CSR 2197-2.010, a clock hour is defined as fifty (50) minutes of
instruction and the course of instruction meeting the educational requirements
for licensure shall not be provided via correspondence course, audiotape,
videotape, or other electronic means unless approved by the
board.
(2) A person
applying for licensure based upon licensure in another state, territory, or the
District of Columbia shall submit the following:
(A) A completed notarized application and
application fee;
(B) Two (2) sets
of fingerprints for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check by
the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Any fees due for a fingerprint background check shall be paid by the applicant
directly to the Missouri State Highway Patrol or its approved
ven-dor(s);
(C) Verification of
licensure, to be submitted to the board office from the state, territory, or
the District of Columbia's license authority that includes:
1. License issue and expiration date;
and
2. Complaints, prior or pending
investigations, or disciplinary action on the license.
(3) If the board determines a
state, territory, or the District of Columbia licensure requirements are not
substantially the same, the applicant may qualify for licensure by meeting the
requirements of section
324.265,
RSMo, and this rule.
(4) The board
may review a person's educational credentials prior to application for
licensure upon receiving a written request to the board. The person requesting
the education review shall be responsible for providing official transcripts
and paying the required fee.
*Original authority: 324.240, RSMo 1998, amended 1999,
2008; 324.243 RSMo 1998, amended 1999, 2001, 2008; 324.245, RSMo 1998, amended
1999, 2003, 2006; 324.265, RSMo 1998, amended 1999, 2006, 2008; 324.267, RSMo
1998, amended 1999; and 324.270, RSMo 1998, amended
2006.