College of Health and Wellness Massage Therapy Program Guide Table of Contents 2 What is Massage Therapy? 3 Your Future as a Massage Therapist 4 A Letter from Dr. Michele Renee 5 Our Flexible Science-based Programs 7 Top 7 Ways Northwestern Stands Apart 12 Join an Active Student Life 13 Live, Practice and Play in the Twin Cities 14 Financial Assistance Opportunities 15 Get to Know a Few of Our Alumni 16 Your Options are Nearly Limitless 18 Taking the Next Steps 20 Connect with Us COLLEGE of HEALTH AND WELLNESS: MASSAGE THERAPY | 1 What Is Massage Therapy? Massage therapy involves the manual manipulation of soft body tissues (muscle, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments) to enhance a person’s well-being. Because we are a health sciences university, our program is focused on massage therapy as a form of health care. People seek massage therapy to reduce stress and anxiety, relax muscles, rehabilitate injuries, reduce pain, and promote overall health and wellness. At Northwestern, you are not simply going to a massage school—you are studying to be a healthcare professional who provides massage therapy. The credential can also be your springboard into different healthcare careers. Some of our past graduates have gone on to become chiropractors, acupuncturists, nurses and more. WHY MASSAGE THERAPY? Because you are a healer at heart. You want to help people. You want to be part of a movement toward integrative health care. You want to be a healer. Massage therapy is a fulfilling career that is deeply rooted in health and healing—centered in the power of touch and the body’s ability to heal itself. If this feels like what you have been seeking, we invite you to explore this quickly growing profession. Massage therapy is a rewarding career path because you will: • Improve others’ health in a natural, holistic way that is drug-free and non-invasive • Work side by side with fellow healthcare providers such as acupuncturists, chiropractic doctors, medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists and more • Enjoy schedule flexibility that works with your life • Focus on an area of specialized care and specific patient types such as pregnant women, infants and children, cancer patients, elders, hospice patients, veterans, professional athletes and many others 2 | NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY Your Future as a Massage Therapist • Join a fast-growing profession that will only increase in demand as more people discover the benefits of integrative care, and as the general population continues to age • Employment for massage therapists is expected to increase by 26 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than average for all other occupations. That is an increase of 42,100 jobs in 10 years* Offering many practice options and poised for continued growth, a career in massage therapy is a rewarding profession for those who are healers at heart. *Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Join a fast-growing profession and be prepared to practice anywhere. You have a desire to heal through touch. Your exploration into the field of massage therapy has just begun. As you pursue your passion, you might be wondering what your future may look like once you graduate. YOUR FUTURE AS A MASSAGE THERAPIST IS BRIGHT: On average, Approximately Massage therapists About 92 percent massage therapists 71 percent of enjoy a great deal of Americans charge $72 for massage clients of autonomy and believe massage a 60-minute in a recent study flexibility in their therapy is effective massage, up from received referrals career, and typically at reducing pain, $69 last year from chiropractors have about 18 which is especially or integrated contact hours relevant in light of care clinics per week today’s opioid crisis Source: American Massage Therapy Association | NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of HEALTH AND WELLNESS: MASSAGE THERAPY | 3 A Letter from Dr. Michele Renee Welcome, future massage therapist! It is always a privilege for me to speak with future massage therapists. You will quickly learn that the art and science of massage is one of my greatest passions. I became a massage therapist in 1998, pairing it with CranioSacral Therapy. Later, seeking a bigger scope of practice, I graduated from Northwestern Health Sciences University as a Doctor of Chiropractic in 2008 and then obtained my Master’s in Acupuncture in 2016. Today I am honored to serve as the Massage Therapy Program Director and Director of Integrative Care at Northwestern, where we are pioneering a movement toward multidisciplinary and integrative health care. It is an exciting time to practice. Massage therapists are a vital piece of the entire picture of person-centered health care, and we are growing in importance. When we work as a unified team, we are able to provide more complete care. As you explore a career in massage therapy, I encourage you to look upon the field of massage and the state of health care with curiosity. Be curious about how people heal. Be open to new ways of seeing the world. Be willing to learn new methods. All of this will help make you a strong and dedicated healer. At Northwestern, you will find an emphasis on evidence-based curriculum and integrative care—two qualities that make us stand out as an institution. If you have a passion for healing touch and a deeply felt desire to make others feel better in body, mind and spirit—I encourage you to continue learning about us. I look forward to welcoming you on campus as a massage therapy student! Dr. Michele Renee, DC, MAc Northwestern Health Sciences University Director, Massage Therapy Program Director, Integrative Care 4 | NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY Our Flexible, Science-based Programs Choose the program that fits with your life ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE IN MASSAGE THERAPY (A.A.S.) Full-time or part-time schedule: 3 to 5 trimesters, 11½ to 19½ months Give yourself a multitude of career options by earning an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in massage therapy. An A.A.S. degree in massage therapy expands upon the certificate curriculum to include general education courses in communication and time management. Some employers prefer or require an associate’s degree for employment or professional advancement in your career. As part of the associate’s program, you will receive a rigorous, science-based education in addition to instruction in business management and real-world clinical experience. Your clinical education can include training in Northwestern’s public clinics, in hospitals and in community health clinics, which will help you stand out to potential employers. You can enroll in the A.A.S. program immediately or pursue an A.A.S. degree after you get a certificate. By earning this degree, you are prepared to work in a hospital or clinic setting, a chiropractic office, an integrated care clinic and many other settings. As your program progresses, you may choose to specialize in a particular area—working with pregnant women, children, athletes and sports teams, elders, cancer patients, low-income populations, or other client types. You will complete a total of 180 hours of clinic experience during your program. | NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY COLLEGE of HEALTH AND WELLNESS: MASSAGE THERAPY | 5 Continued Our Flexible, Science-based Programs CERTIFICATE IN THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE Full-time schedule: 3 trimesters, 11½ months Part-time schedule: 4 trimesters, 15½ months With a certificate in therapeutic massage, you can begin your career in health care in a variety of clinical settings such as chiropractic offices and integrated care clinics. Discover clinical massage techniques aimed at treatment of specific problems in the body, such as headache, tendinitis or back pain. You will also learn the skills to run a private practice. CERTIFICATE IN RELAXATION MASSAGE Full-time schedule: 2 trimesters, 7½ months Part-time schedule: 3 trimesters, 11½ months With a certificate in relaxation massage, you are ready to enter the profession and practice in such settings as franchise massage and salon spas. Once you earn this certificate, you may apply courses toward the certificate in therapeutic massage—earn both to increase your marketability. Personalize your program by choosing the electives that appeal to your interests—energy medicine, sports massage, reflexology and more. Whichever program you choose, you will enjoy flexibility. Blend day and evening classes, and design a custom schedule that’s full time, part time or a hybrid. Dr. Dale Healey Dr. Healey, Dean of the College of Health and Wellness, explains Northwestern’s Massage Therapy program accreditation. u Watch the video bit.ly/MTaccreditation 6 | NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY Top 7 Ways Northwestern Stands Apart Why choose our Massage Therapy program? As you explore a career in massage therapy, you will face one of the most significant choices of your life: where to study. We want to give you all the information you need so you can make the decision that is right for you. WHAT MAKES NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY STAND APART? 1. Integrative care environment At the center of massage therapy is a desire to improve one’s health using the body’s own powers of healing. At Northwestern, we are 100 percent focused on the health sciences. Our campus environment is unique because we train the next generation of healers—massage therapists, acupuncturists, Chinese medicine practitioners, nutrition experts and chiropractors—right here, all in one place. You will study alongside like-minded students in various healthcare disciplines as you learn. Studying with fellow healers-to-be prepares you for a multidisciplinary care approach that is becoming increasingly common in hospitals, medical clinics, chiropractic offices and other healthcare facilities. 2. We hold ourselves to a higher standard All massage therapy programs are not equal.