Importance Of Professional Development

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The Importance of Continuing Professional Development as a Massage Therapist

Author: Annalisa Zisman

Some professionals, such as physicians and nurses, are required to complete a certain amount of continuing education each year. This is to make sure they keep up to date on the newest techniques available to help their patients. While having a massage therapist license might not mean you must take continuing education, it is still very important and you should consider it a high priority. After all, you are helping heal individuals just as doctors and nurses are. It is important that you provide the utmost up-to-date service to your clients. Most professional associations require it these days and you insurance may depend on it.

Continuing professional development or education as a massage therapist will not only benefit your clients, but you and your employers (if you work for a company) as well. Employers love for their employees to keep up-to-date on the latest techniques that apply to their field. This means that no only do they have a skilled and qualified employee, but they are providing the best service possible to their clients. Even if you work as an individual massage therapist, the same rules apply. By continuing your professional development, you can let your clients know that you have the skills needed to provide them with excellent massage therapy. This will keep clients happy and happy clients are returning clients. Acquiring new skills will also allow you to charge more for your services. Clients who find a quality massage therapist with credentials to back up their services will be willing to pay more for a massage. You can also increase your business by offering different types of massages. If you were trained in Swedish massage, consider looking to other types of massages to help expand your massage repertoire. Look at continuing your massage development by taking classes in different types of Asian massages such as Thai massage, Thai foot massage, Thai herb compress massage or Chinese Tui Na massage. You may want to study more conventional western forms, such as sports massage, pregnancy massage or aromatherapy massage.

If you are already well versed in Asian massage techniques, maybe you should focus your continuing professional development on a specific part of the body. There are courses which concentrate on the assessment and treatment of upper limbs, cervical and thoracic spine, freeing the shoulder, freeing the lower back and hips, focusing on the lumber spine hip/pelvis and lower leg. There is deep tissue or Remedial massage, which works on specific joints or muscle groups. Going even deeper we have neuromuscular therapy, which focuses on pain relief in specific ‘trigger points’ and deepest of all, there is myofascial release, which works to release tension in the connective tissue layers.

To continue your professional development as a massage therapist is very important to both you and your clients. Check with your local clinics and community colleges to see what classes are offered that might help compliment the techniques you already know.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-importance-of-continuing-professional-development-as-a-massage-therapist-157572.html

About the Author

Annalisa Zisman, a proficient author and tutor, she is a leading practitioner for many massage courses. Annalisa specializes in Indian Head Massage, Thai Foot and Thai Herbal Compress Massage techniques.

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8 Responses to “Importance Of Professional Development”

  1. Tbone says:

    Explain the importance of teachers continuing professional development and tell how you plan to incorporate it

    • Anonymous says:

      Its important for teachers to continue their professional development because not all students are the same or learn the same. Teacher’s need different teaching methods to be able to present lessons to meet the needs of the students. Just because someone is a teacher it does not mean that they know everything and every which way of teaching the concept. I personally enjoy professional development days because I learn a new method of doing things each time. In California, teacher’s need to prove they have been taking these courses to be able to renew their credential. I keep track of all the professional development classes I have taken to prove that I have met the requirement to renew my teaching credential. Every time you go to a professional development class I don’t necessarily agree with everything they present either. Its the teacher’s prerogative to decide what they will incorporate and what will work with his or her students.

  2. bhasky66 says:

    emotional intelligence. its importance in personal and professional development?
    stages of emotional intelligence
    Importance in personal and professtional development
    bench mark practices organisation adopt for employees employees development

    • Anonymous says:

      Emotional Intelligence, also called EI and often measured as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient or EQ, describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. However, being a relatively new area, the definition of emotional intelligence is still in a state of flux. Some, such as John D. Mayer (2005a) prefer to distinguish emotional knowledge from emotional intelligence, as discussed below.

      In 1920, E. L. Thorndike, at Columbia University, (Thorndike 1920), used the term “social intelligence” to describe the skill of getting along with other people. In 1975, Howard Gardner’s The Shattered Mind, (Gardner 1975) began the formulation of the idea for “Multiple Intelligences” (he identifies eight intelligences, later 2 more are added), including both interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence. Many psychologists, such as Gardner, believe that traditional measures of intelligence, such as the IQ test, fail to fully explain cognitive ability. (Smith 2002)

      The term “emotional intelligence” appears to have originated with Wayne Payne (1985), but was popularized by Daniel Goleman (1995). The leading research on the concept originated with Peter Salovey and John “Jack” Mayer starting in the late 1980s. In 1990, their seminal paper (1990) defined the concept as an intelligence. Mayer and Salovey continue to research the concept. The term “emotional quotient” seems to have originated in an article by Keith Beasley (1987). There are numerous other assessments of emotional intelligence each advocating different models and measures.

      For more information visit:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence
      http://www.unh.edu/emotional_intelligence/

  3. A says:

    What is the importance of Professional Development for an accountant?

  4. hala L says:

    In my professional development course — continuing education is being covered…?
    i.e the importance of it in today’s workforce — so I wonder what are some things people here do to make themselves more valuable employees in thier line of work?
    Name some things you do and why.

    • Anonymous says:

      I do extra little things around the station whenever I can. We’re doing our fundraising drive now, so I operate the phone when I have spare time. I’ve also recorded some ads. I would like to work there for as long as possible, so I do these things to prove my commitment.

  5. Niki says:

    what is the importance of continuous professional development?

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