The Georgia Board of Massage Therapy will be considering a proposal to amend rule 345-4-.02 related to continuing education hours accepted for the purpose of licensure renewal on December 5, 2014. If adopted, the Board would no longer accept continuing education in the modalities of structural integration, reflexology, movement practices, and energy practices.
The Board contends that, even though they have accepted CE courses in these modalities since CE was required for license renewal, it is now the Board’s opinion that these courses fall “outside the scope of practice” for massage therapists simply because the modalities are listed as exceptions for licensure. The “exceptions” in law are broad categories of bodywork; many different modalities fall into these categories and would not be allowed for licensure renewal.
ABMP disagrees with this position and we encourage board members to revisit and reject this proposed rule change. The “exceptions” or exemptions listed in the law relate to people who restrict their own practice to these modalities. Nothing in the law states that these exceptions are not considered to be within the scope of practice for LMT’s.
Read ABMP’s comments here. We encourage members to send comments as well. You deserve to make a professional choice as to what subjects or modalities will most benefit your clients and your practice. You should be able to count all CE toward licensure renewal.
A public hearing is scheduled on December 5, 2014 at 9:30am at the Macon address noted below. You may provide comments at this meeting or you may provide written comments by the close of business on November 25, 2014. Written comments (mail or fax) should be addressed to:
Lisa W. Durden, Director
Office of Secretary of State
Professional Licensing Boards Division
Georgia State Board of Massage Therapy
237 Coliseum Drive
Macon, GA 31217
Fax: 866-888-1308