prenatal and postpartum massage

Massage is Highly Beneficial for Expectant and New Moms

Becoming a mother is a beautiful thing. 

Any parent can tell you that welcoming a child into your family will change your entire life. But if you’re the one giving birth to that child, it will also change your entire body. While this process is also beautiful, it comes with its fair share of discomfort and even pain. Luckily, massage therapy can help! 

What’s so special about pregnancy massage?

If you’re asking that question, you’ve probably never been pregnant! Any expectant mother can tell you how wonderful it feels to get off your feet and have someone gently massage your aching muscles. But when it comes to the benefits of pregnancy massage, a chance for a rest is just the tip of the iceberg. 

A good massage therapist knows how to accommodate the individual needs of all of their clients, at every stage of life and health – including pregnancy and the postpartum period. They are able to modify the treatment to make sure that the massage is enjoyable, safe, and effective for both mother and baby. 

7 Excellent Benefits of Massage During Pregnancy

Easing aching muscles

Carrying a growing baby is hard work and affects how you move, so tight, aching muscles are almost inevitable. Your massage therapist can really help release tightness and soothe painful muscles.

Improving circulation and reducing swelling and edema

Pregnant women often experience swelling in their feet, ankles, and legs. This can be caused by fluid retention and the uterus putting pressure on major blood vessels. Pregnancy also causes an increase in blood volume. Massage therapy during pregnancy can improve circulation and help reduce uncomfortable swelling.

Swelling during pregnancy can be more than just uncomfortable, though. In rare cases, it can be a symptom of pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension). Massage therapists are not qualified to formally diagnose medical conditions like pre-eclampsia. But they are trained to screen their clients for symptoms and conditions that can determine whether it’s safe to perform massage; we call these “indications and contraindications.” Because of this training, your massage therapist can help you monitor your edema symptoms and may recommend that you see your doctor.

Minimizing stress on the sciatic nerve and reducing back pain

The pressure and weight of the uterus, with its developing baby and amniotic fluids can cause back and sciatic nerve pain, depending on the baby’s positioning. The sciatic nerve is a major nerve that passes through the buttock, through the thigh and into the foot and heel. Because it is such a large nerve, sciatic pain radiates through these areas and that pain can be debilitating. Gentle massage can help to relieve compression and inflammation of the sciatic nerve and affected areas.

Increasing energy and reducing stress

Prenatal massage can help boost energy by gently stimulating the nervous system and increasing levels of the “happiness hormones,” serotonin and dopamine. Massage has also been shown to decrease levels of cortisol and norepinephrine, hormones related to stress.

In addition to helping regulate your mood, stabilizing these hormones can improve your cardiovascular health and can even improve fetal health.

Reducing tension and headaches

Changes in posture, fluctuating hormones, and additional stress over the impending arrival can cause extra tension and headaches. Massage therapy can be very effective in reducing these symptoms.

Easing  foot and leg cramps

For many pregnant women, waking up in the middle of the night with foot and leg cramps is common. Massage can help reduce or eliminate these involuntary muscle contractions by gently stretching and exercising the muscles of the legs and feet.

Promoting general wellbeing

Getting ready to welcome a new family member can be overwhelming. Along with all the emotional and physical changes you’re going through, there are a million things to do to prepare for the baby. It’s easy to only think about the baby’s needs and forget about your own. Getting a massage can be the perfect way to take some time for yourself. 

Post-partum: Massage during the ‘Fourth Trimester’

Being able to hold your baby in your arms is a wonderful moment and the beginning of a new era for you and your family. But giving birth doesn’t mean that your body’s hard work is over. 

The post-partum period can feel like as much of a roller coaster ride for your body as pregnancy itself. As you are recovering from the physical ordeal of giving birth, your body is beginning to reverse some of the changes it made while you were pregnant. And all of this is happening while you’re busy caring for and feeding an infant! It’s no wonder that many people have begun to refer to the first weeks or months after giving birth as the “fourth trimester.” 

So even though you might feel like you have no time or energy to spare on anything other than feeding, changing, and loving your newborn, it’s important to take some time to look after yourself in this period, too. And that means continuing to visit your massage therapist. 

Just like during your pregnancy, your massage therapist will do everything they can to make sure that you’re comfortable during your post-partum treatments. If you’re not comfortable lying on your stomach, they can use pillows and special bolsters to support your body and have you lay on your side or your back instead. They will continue to tailor their techniques and pressure to your body’s needs. 

5 Excellent Benefits of Postpartum Massage

Helping relieve tension and stress from delivery

Birth is extremely hard work! Even the shortest and easiest labour puts a lot of strain on your body and can cause both physical and emotional stress. It’s very common to feel residual tension after giving birth. A specialized post-partum massage can help to soothe any musculoskeletal pain and help your body and mind recover from the stresses of childbirth.

Helping with arm, neck,and shoulder tension from feeding and holding your infant

No matter how careful you are and how fit you were before you became a parent being a new mother can really do a number on your arms, shoulders, and neck. Feeding one-sided, the constant lifting and carrying, hauling around a diaper bag…there’s no end to the list of reasons you’ll need a massage. Your massage therapist can target these areas to reduce pain and improve range of motion.

Helping clear excess fluids and postpartum swelling

A normal part of postpartum life, swelling (or edema) occurs when your body releases all the fluid retained while preparing for childbirth. Massage therapy can help speed up this elimination of fluid using special techniques like manual lymphatic drainage to help the fluid shift from the extremities.

Helping promote milk production via stress reduction and production of prolactin

Breast milk production is regulated by a complex combination of hormones in your body, including prolactin, oxytocin, and cortisol. Stress relief is one of the most well-known benefits of massage therapy. But did you know that by reducing stress, getting a massage could help increase your milk production? This is because stress is the “number one killer of breastmilk supply.” Massage therapy can lower your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.  There is also some evidence that massage therapy can increase prolactin levels.

Helping you regain proper posture and body mechanics

This will be one of the long-term treatment goals that you and your massage therapist will work towards after your pregnancy. Pregnancy, labour, and being a new mother all take their toll on your body. With targeted massage treatments and personal homecare recommendations (including self-massage techniques), your massage therapist will help your body get back to full strength, so you can enjoy every moment with your new baby! 

Pregnancy and postpartum or postnatal massage has so many benefits for an expectant and new mother. Both mother and baby can benefit from receiving regular treatments from a licensed massage therapist. At MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy, you can train to become a registered massage therapist for a flexible, rewarding career for clients from all stages of life. MH Vicars students learn the theory and skills that they need so they can safely and effectively treat pregnant clients and new mothers. They also get hands-on practice working with pregnant clients at our supervised practicum clinics.  Call our admissions team at 1-866-491-0574 or RSVP for a live, virtual open house to learn more about becoming a qualified massage therapist. 

MH Vicars School is proud to announce that we have been named to the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta’s new list of Approved Schools.

We’ve always been committed to providing our students with the best, most up-to-date massage therapy education possible, and we’re thrilled to have confirmation from the independent experts at the MTAA that we’re accomplishing that goal. Vicars was the first private massage school in Alberta to achieve this status, and we’re currently the only private college on the list.

For owners Maryhelen Vicars and Robin Collum, earning MTAA approval is very satisfying.

“We’re incredibly happy to have taken part in this process, and to have earned our spot on the MTAA’s list,” says Collum.

“This is such an important affirmation that we are on the right track. We are so proud of our faculty and staff for continuously improving the school over the past 20 years, and for embracing new resources as they became available to us. It has been lots of work, but well worth it for the career success of our grads,” says Vicars.

The Approved Schools list is the MTAA’s way of continuing to make sure that their members meet the association’s education standards. In the future, they will use the list as the qualification criteria for new members. It will replace their previous school approval system (we were on that list, too!).

“We created this program to support and elevate the education of massage therapists in Alberta,” explains Jessica Villeneuve, chair of the MTAA’s School Approval Committee. “It’s important for students to be trained to the national standard because it ensures safe and effective care for Albertans. This new approval program will allow us to maintain the high standards that we hold our members to in regard to scope of practice, ethics, and other important areas of practice.”

The MTAA School Approval Program is a rigorous evaluation process that assesses a school’s curriculum content, delivery, and student experience. The curriculum standards are based on the Inter-Jurisdictional Practice Competencies and Performance Indicators for Massage Therapists at Entry-to-Practice created by the Federation of Massage Therapy Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FOMTRAC). If that long complicated name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same standard used by the regulatory bodies in provinces where massage therapy is a regulated health care profession.

When this national standard was introduced in 2012, we jumped at the opportunity to improve our curriculum and immediately began to transition our program to align with the Inter-Jurisdictional Practice standards. We did another big round of program upgrades when the document was revised in 2016.

We review and improve our curriculum every year to stay up to date with the latest research, resources, and teaching methods, and always use the Inter-Jurisdictional Practice standards as our guide.

But in a non-regulated province like Alberta, massage therapy schools don’t have to teach the FOMTRAC curriculum if they don’t want to. That’s why the MTAA’s new and improved School Approval Program is so important.

“Having a respected independent third party like the MTAA reviewing what massage schools teach and their delivery standards is vital for our profession.”

“Having a respected independent third party like the MTAA reviewing what massage schools teach and their delivery standards is vital for our profession,” explains Collum. “It allows students to choose a massage school based on how well it will prepare them for a career, instead of having to rely on marketing claims.

“We’re grateful that the MTAA has committed to promoting and upholding the national standards in this way. We recognize that managing an approval program like this is not simple, easy, or cheap. And by raising their entry standards, they’re risking decreasing their membership numbers. But like us, the MTAA believes that the national curriculum standard and third-party program evaluation are the future of massage therapy in Alberta and will benefit therapists and clients alike. It’s a huge undertaking, and we admire them for doing it.”

Going through the school approval program is a rigorous, months-long process.

A school first prepares a written application package full of information about the program. The MTAA wants to know about the school’s history and structure, its academic and non-academic policies and procedures, faculty qualifications, curriculum details, and more. Everything needs to be backed up with clear evidence.

If a school passes the written review, then it’s time for an on-site evaluation. An MTAA reviewer inspects the campus and facilities, and interviews staff, students, and faculty. This multi-step process ensures that the reviewers can get a thorough understanding of the school and how it operates, and make sure that the school is actually delivering a massage education that will prepare its graduates to be skilled, effective, and successful therapists.

The MTAA approval program is still accepting applications from Alberta massage schools, and we hope that it continues to grow.

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that all schools and colleges have had to make a lot of changes to how they deliver their programs—and fast. And at MH Vicars School, it was no different. We closed our campuses in mid-March, and classes continued online.

It was an adjustment, certainly, and not how we wanted to finish the school year. But our faculty and staff were not unprepared for the change. Our experience teaching and learning in a blended learning format helped us transition into the “new normal.”
Our Edmonton Director Robin Collum and our Curriculum Director Linda McGeachy sat down—over zoom, naturally—to talk about how Vicars has adapted to the pandemic , and how we’re preparing for whatever the next year might have in store for us.

You can also read the full transcript of the conversation below.

 

Robin: The MH Vicars School program has always been delivered through blended learning. Can you describe what blended learning means at MH Vicars?

Linda: Fundamentally, it means that time spent at home on the curriculum is as important as the in class component of the program.

Why did we choose a blended learning format in the first place? Who’s it for and why is it valuable for our students?

Well, that was the original vision of the owner of the school, Maryhelen Vicars: to provide quality training to a demographic that does not have the means to access it any other way. It is a full-time program in terms of content. By choosing this format, students are able to spend less time being physically present at the school, but still are able to obtain all the necessary content of the program.

The value is for those who are unable to take a program that requires them to be in school for five days a week for two years. We have several learning pathways and our students choose the one that fits their particular circumstances.

So it sounds much more flexible for people who have responsibilities and jobs and things.

Absolutely.

Can you describe how our approach to blended learning has evolved over the years?

At first, our blended learning [material] consisted of paper binders filled with assignments and notes that students completed at home and brought back to class with them. As technology has evolved, it has allowed more academic content to be delivered online.

We’ve moved more core content to the online learning system. Courses such as pathology and anatomy and physiology have become independent courses that students can take at home following a set timeline and using online resources from the textbooks as well as resources specifically developed by the school. The most current evolution to the program is the type of blended learning where students are introduced to content at home before working through it at school. This is sometimes called a “flipped classroom.”

In a common flipped classroom scenario, students might watch pre-recorded videos at home, complete specific assignments and do a quiz and then come to school to do the work armed with questions and some background knowledge.

So it sounds much more intensive than just some pre-reading.

It has a lot of weight. And, of course, all of those pre-reading assignments and whatnot will [be part of] an overall mark for the program as well.

And that means that when they’re on campus with their instructors in their pairs, in groups of three, they have a lot more context for the hands-on stuff, it sounds like.

Indeed. And so it frees up time in the classroom for the all-important hands-on component by enabling them to get through some of the academic or more theoretical work at home.

What changes did we make at Vicars and how have our classes been continuing to learn since we stopped our on-campus stuff in March?

Well, coincidentally, the pandemic only sped up a process that we’d already been designing and developing that is having students more prepared before class. Along with much more emphasis on video conferences with their instructors.

We’ve always had contact between instructors and students in between those in class days. And this is just increasing that?

Yes. The video conferencing is going to become a much bigger component. And of course, that has gone along with what we’ve had to do with putting much of our material online due to the covid situation.

Do you feel that our existing blended learning approach helped prepare us and maybe even prepare our students for this new reality of the last couple of months?

Well, without doubt, the fact that our students and instructors were already used to a large part of the course being completed at home was a benefit. However, it has not been without significant challenges as well.

Can you tell me some of the challenges that we’ve experienced with online learning?

Well, not all of our instructors are familiar with actually teaching online. Keeping the students connected to certain components of the program and to each other has been a considerable challenge for both faculty and students.

Definitely had been a learning curve on that. How have we been helping our instructors deal with that learning curve? How have we been helping them prepare and advance their knowledge of this new way of teaching?

Instructors are going to be taking an online course over the summer about how to teach online. I think this is very important. This will prepare them for returning to class in the fall, whether virtually or face to face.

Our current students have missed some on-campus days. Will they get the opportunity to cover that material when they come back to campus?

They will. If this is necessary, all missed hands-on material will be available to current students. We’ll deliver it in a flexible manner to make sure it’s achievable for everyone.

Though it’s impossible to predict what the next couple of months are going to be like, what preparations are we making as a school to help plan for different eventualities?

Well, we’ll continue to prepare to hone online teaching skills by supporting faculty with resources for teaching online. The school’s developing more video resources for techniques and treatments to reinforce classroom time. And these things will ensure that students are ready to fully engage in the hands-on component of the program when we can return to class.

And how can students who are planning to start with us in September plan ahead and prepare for the beginning of their massage education?

Well, at this time, students can start taking Anatomy and Physiology, and Pathology. Those two core components of the program are available once you’re registered for the program.

And what’s the advantage of getting started with that online learning before classes start?

Well, those two courses are independent courses, but they are also heavy courses. And so by getting a head start on them, it will just free up more time for students when they are in the throes of the actual program. And so it’s always an advantage to be able to work ahead on that material.

The worst case scenario, of course, is if we’re not able to start on campus classes as scheduled in September or if there is another interruption in classes later in the year. How is the school planning ahead for that? Will the students who plan to start in September still be able to get their education?

In any of those scenarios, we’re prepared to deliver the course without lowering any standards. We’re set up to vary the delivery of the program to accommodate online learning and classroom time to ensure all of the standards that we’re committed to will be met.

“Looking back now, I’m definitely glad I went the Newfoundland route. It’s been a long process, but I’m finally there!”

That’s Jenna Kluthe, who graduated from MH Vicars School’s Edmonton campus in 2017. She was one of nearly a dozen Vicars grads who travelled to Newfoundland to write that province’s entry-to-practice exam with the final goal of becoming RMTs in BC. Jenna now practices in Nanaimo.

Tyler Shortridge, Karen Goforth, Jenna Kluthe, and their classmates celebrate together after writing the CMTNL exams. Photo courtesy Karen Goforth.

Jenna and her classmates chose Newfoundland because the process to apply for the exam was simpler, faster, and less expensive than going directly to BC. The College of Massage Therapists of Newfoundland and Labrador officially recognizes the Vicars program, while the BC College requires applicants to pay for a “prior learning assessment” before they can take their test. (Read more about why Vicars grads are choosing Newfoundland and New Brunswick here).

The journey to become RMTs in BC began in the spring of 2017.

“I was going to go the BC route, because I didn’t know anything about Newfoundland, but about a month before we graduated someone mentioned it and we were all curious,” said Tyler Shortridge, who lives in Cranbrook and attended the Calgary campus. “[CMTNL] were really good. They answered emails fast, they answered phone calls. It was easy to get the answers I needed, and the paperwork was simple. I think I waited two weeks to hear whether we were accepted to write the exam. They had no issues with our program.”

The Newfoundland entry-to-practice exam has two parts. The multiple-choice exam covers massage theory, ethics, and law, including regulations specific to Newfoundland. The practical exam, which consists of seven separate stations, evaluates the therapist’s academic knowledge, hands-on techniques, and problem-solving skills.

“It was a little bit intimidating,” said Jenna. “You walk into the room and there were two examiners, just sitting off to the side, and there’s the body. The examiners don’t say anything, they don’t acknowledge you, they don’t smile, they don’t do anything. You just walk in and do your thing.”

The College publishes a detailed outline of the exam structure and contents to help therapists prepare, and the Vicars grad felt that the exams were well-organized and fair.

“It was fairly straightforward. You just have to make sure that you’re confident in your answers,” said Karen Goforth, who lives and works in Creston, BC.

Nonetheless, they all felt very prepared.

“The hardest part was waiting for the results,” said Tyler. “I took the exam in August, and by the end of October I was registered in Newfoundland. The end of January is when I was able to work in BC as an RMT.”

All the time and effort was worth it.

“Being a massage therapist is awesome, I love it. I have the freedom to do whatever I want with my schedule, and I like helping people,” said Tyler. “You see a lot of different people, and it’s really nice to connect with them.”

If you’re a Vicars student or grad interested in more information about moving to a regulated province, please contact the school and we’d be happy to help.

An image of someone working on their laptop and visiting Facebook

This morning when I sat down at my desk, coffee in hand, the first thing that I did was open up Facebook. It’s the first thing I do every morning.

This isn’t a confession that I’m slacking off on the job—quite the opposite, in fact!

As Communications Coordinator, it’s my job to promote the School, share what’s happening on campus, and answer questions from clients and prospective (and current) students. And one of the ways I do this is by using social media.

Hence the morning Facebook-and-coffee ritual each morning. I log in to Facebook and navigate to the MH Vicars School business page (resisting the temptation to check my own notifications…usually!) and see how the online community has been interacting with the School.

An image of someone working on their laptop and visiting Facebook

I check the messaging inbox—recent messages have included questions about class schedules, job postings, and continuing education – and reply to comments. I also go behind the scenes to check out the analytic data on recent posts—information that’s available on business pages but not personal profiles. This allows me to learn about what our Facebook community likes, so I can create even more relevant and enjoyable content for them in the future.

I check back in with Facebook—and our Instagram account—once or twice during the day. I’ll write new posts and either publish them immediately or schedule them for later. I try to post at least once a day for the school, being careful not to spam peoples’ timelines or neglect my other responsibilities.

Relatively speaking, it’s a small part of my job. But it’s an incredibly important one. These days, it’s vital for businesses to have a social media presence. And though massage therapy is an offline profession, it’s no exception.

As an RMT, you are your own business, and your own brand. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an employee of another clinic, or run your own practice, or even if you’re a student just starting to build a network of potential clients. No matter your practice, your customers are online. They expect you to have a responsive web presence, and social media is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most effective ways to meet that need.

Your daily social media doesn’t need to look like mine, but if you want to grow your client base, manage your personal brand, and communicate with your clients, you should really be on social media.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer a wide range of tools specifically for businesses. They allow you to separate your personal and professional identities online, communicate with your clients, and build your ideal audience. But these tools can be complex, they aren’t always intuitive, and they’re regularly being updated. I’ve been using Facebook for business for years, and every few months I make a point to check out what new features are available.

If you don’t already have a Facebook business page, now’s the time. But you don’t have to learn how to do it alone. To learn how to set up your page, or make sure that you’re using it to the best potential, I recommend you attend the one-day social media marketing course we’re holding at the end of the month:


Building Your Massage Business
(Level I): Using Social Media to Build Your Brand

When: November 25, 2017
Where: Edmonton Campus

Sign Up


Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Massage Therapy Research Fund. This is a wonderful opportunity for students and alumni to exercise their research muscles!

The MTRF funds academic research into many aspects of massage therapy as a discipline and as a profession. According to the MTRF:

“Eligible research topics include, but are not limited to:
– Massage Therapy effectiveness, efficacy and safety;
– Massage Therapy competencies and competency assessment;
– Access to and delivery of Massage Therapy services;
– Professionalization of Massage Therapy; and
– Evaluation of Massage Therapy practice.”

This year, they are also placing a special call for research on massage for soft tissue injuries.

Applications will be accepted until September, and more than $100,000 in funding is up for grabs for researchers across the country.

Read more on Massage Therapy Canada’s website. 

Thanks to Instructor Anna Faris for bringing this to our attention.

We got a very exciting letter in the mail today! Our first exclusive continuing education course has been approved for continuing education credits by the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta!

When you take Building Your Business (Level 1)—Using Social Media to Build Your Brand at the Calgary campus this July, you will earn 4 Secondary Credits from MTAA. 

For many years, we have partnered with qualified instructors and organizations to offer continuing education at our Edmonton and Calgary locations. But this course is the first time we’ve developed homegrown exclusive continuing education classes! It’s in Calgary first, and will be repeated in Edmonton later this year.

This workshop will teach you  how to create and execute a communications strategy that meets your needs. Using a practical, hands-on approach, you’ll learn how to use traditional communication avenues and social media to promote yourself and your practice.
The course will cover the importance of a good social media strategy and demonstrate actionable steps you can take to develop a sustainable, measurable and scalable social media marketing plan tailored to your own needs and goals. Ultimately, this will help you create more awareness, relationships and leads for your brand and business.
You will go through social-media exercises and real-world case
studies, putting what you’ve learned into practice throughout the day.
The key topics that we’ll cover include:
  • How to build a voice and values around your brand-Be a Brand Ambassador!
  • The right channels for you-which social media channels should you use?
  • How to craft and grow your online “ecosystem” to build your network & business
  • The balance of a good content strategy, listening, and engagement tactics
  • Setting goals and measuring your social media growth
During the workshop, you’ll set up your own Facebook Business Page (or perfect the one you already have)!
This course is specifically designed for massage therapists, and will offer techniques and advice for both sole practitioners and those working in multi-therapist environments.
In order to fully participate in this workshop, we request that you bring a laptop or tablet.
Cost: For MH Vicars students and graduates: $195 (+gst)
For general public: $245 (+gst)

Building Your Massage Business (Level I):
Using Social Media to Build Your Brand

June 18 2016, Calgary Campus

Register Now!

MH Vicars instructor teaching a class

We are about to devote many hours and quite a bit of money to earn a piece of paper that some other Alberta massage schools don’t even want. And we couldn’t be more delighted!

MH Vicars School has been chosen as a pilot school by the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation! You read that right: at long last, massage schools in Canada will be able to earn accreditation from a national body. And they’ve chosen MH Vicars School to help launch that process.

We have invited a group of CMTCA assessors to use our campuses to test their assessment process. It’s the latest step towards a full, nationwide accreditation system.

What is accreditation?

To put it very simply, accreditation will mean that a school can prove that it:

  • Meets the curriculum standards of the regulated provinces
  • Awards diplomas only to massage therapists who have proven themselves skilled, knowledgeable, and effective
  • Delivers what it promises: qualified instructors; relevant content; and a culture of continuous improvement

These are the same high standards that we have set for ourselves every day.

Why do we care so much about CMTCA accreditation?

Maybe we just like being ahead of the crowd! After all, we were the first private school in Alberta to upgrade our curriculum to meet the national standard (which is required of schools in BC and other regulated provinces, but still voluntary in Alberta). We also were the first massage school to be named to the MTAA’s Approved Program List.

Accreditation is an essential step for government regulation of the industry, which we still don’t have in Alberta. I have been pushing for Canada-wide accreditation of massage schools since I started MH Vicars School in 2001. Accreditation of massage therapy schools means that students will get the best education, and clients will get the best treatments.

So why wouldn’t everyone want this?

Politics. And profits. With regulation, some MTs would have to get more education, and many schools would have to get better– a lot better, in many cases. And upgrading a school is expensive and time-consuming. We spend hundreds of hours each year refining our curriculum to make sure that it covers the latest massage and education research. Many schools don’t bother. They won’t upgrade their programs until they are forced to by regulation, or by an educated public.

We are pursuing accreditation because it is the right thing to do. It will be benefit our alumni, who are already in demand by employers and clients. Once they are able to say that they have graduated from an accredited school, it will only be further proof that they are worth every penny!

It will also benefit the public. Clients should be able to count on competent, effective therapy. Being able to choose therapists from accredited schools will make it easier for them to find the best therapists (our therapists, obviously!).

Accreditation is the future for massage therapy in Alberta, and we are thrilled to be a part of this process with the CMTCA.

Best,

Maryhelen Vicars

One of my favourite things about working here is getting to know our students so well. Even as the school has grown, we’ve been able to maintain a really warm, open relationship between students and staff and instructors. I think it comes from a combination of our small class sizes, open door policy (and in the Edmonton offices, a “no door” policy), and drive to always put students first.

Anyway, knowing our students so well means we really miss them when they graduate, and love to hear what they’re up to once they begin their careers. Which is why I was so pleased to come across these videos we made in 2011!

Then and now, we’re constantly bragging about our amazing grads, and we commissioned these for our website. They didn’t end up making the transition when we revamped the site last year, but we’re adding more alumni success stories at the moment so I dug them up again.

And they’re so fun! Check out Bree and Jordan telling their stories about attending Vicars:

[vimeo id=”208383902″ caption=”” autoplay=”0″ loop=”0″ title=”0″ byline=”0″ portrait=”0″]

[youtube id=”GKNEq7z-jWc” caption=”” theme=””]

Some of the information is out of date — for instance, we now host public clinic instead of having students do practicum placements, but it’s great to see so many familiar faces! I also enjoyed those shots of the old Edmonton location. It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than two years since we moved from Roper Road to Calgary Trail.

Watching these has made me want to hear more alumni stories! Take to the comments and tell us about what you’re up to! And hey – do you want to be profiled on the blog? And remember: I’m always on the lookout for interesting massage tales. This blog can be an opportunity to share your experiences and learn from each other. Email me at robin@mhvicarsschool.com with suggestions!