(1) A massage education program shall have a curriculum and system of training consistent with its particular area of practice. The training in massage therapy shall consist of a minimum of five hundred hours. An hour of training is defined as fifty minutes of actual instructional time. Certification in American Red Cross first aid and American Heart Association CPR or the equivalent shall be required. This requirement is in addition to the five hundred hours of training in massage therapy. These five hundred hours are not to be completed in less than six months and shall consist of the following:
(a) One hundred thirty hours of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology including palpation, range of motion, and physics of joint function. There must be a minimum of forty hours of kinesiology.
(b) Fifty hours of pathology including indications and contraindications consistent with the particular area of practice.
(c) Two hundred sixty-five hours of theory and practice of massage to include techniques, remedial movements, body mechanics of the practitioner, and the impact of techniques on pathologies. A maximum of fifty of these hours may include time spent in a student clinic. Hydrotherapy shall be included when consistent with the particular area of practice.
(d) Fifty-five hours of clinical/business practices, at a minimum to include hygiene, recordkeeping, medical terminology, professional ethics, business management, human behavior, client interaction, and state and local laws.
(2) To receive credit in an apprenticeship program for previous education, this education must have been completed within the five-year period prior to enrollment in the apprenticeship program.
(3) Students attending schools and programs outside the state of Washington shall acquire a working knowledge of the laws of Washington state applying to massage therapy.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.108.025(1). 95-11-108, § 246-830-430, filed 5/23/95, effective 6/23/95; 94-13-181, § 246-830-430, filed 6/21/94, effective 7/22/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 18.108.025. 92-15-153 (Order 291B), § 246-830-430, filed 7/22/92, effective 8/22/92; 91-01-077 (Order 102B), recodified as § 246-830-430, filed 12/17/90, effective 1/31/91; 88-13-038 (Order PM 739), § 308-51A-040, filed 6/9/88.]