News and Media

FSMTB Releases Job Task Analysis Survey Results

March 26, 2007

Contact: Debra Persinger, Ph.D.
Executive Director, FSMTB
dpersinger@fsmtb.org / 913.681.0380

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 26, 2007

FSMTB RELEASES JOB ANALYSIS SURVEY RESULTS

Overland Park, KS – The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) is creating a national licensure examination to serve the needs of the regulatory community. To ensure the examination reflects current practice, a Job Task Analysis (JTA) Survey was developed. The Survey was deployed online from October 13, 2006 until February 1, 2007 and responses were received from 7,646 massage, bodywork and somatic professionals.

A large majority of respondents (84%) think licensing should be required across the nation. David Quiring, FSMTB Vice President comments, “It is reassuring to learn that the majority of professionals realize the value that regulation has in advancing the status of both the individual practitioner and the profession in general.” Two thirds of respondents think the field should not be separated into more than one licensure category such as relaxation/medical or energetic/hands-on.

The top five modalities/approaches used in practice in the United States are Swedish (87%); Deep Tissue (80%); Trigger Point Therapy (50%); Myofascial (50%); and Reflexology (42%). The majority of respondents (59%) are aged between 35 and 54 years. Sole practitioners account for 35% of respondents and 26% are independent contractors. Respondents who work with special populations primarily work with the following: pregnancy (63%); geriatric (55%); chronic illness (44%); trauma (34%); and the physically challenged (31%).

The FSMTB will publish detailed results from the JTA on its Web site at www.fsmtb.org as data becomes available.

About FSMTB
The mission of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards is to support its Member Boards in their work to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is provided to the public in a safe and effective manner.

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