MT Rules Subcommittee Meeting was generally positive. At the end, the Attorney General representative specifically thanked Dainah Craft (Government Relations to AMTA-IN Board) for her input about the industry. There seems to be a general consensus that the rules should not be over-complicated or burdensome.
The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) described their current accreditation process, which while thorough, does not involve a review of curriculum.
DWD currently reviews the following for [a school] accreditation:
*A program's financial solvency.
*The training facilities and equipment
*The instructors' qualific
ation records (i.e. whether each instructor has a four year degree and two years in the profession)
*The program's advertisements/representations for recruitment
*The program's 500 hour requirement
*The fees for the program (i.e. the DWD ensures there are no hidden fees)
*The maintenance of liability insurance for the students, staff, and public
*The availability of a refund policy
*Reviews any felony convictions of the owner.
The Subcommittee then reviewed the four areas in which they (The PLA) will enact rules:
- The form and manner of the licensure application (PLA will develop the actual application)
- The form and manner of the licensure renewal application
- The minimum training and standards for massage therapy schools
- Continuing education hours
Part of the meeting focused on the curriculum of massage therapy schools. The General Counsel for the PLA, Mike Minglin, has determined that the Rules Subcommittee/Board can establish curriculum requirements under their general rule-making authority. It was also noted that the Subcommittee should consider referencing recognized curriculum standards, rather than "recreating the wheel", as the MT Board does not have the cap
acity to review each school's curriculum. The Subcommittee Board Member, Matt Brannon, agreed with Minglin.
Two schools were there, one explained that the MBLex curriculum requirements could serve as a good standard for the rules, since all MT students would eventually have to take the MBLex exam. The MBLex outline could therefore be the minimum requirement, and schools could teach above and beyond, if desired. There was general consensus with this recommendation.
The discussion then briefly turned to continuing education. One subcommittee member would like to
mandate one hour of jurisprudence per cycle (i.e. all MT's would have to review Indiana's rules and regulations), the PLA staff questioned the board member on how that could be implemented. The ABMP representative suggested the Subcommittee look at the Wisconsin regulation, which lists which CEs will be accepted, rather than getting too in the weeds with requirements. The Wisconsin regulation can be found at the following link:
Note:
everything discussed is preliminary and won't become official rules until the governor signs off on their plan.
