American Massage Therapy Association^®

AMTA Top News Stories of 2005

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• AMTA Elects National Board Officers, Members-At-Large
• AMTA’s Consumer Education segment featured on Dish Network
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• AMTA Responds to Hurricane Katrina
  -AMTA Initiates Hurricane Katrina Relief Plan
  -AMTA Response to Hurricane Katrina
  -AMTA Begins Sending Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding Kits
• Annual Consumer Survey Shows Massage Therapy Grows In Popularity
• 2005 Consumer Survey Fact Sheet
• Massage Therapists Hold Annual National Convention In Albuquerque, New Mexico
• AMTA introduces National Sponsorship Program

• South Dakota Massage Therapists Successfully Guide Bill into Law
      *Questions, Answers and Facts about Licensure in South Dakota
  
• Georgia is 35th State to Regulate Massage Therapy
• Nevada is 36th State to Regulate Massage Therapy

Continuing Education Credits Available Online on AMTA website

Building on its national renown as an education provider, AMTA put a number of projects into development in the second half of the year to offer massage therapists a variety of practice and business resources at their fingertips. AMTA's strategic focus of "Continuing Education, Continuing Excellence" gains expression via a new web page, the Center for Continuing Education, that links professionals to special discounts on books and other media from a variety of publishers specializing in massage and bodywork, to onsite meeting and other educational resources, and to a catalog of online training courses.

Affordable and accessible to anyone with a computer, the Online Training portal courses are meant to supplement hands-on learning and offer an alternative for anyone unable to take education in person. As a special benefit to members, starting with the Winter 2006 issue distributed in November 2005, they are able to read a new course featured each quarter in AMTA's MTJ (Massage Therapy Journal), then go directly to the online version at www.amtaonlinetraining.org to review content and earn a certificate of completion.

2005 Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program

AMTA’s 2005 Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program (CVOP) was a huge success. From July 7-10, 82 volunteers from 49 chapters visited Evanston, Illinois to better understand their roles and responsibilities as AMTA chapter volunteers.

Participants helped develop the curriculum over several months of input. In Friday’s sessions, CVOP attendees learned about association basics, legal and financial obligations, and risk management. On Saturday, they engaged in facilitated discussions on board development, budgeting processes, communication skills and ways to partner with other chapters to improve upon chapter programs.

There were opportunities for participants to explore programs and subjects in-depth, according to the needs of their chapters. There was a program fair, which gave attendees a chance to network with their colleagues. Consultants and AMTA staff were on hand to answer questions on topics such as legal obligations, insurance, the Council of Schools, the Government Relations Program, AMTA Position Statements and chapter programs. Representatives of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, the AMTA Foundation and the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation were also present.

Many attendees stated that CVOP would help them and their chapter boards and enhance their ability to serve its members. This year’s CVOP will be held in Evanston from July 13-July 16, 2006.

AMTA’s Find a Massage Therapist Inquiries up 130%

In 2005, inquiries to AMTA’s Find a Massage Therapist national locator service nearly doubled those of 2004 and have quadrupled since 2003.  The service has more than 546,000 users compared to 230,000 the previous calendar year.

The service directs potential massage clients to contact information about AMTA Professional members, through search by zip code, types of massage practiced and other criteria.  More than 90% of inquiries were searches through AMTA’s online version of the service. 

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