The Importance of the NCE
A Necessary Part of Evolving the Profession
By Whitney Lowe, NCTMB Chairman, National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, October/November 2002.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) is a nationally recognized credentialing body formed to set high standards for those who practice therapeutic massage and bodywork. It does this through a nationally recognized certification program that evaluates and attests to the core skills, abilities, knowledge and attributes expected of entry-level practitioners.
The National Certification Examination (NCE) is essential for the credibility of our industry. In order for the NCBTMB to administer the NCE, it must uphold the responsibility and strict compliance standards granted to any certifying organization "to evaluate the competence of practitioners on behalf of employers, agencies and consumers who pay for or require the services of the practitioners." While competency is a complex concept to define or measure, by using "state-of-the-art" psychometric principles, a thorough job task analysis, a structured prerequisite program and a well-designed examination in the formation of the NCE, NCBTMB can test the competency of each individual at the time the individual takes the exam. Maintaining competency is a lifelong challenge for every competent practitioner to perform work accurately and in the best interest of the consumer.
The development of the NCE is in strict compliance with the accreditation guidelines established by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association and the National Council for Measurement in Education), as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. Each of these organizations promulgates conventions that, in general, suggest a professional examination must reflect the practice and be supported through some type of research of the profession. From a competency standpoint, this is self-evident and only naively contested.
NCBTMB's job analyses are conducted through the cooperative efforts of NCBTMB and experts in the profession. These studies provide detailed descriptions of job-related tasks, the extent to which they are performed and their importance for entry-level practice. During NCBTMB's job analyses, a number of different methods are incorporated to maximize content validity for the examination. The concept of content-validity has to do with whether or not an examination accurately measures the appropriate domain of content associated with the inferences made using its scores. In other words, "Does the test measure what is being practiced?" And while we are not testing psychomotor skills, we are testing the skills actually needed to perform in our industry and backing this up with both quantitative and qualitative activities, which are conducted before, after and during the development of the NCE - e.g., focus groups, survey questionnaires, structural equation modeling, so that we can assure the individual has the bases to make important clinical decisions and provide safe, ethical practice to his/her clients.
Massage therapy and bodywork, as with any health practice, effectively combines science and art. The NCE does exactly what it needs to do by making sure all practitioners who take the exam have a specific body of knowledge rooted in the science aspect of our profession. To suggest we should systematize the "art" of massage therapy by testing competency in communication, business management or general rapport with clients takes away from each individual practitioner's uniqueness and infringes upon the school's ability to prepare students for these aspects of our profession. Furthermore, these issues are covered by NCBTMB by requiring practitioners to uphold its Standards of Practice and follow its Code of Ethics as part of the credentialing process.
No recognized professional credentialing examination in any field (accounting, law, medicine, etc.) can assure clients you have the best "bedside manner."
Rather, these examinations can assure clients the practitioner has met the highest standard available in his/her profession by passing a competency examination rooted in the core components of his/her field. Most programs also require professionals ascribe to the profession's code of ethics and standards. It is this competency and adherence to ethics upon which many of us base our "buying" decision when selecting a professional to provide services, not his or her communication or business management skills.
In a world where there is still some mistrust and skepticism about the legitimacy of massage therapy and bodywork as a health practice, having a national examination, rooted in the scientific aspects of the profession, is more in tune with consumer needs and provides the right public value. The public looks to the NCBTMB to provide this assurance and we take this aspect of our role in the industry very seriously. In order to uphold this public trust, we must be able to assure them that the NCE is rooted in the right balance of prerequisites. Requiring 500 hours of formal therapeutic massage and/or bodywork education and adherence to the NCBTMB Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, is not to simplify things administratively, rather it is to provide the assurance the public seeks from NCBTMB prior to getting massage or bodywork services.
By adhering to these strict standards, the NCBTMB can also assure the health care industry that massage and bodywork professionals should have a place in the health care system and that our industry practitioners' education and training is rooted in the scientific aspects of our profession. By providing this evidence through the NCE process, practitioners who wish to integrate their services within a medical model are well-trained, certified and capable of doing so. Many spas and other "non-medical" employers are also looking for this level of competence and assurance in the professionals they hire and the NCE equips practitioners to perform within these settings, too. When faced between hiring one of two strong candidates who have equal rapport with consumers, most employers will give the position to the one who is nationally certified, because the certification demonstrates the candidates' high level of commitment to the industry and his/her competency to deliver services. The uncertified practitioner offers none of these assurances to employers. Further-more, the national portability of the NCTMB credential is extremely useful to practitioners and employers making it all the more valuable for employment and career advancement.
NCBTMB's prerequisite and testing structure also assures states and local regulatory bodies that use of the NCE in part or in whole for their state rules or statutes meets a rigorous standard of competency for those practicing within their jurisdiction. These employers and agencies are also relieved of the administrative burden of making their own evaluation that is legally defensible.
Because the NCE is deeply rooted by psychometric principles, a thorough job task analysis and a structured prerequisite program, it is legally defensible. This value of the NCE is extremely important and is often overlooked. Today more than ever, courts are using certified guidelines as the force of law. It is also the reason why the NCBTMB must continually update the NCE and make sure new practices based on the best science available are incorporated into the NCE and that this new science-based training becomes the guidelines for certification to help protect consumers, employers and practitioners.
In order to assure that the NCE accurately reflects the needs of the industry and maintains its legally defensible position, the NCBTMB announced in June 2002 that it would be developing two new credentials, one in entry-level massage therapy and one for advanced practice in massage therapy. In addition, NCBTMB will begin researching the feasibility of developing a bodywork specific certification program for bodywork practitioners. Into 2003 and beyond, NCBTMB will continue to offer its current combined entry-level certification in massage therapy and bodywork using the NCE, for which it is conducting its third job analysis study.
The NCE is an important and necessary part of our evolving industry. By making sure the NCE is rooted in the essential components to offer competency, the NCBTMB is uniquely capable to provide the assurances the public demands and therefore the NCE serves exactly the purpose it was intended to serve.
Whitney Lowe is chairman of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) is a nationally recognized credentialing body formed to set high standards for those who practice therapeutic massage and bodywork. It does this through a nationally recognized certification program that evaluates and attests to the core skills, abilities, knowledge and attributes expected of entry-level practitioners.
The National Certification Examination (NCE) is essential for the credibility of our industry. In order for the NCBTMB to administer the NCE, it must uphold the responsibility and strict compliance standards granted to any certifying organization "to evaluate the competence of practitioners on behalf of employers, agencies and consumers who pay for or require the services of the practitioners." While competency is a complex concept to define or measure, by using "state-of-the-art" psychometric principles, a thorough job task analysis, a structured prerequisite program and a well-designed examination in the formation of the NCE, NCBTMB can test the competency of each individual at the time the individual takes the exam. Maintaining competency is a lifelong challenge for every competent practitioner to perform work accurately and in the best interest of the consumer.
The development of the NCE is in strict compliance with the accreditation guidelines established by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association and the National Council for Measurement in Education), as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures. Each of these organizations promulgates conventions that, in general, suggest a professional examination must reflect the practice and be supported through some type of research of the profession. From a competency standpoint, this is self-evident and only naively contested.
NCBTMB's job analyses are conducted through the cooperative efforts of NCBTMB and experts in the profession. These studies provide detailed descriptions of job-related tasks, the extent to which they are performed and their importance for entry-level practice. During NCBTMB's job analyses, a number of different methods are incorporated to maximize content validity for the examination. The concept of content-validity has to do with whether or not an examination accurately measures the appropriate domain of content associated with the inferences made using its scores. In other words, "Does the test measure what is being practiced?" And while we are not testing psychomotor skills, we are testing the skills actually needed to perform in our industry and backing this up with both quantitative and qualitative activities, which are conducted before, after and during the development of the NCE - e.g., focus groups, survey questionnaires, structural equation modeling, so that we can assure the individual has the bases to make important clinical decisions and provide safe, ethical practice to his/her clients.
Massage therapy and bodywork, as with any health practice, effectively combines science and art. The NCE does exactly what it needs to do by making sure all practitioners who take the exam have a specific body of knowledge rooted in the science aspect of our profession. To suggest we should systematize the "art" of massage therapy by testing competency in communication, business management or general rapport with clients takes away from each individual practitioner's uniqueness and infringes upon the school's ability to prepare students for these aspects of our profession. Furthermore, these issues are covered by NCBTMB by requiring practitioners to uphold its Standards of Practice and follow its Code of Ethics as part of the credentialing process.
No recognized professional credentialing examination in any field (accounting, law, medicine, etc.) can assure clients you have the best "bedside manner."
Rather, these examinations can assure clients the practitioner has met the highest standard available in his/her profession by passing a competency examination rooted in the core components of his/her field. Most programs also require professionals ascribe to the profession's code of ethics and standards. It is this competency and adherence to ethics upon which many of us base our "buying" decision when selecting a professional to provide services, not his or her communication or business management skills.
In a world where there is still some mistrust and skepticism about the legitimacy of massage therapy and bodywork as a health practice, having a national examination, rooted in the scientific aspects of the profession, is more in tune with consumer needs and provides the right public value. The public looks to the NCBTMB to provide this assurance and we take this aspect of our role in the industry very seriously. In order to uphold this public trust, we must be able to assure them that the NCE is rooted in the right balance of prerequisites. Requiring 500 hours of formal therapeutic massage and/or bodywork education and adherence to the NCBTMB Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, is not to simplify things administratively, rather it is to provide the assurance the public seeks from NCBTMB prior to getting massage or bodywork services.
By adhering to these strict standards, the NCBTMB can also assure the health care industry that massage and bodywork professionals should have a place in the health care system and that our industry practitioners' education and training is rooted in the scientific aspects of our profession. By providing this evidence through the NCE process, practitioners who wish to integrate their services within a medical model are well-trained, certified and capable of doing so. Many spas and other "non-medical" employers are also looking for this level of competence and assurance in the professionals they hire and the NCE equips practitioners to perform within these settings, too. When faced between hiring one of two strong candidates who have equal rapport with consumers, most employers will give the position to the one who is nationally certified, because the certification demonstrates the candidates' high level of commitment to the industry and his/her competency to deliver services. The uncertified practitioner offers none of these assurances to employers. Further-more, the national portability of the NCTMB credential is extremely useful to practitioners and employers making it all the more valuable for employment and career advancement.
NCBTMB's prerequisite and testing structure also assures states and local regulatory bodies that use of the NCE in part or in whole for their state rules or statutes meets a rigorous standard of competency for those practicing within their jurisdiction. These employers and agencies are also relieved of the administrative burden of making their own evaluation that is legally defensible.
Because the NCE is deeply rooted by psychometric principles, a thorough job task analysis and a structured prerequisite program, it is legally defensible. This value of the NCE is extremely important and is often overlooked. Today more than ever, courts are using certified guidelines as the force of law. It is also the reason why the NCBTMB must continually update the NCE and make sure new practices based on the best science available are incorporated into the NCE and that this new science-based training becomes the guidelines for certification to help protect consumers, employers and practitioners.
In order to assure that the NCE accurately reflects the needs of the industry and maintains its legally defensible position, the NCBTMB announced in June 2002 that it would be developing two new credentials, one in entry-level massage therapy and one for advanced practice in massage therapy. In addition, NCBTMB will begin researching the feasibility of developing a bodywork specific certification program for bodywork practitioners. Into 2003 and beyond, NCBTMB will continue to offer its current combined entry-level certification in massage therapy and bodywork using the NCE, for which it is conducting its third job analysis study.
The NCE is an important and necessary part of our evolving industry. By making sure the NCE is rooted in the essential components to offer competency, the NCBTMB is uniquely capable to provide the assurances the public demands and therefore the NCE serves exactly the purpose it was intended to serve.
Whitney Lowe is chairman of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.
