Massage Therapist
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Job Description
Massage therapists use touch and therapeutic massage techniques on soft tissues and joints to improve circulation, relieve pain, and to facilitate the rehabilitation of injuries.
As a massage therapist, you’ll focus on providing comfort and relief to your clients while working flexible hours in a work environment built around tranquility.
Although there is limited advancement potential once massage therapists get into their field, the most successful find that building and maintaining a client base from the beginning is vitally important.
Advancement is possible through further mastery of the over 80 massage techniques available, making them a much more flexible and attractive candidate for positions in all manner of settings.
Duties / Responsibilities
Massage therapists are responsible for a wide array of elements regarding the physical health of their client base, including:
- Gathering information about the patient's medical history, current symptoms, methods that they have seen success from in the past, and their goals.
- Conducting physical evaluations of patients in order to locate and isolate areas of the body where pain or tension is originating.
- Providing their patients with accurate and comprehensive knowledge about what they can do on their own to relieve the pain or stress that they're feeling, including stretching, relaxation, and strengthening techniques.
- Keeping accurate patient records in order to track the status of their client's conditions and their path to recovery or relief.
- Manipulating muscles and soft tissue areas in order to provide treatment.
- Applying pressure to specific points on the body to provide relief.
- Treating patients both in the office and at other locations, including their place of work or residence, to ensure they are cared for.
- After evaluating patient conditions, developing a treatment plan on an individual basis to ensure that proper measures are taken with the patient's best interests in mind.
Skills
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Active Listening |
Must give full attention to what others are saying and respond in a constructive, helpful way. |
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Social Perceptiveness |
Understanding the reasons people make the decisions they do and how their behavior is affected by circumstances. |
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Empathy |
Be able to understand people and relate with them emotionally. |
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Speaking |
Must be able to convey information effectively and speak with people in a non-abrasive way. |
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Monitoring |
Keeping an eye on clients and gauging improvements or failures and correcting them. |
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Critical Thinking |
Identify strengths and weaknesses, come up with alternative plans and solutions. |
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Coordination |
Plan with other healthcare professional proper treatment plans. Adjust your plans to other plans. |
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Service-Oriented |
Must have a natural desire to improve the lives of others. |
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Persuasion |
Convince others to change their ways of thinking and lifestyles. |
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Problem Solving |
Work with individuals to develop treatment plans specific to them and adjust as necessary if it doesn't work. |
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Teaching |
Must be able to teach individuals how to learn new skill sets and develop new lifestyles. |
Working Conditions
Nearly half of massage therapists and build their own patient base to support themselves and their work. Typical work settings their found in include physician's offices, clinics, spas, hotels, fitness centers, and working out of their own homes.
However, working conditions for massage therapists can vary on an individual case. For example, those that work to relax their clients and relieve stress typically work in an environment designed for tranquility, including dimmed lights, soothing fragrances, and music.
Massage therapists that find themselves employed in a physician's office or clinic will likely work in an environment that is brightly lit and more oriented toward the patient's recovery from injury.
While considering massage therapist as a potential career, consider the working conditions of the environment in which you want to work and evaluate whether it's something you find attractive or not.
Salary Outlook
| Estimated Annual Salary | Average Hourly Wage | Positions Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| $44,480.00 | $21.38 | 168,800 |