I have been involved with Massage Therapy education and helping graduates get licensed in the United States since 2008. States have different clock-hour requirements, and some states offer different tiers of licensure based on additional criteria. One of the states that has offered different tiers of licensure is the state of Maryland.
Maryland has offered a two-tiered massage credential since I got involved in the industry: the Registered Massage Practitioner (RMP) and the Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT). The difference between the RMP and the LMT was based on the applicants’ additional completed college courses (outside of their massage therapy education) and the types of courses taken.
Up until September 30, 2022, both the RMP and LMT designation required a minimum of 600 clock hours for the massage training. The LMT designation also required an additional 60 college credits outside of the applicants’ massage education, 30 of the college credits were to be from a health or science-related discipline.
On October 1, 2022, Senate Bill 37/House Bill 220 was enacted in Maryland, making several changes to the Maryland Massage Therapy Act. The new law changed the requirements to become a full LMT to 750 clock-hours and did away with the additional college courses requirement. The bill did also stipulate that “On or after October 1, 2023, the Board may not issue an initial registration to practice as a Registered Massage Practitioner (RMP).”
On February 23, 2023, the Maryland State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners sent notice to all Maryland Massage Therapy Education Programs that the Board would no longer issue RMPs after September 30, 2023. This notice ended the RMP program in the state and put schools on notice that all Massage Therapy programs that serve Maryland students would need to move to a 750-hour minimum requirement for their graduates to be able to get their massage license in Maryland after September 30, 2023.
I am very pleased to report that our new 750-hour program has been approved by both the state (SCHEV) and our accrediting agency (COMTA). We will be able to continue to serve the students in the greater DC metropolitan area with our comprehensive Massage Therapy program, and graduates of our program will be able to get licensed in the state or district of their choice!
To learn more about our award-winning Massage school in Vienna, VA, and to explore your opportunities to join this amazing profession, please visit our website at www.ambi.edu today!
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