Board of Massage Therapy

Description

The mandate of the Board of Massage is to protect the public's health and safety and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional healthcare providers under its jurisdiction. The board accomplishes this mandate through a variety of activities working with the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance division.

Board duties include:

• Establishing qualifications for minimal competency to grant or deny licensure of massage therapists.
• Define, evaluate, approve and designate schools, programs, and apprenticeship programs including all current and proposed curriculum, faculty, and health, sanitation and facility standards from which graduation will be accepted as proof of an applicant's eligibility to take the licensing examination.
• Review approved schools and programs periodically.
• Determine which states have educational and licensing requirements equivalent to those of this state.
• Establish by rule the standards and procedures for approving courses of study and may contract with individuals or organizations having expertise in the profession or in education to assist in evaluation courses of study.

Qualifications

The board is made up of five licensed massage therapists, one massage educator or massage school owner and one public member, all appointed by the governor. The professional members must have been in the practice of massage for at least three years immediately preceding appointment and shall at all times during their terms remain a Washington state licensed massage therapist. All members must be Washington residents.

Public member qualifications:

• Their occupation does not include the administration of health activities or the provision of health services;
• Has no material financial interest in the provision of health care services.

Massage education or massage school owner qualifications:

• Have at least three years' experience in the teaching or administration of direct student learning of the practice of massage;
• Is not required to be a licensed massage therapist.

Board participation expectation guidelines

The following expectation guidelines are intended to serve as a reference for current members and for prospective appointees of the board:

• Attend regular board meetings and a Department of Health one-day board, commission, committee conference.
• Prepare for all meetings by reading materials sent one to two weeks in advance of the scheduled meeting date. The packets take an average of two to four hours to read prior to each business meeting. Assist newly appointed board members as necessary.

Total annual time commitment

• Meetings/Conferences: About six days per year
• Meeting preparation: Two to four hours per meeting

Performance guidelines for newly appointed board members

Attend an initial orientation about the board presented by Department of Health staff. This is about half a day in length. Initial orientation outlines the legal authority of the board, the roles and responsibilities of board members, ethics, confidentiality, the legal liability of board members and the Department of Health, the organizational structure of the department, roles and responsibilities of department staff, staff attorneys and assistant attorneys general (AAGs), rule making and other issues.

• Attend committee meetings if necessary.
• Perform duties of current members.

Become a board, commission or committee member

Meeting information

2024

• July 19 (PDF)
• July 18 (PDF)
• June 13 (PDF)
• May 3 (PDF)
• March 15 (PDF)
• January 19 (PDF)

2023

• November 9 (PDF)
• September 22 (PDF)
• July 14 (PDF)
• June 27 (PDF)
• May 5 (PDF)
• March 21 (PDF)
• March 10 (PDF)
• January 6 (PDF)