21 NCAC 30 .0620 PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Pursuant to G.S. 90-631(1), programs shall meet the following requirements:

(1) A school shall develop and adhere to a set of educational objectives that describe the intended skills, knowledge, and attitudes that the program is designed to develop in the student by the completion of the program;

(2) The program shall have a core curriculum of at least 500 classroom hours of supervised instruction. The core curriculum shall contain the following hours of specific course work that are consistent with the school's mission and educational objectives:

(a) 200 hours in the fundamental theory and practice of massage and bodywork therapy that is designed to produce comprehensive entry-level skills in the application of direct manipulation to the soft tissues of the human body, and is based in therapeutic methods consistent with the definition set forth in G.S. 90-622(3) such as Swedish massage, acupressure, shiatsu, deep muscle massage, trigger point therapy, and connective tissue bodywork. Of the 200 hours in this category, at least 100 hours shall be in the application of hands-on methods. The balance of the hours shall include client assessment skills, indications and contraindications for treatment, body mechanics, draping procedures, standard practices for hygiene and control of infectious diseases, and the history of massage and bodywork therapy;

(b) 100 hours in anatomy and physiology related to the practice of massage and bodywork therapy that shall include the structure and function of the human body and common pathologies;

(d) 15 hours in business management practices related to the practice of massage and bodywork therapy;

(e) 20 hours in psychological concepts related to the practice of massage and bodywork therapy, including dynamics of the client/therapist relationship, professional communication skills, the mind-body connection, and boundary functions;

(f) 150 hours in other courses related to the practice of massage and bodywork therapy. The courses may include additional hands-on techniques, specific applications, adjunctive modalities, in-depth anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, psychological concepts, or supervised clinical practice. First Aid or CPR shall not be included in this category. Techniques that are considered exempt from licensure pursuant to G.S. 90-624(6) or (7), and that are further defined by Rule .0203(a) constitute up to 50 hours of the 150 hours in this category.

(3) For programs that include a student clinic or fieldwork experiential component, the hours shall not exceed 100 hours of the minimum requirement set forth in Sub-item (2)(f) of this Rule. All work shall be in the presence of and directly supervised and evaluated by an instructional staff member;

(4) For programs that include an externship component, the hours shall not be included in the requirements set forth in Item (2) of this Rule, and shall not comprise more than 20 percent of the total program hours. All work at the externship site shall be supervised by a person at the externship site who is acceptable to the school, and shall be monitored and evaluated by the school;

(5) The program shall provide curriculum hours that allow its graduates to meet the minimum eligibility requirements for at least one of the competency assurance examinations that are approved by the Board as meeting the licensure requirement set forth in G.S. 90-629(5) and Rule .0201(a)(15);

(6) Programs shall consist of a series of courses that are organized in a logical sequence, and that are consistent with the educational objectives. Sequential organization means that within a course, each class prepares students for the next class. Material shall not be not presented unless students have the necessary skills and knowledge to utilize that material;

(7) Course titles shall match the content of the course; published course descriptions shall reflect the specific learning objectives of each course; and sufficient hours shall be allotted to each course to allow students to gain competence in the subject areas covered;

(8) A course curriculum shall be developed for each course that shows the basic content of each individual class in the course in the sequence presented;

(9) Course requirements and competencies shall be consistent from instructor to instructor. Teaching materials, including lesson plans for every class taught, shall be developed and maintained for each course to ensure consistency. Teaching methods shall be appropriate to course content, and to diverse learning styles;

(10) Programs shall be at least 24 weeks in length, with no more than nine instructional hours in one day. There shall be no more than two hours of instruction without a break. There shall be no more than four hours of instruction without a meal break;

(11) For a student to receive credit in a course, the student shall attend 75 percent of the instructional hours of the course. The student shall also make up missed instructional hours to equal no less than 98 percent of the instructional hours in the course according to the procedures established by the school;

(12) A syllabus shall be developed for each course and provided to students prior to the beginning of instruction. The syllabus shall include the following elements:

(a) course title;

(b) course description;

(d) teaching methodologies;

(e) total number of instructional hours;

(f) meeting dates and class times;

(g) assignments;

(h) textbooks;

(i) evaluation methods;

(j) quiz and examination dates; and

(k) performance standards.

(13) For post-secondary institutions, courses that fulfill the requirements set forth in Item (2) of this Rule shall support the program in massage and bodywork therapy. Courses in addition to these requirements may include courses from other departments or programs that are relevant to the practice of massage and bodywork therapy; and

(14) For classes that involve hands-on practice, the student to instructor ratio shall not exceed 16 to 1. Both instructors and teaching assistants, as defined in Rule .0612 of this Section, shall be considered in calculating these ratios.

History Note: Authority G.S. 90-626(9); 90-631;

Eff. October 1, 2007;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. November 12, 2014;

Amended Eff. April 1, 2017.