Massage therapist vs physical therapist

[calli4591]

I am wondering, is becoming a massage therapist good practice or a good foundation in the route of becoming a physical therapist?

I've noticed as I've been applying to jobs as PT aide, a lot of the requirements or qualifications listed wants their candidate to have experience in massage therapy and some even want their candidates to be licensed or have some experience as a personal trainer.

Will getting a massage therapy license give me an edge on landing a PT aide job? Since I don't have any experience as a PT aide?

Has anybody experience this?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[slow_twitch]

Honestly when I was an aide, I did have some hands on experience in the acute aide position but was never hands on in the outpatient setting except maybe to help stretch someone. I think that seems like a lot of money and time to get a massage certificate just to get an aide position. Just observe with PT's for 20-50 hours in various settings and work in another type of job to save money for school if the aide positions are making you get a massage therapy license/certification.

 

[PTtech0715]

Hi there. That seems a little strange that a PT aide job application is seeking LMT certification. PT aides don't generally don't provide soft tissue / manual work to patients. PTAs on the other hand (physical therapist ASSISTANTS) can provide soft tissue treatments under the supervision of a physical therapist.

I've worked as an aide/tech in both inpatient and outpatient PT, and I never once did anything similar to massage therapy! However, they may just want to hire someone with background in the MSK system in general... good luck!

 

[tiggerbackpack]

Some offices want a massage therapist that can also be an aide part time or cover when needed. At least that was the case with the physical therapy office I worked in.

 

[gotaspirations]

I am wondering, is becoming a massage therapist good practice or a good foundation in the route of becoming a physical therapist?

I've noticed as I've been applying to jobs as PT aide, a lot of the requirements or qualifications listed wants their candidate to have experience in massage therapy and some even want their candidates to be licensed.

Will getting a massage therapy license give me an edge on landing a PT aide job?

Has anybody experience this?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I think that you're learn a lot about the human body as a massage therapist which would be really helpful.

And I'm pretty certain that the requirements for PT aide jobs lists their candidate to have experience is massage therapy, because as a licensed massage therapist, you can legally do certain exercises/massages with them.

If you're going to get your massage therapy license, you might as well just practice massage and applying for schools, not as a bridge to be a PT aide. Massage therapy can give you a lot of experience in one aspect in PT which would make you a stronger candidate, and you can save up to pay off your loans that way. MT is flexible, so you can gain alternate experience whether in a wellness program, or working with other patient population.

 

[calli4591]

Some offices wants a massage therapist that can also be an aide part time or cover when needed. At least that was the case with the physical therapy office I worked in.

Do you think at your office setting gave the candidates an edge when applying for the PT aide position when they were licensed as a massage therapist? I don't have any experience as an aide so I'm on the bottom of the food chain to be honest


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[jonjesse]

Becoming a licensed massage therapist is significantly more work than becoming a PT aide. Unless you're truly interested in being a massage therapist don't bother. Many clinics simply hire one of their volunteers when they have an aide opening. I think your time would be better spent observing/volunteering in multiple settings. The majority of PT schools don't care if your hours are paid or unpaid, and if you volunteer long enough you'll find an opportunity to become an aide.

 

[tiggerbackpack]

Do you think at your office setting gave the candidates an edge when applying for the PT aide position when they were licensed as a massage therapist? I don't have any experience as an aide so I'm on the bottom of the food chain to be honest


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

To be honest being a massage therapist was not of any major benefit. My office was looking for more experienced aides at the time and if they did well during their "working interview" then they got the job.
That being said though different places have different expectations for aides. One place I was at I had no patient interactions and I was largely responsible for cleaning, laundry, and receptionist tasks. Another place I was responsible for taking patients through exercises, stretches, modalities, and receptionist duties. It really just depends on the setting.

 

[Anahata]

As mentioned by jonjesse, I wouldn't pursue massage therapy unless it's a career you're truly interested in getting into. The money you would make as a PT tech wouldn't offset the costs of MT school, yearly CEU courses to keep your MT license as well as insurance to allow you to practice. I recently got a part time job as a PT tech and I am a massage therapist of 14 years, and I make more money on the 2 days that I massage vs the 3 days as a PT tech.

If it weren't for the fact that I've started getting burnt out on massage and wanted a change of scenery, I would've continued doing PT observation. Save your time and money, you'll still benefit and learn from observations in multiple PT settings.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Cheezy89]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but the median salary for a massage therapist in my area is 54G. The median salary for a PT tech is 28G. @calli4591 it makes no sense to me to get a license in MT and work as a PT aide. Will they pay the same rate as a MT upon hiring? Beside as a PT-Aide, you legally cannot perform MT on any patient (at least in my state). Your job will really entail assisting patient with their exercises, laundry, scheduling, and maybe writing blogs or do social media marketing for that clinic. I think you should physically show up to a facility, ask if they offer job or internship and leave your resume. That would say more about your personality than via a digital platform.

 

[DesertPT]

Unless they are going to pay you the going rate for local LMT's in your area (which is undoubtedly a lot higher than for PT techs) I can't imagine why you would do that.

 

[FutureDrHippieBro]

Actually, I practiced as an LMT for three years before deciding to pursue PT (I'm starting in CUW's DPT program in less than a week). It baffles me that they would want you to have the education of a massage therapist for an aide position.

While I certainly don't think it should be a requirement, I will tell you how invaluable my experience as an LMT has been. An LMT isn't all that different from a PT, and truthfully, the APTA and the AMTA had to work very carefully to define their own limitations. Basically, the difference comes down to the fact that MTs cannot prescribe exercise, and a number of techniques are CEs, not built into the education.

The reason I decided to switch to PT is largely due to the limited scope of practice of MTs. Aaand the average career span of an MT is about 5 years, due to injury.

If you're interested in getting into massage therapy, stick with that. It's a great career! But I wouldn't invest that much more time and energy to obtain an aide position.

Best of luck on your journey!