One of CMTBC’s strategic priorities for 2020 and beyond is the continued development and modernization of the standards of practice for massage therapy in BC. Following the introduction of the Boundaries Standard of Practice in 2018 and the Consent Standard of Practice in early 2019, CMTBC began development of a new Practice Setting Standard of Practice in mid-2019. The “practice setting” refers to the physical environment where the RMT delivers treatment and provides care to patients, as well as to the objects and equipment within that environment.

RMTs and public representatives on the Patient Relations Committee and the Quality Assurance Committee, assisted by staff, contributed to development of the standard, which was completed in draft form in early 2020. The unexpected emergence of COVID-19 necessitated temporarily setting aside work on practice standards so that the Interim Guidelines for Return to Practice could be developed and communicated. CMTBC has now resumed work on developing and updating standards of practice. On May 1, 2020, the CMTBC Board of Directors approved the proposed Practice Setting Standard for public release and comment.

Phase 2 of BC’s Restart Plan, which began on May 19, 2020, enabled RMTs’ return to practice, although under conditions not anticipated by the Practice Setting Standard. The additional requirements set out in CMTBC’s Interim Guidelines for Return to Practice address the public health requirements for safe practice under current conditions, which include the presence of COVID-19 in the community. The Application to Practice section of the Practice Setting Standard will include updated references to public health guidance when the practice standard is finalized.

CMTBC is releasing the proposed Standard today and it will be posted for eight weeks, until 11: 59 pm on July 28, 2020. CMTBC welcomes public and registrant feedback. All feedback received will be considered in finalization of the Practice Setting Standard.

Read the proposed Practice Setting Standard of Practice.

Please provide comments in an email to [email protected] by the deadline, July 28, 2020. CMTBC will acknowledge receipt of all comments received.

About CMTBC Standards of Practice

Standards of practice define:

• The minimum level of expected performance for RMTs; and
• What constitutes safe, ethical, and competent delivery of care by RMTs.

Under section 19 of the Health Professions Act, the CMTBC Board may establish “standards, limits or conditions” for practice as part of its Bylaws. Standards of practice developed prior to 2018 are contained in Schedule D of the CMTBC Bylaws. The proposed Practice Setting Standard is the third stand-alone Standard of Practice to be developed by the College.