Clinical massage could be an avenue of challenging and enriching employment for the massage therapist who would like to work in a more medically oriented environment. In this webinar you will learn: 1. First steps-what are they and how to take them 2. What are some of the stepping stones that could assist the start into the fast paced, and diverse field of hospitals, wellness centers, or doctor’s offices? 3. What are the some of the development skills or aspects of massage therapy that could be useful and a great addition to a medical practice? 4. How you can educate the medical professionals you MUST connect with Lisa will address these objectives and share some of her vast personal experience and reveal some of the ways in which massage therapists can create and maintain a clinical massage practice in their communities. Lisa Santoro is the founder of the massage program at the Center for Wellness in the University Health Services at Harvard University. She was the Director of Massage Training Programs at Boston Medical Center where she oversaw an Oncology Massage Training Program Internship in partnership with Cortiva-Boston massage school. Lisa is a long time instructor, massage therapist and certified lymphatic drainage specialist who recently moved to California. She will be starting a new clinical massage program at one of the San Francisco area hospitals focusing on people living with and surviving cancer.

1. Inspire U Webinar Series
Presented by
the Center for
Compassionate Touch LLC
tuesday, october 25, 2011
www.compassionate-touch.org
Tuesday, October 25, 11

2. STEPPING STONES
TO CREATING A CLINICAL MASSAGE
PROGRAM
Sponsored by
The Center for Compassionate Touch.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

3. What We’ll Talk About
¨ 1. First steps-what are they and how to take them
¨ 2. What are some of the stepping stones that could
assist the start into the fast paced, and diverse field
of hospitals, wellness centers, or doctor’s offices?
¨ 3.What are the some of the development skills or
aspects of massage therapy that could be useful and
a great addition to a medical practice?
¨ 4. How you can educate the medical professionals
you MUST connect with
Tuesday, October 25, 11

4. First Steps
¨ You know you want to work in the medical setting,
how do you start?
¤ Be specific: What population do you want to work with?
¤ If you don’t know, episodic volunteering is a great way
to explore.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

5. Who Do You Know?
¨ Network!
¤ Ask family, friends, colleagues if they know someone in the
facility you have your sights set on.
¤ Informational interviews are a great way to introduce
yourself.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

6. The Power of the Informational Interview
¨ Think about the interview or calling process as more about
them than about you.
¤ Real life example: “Hi my name is Lisa Santoro, and I’m
a massage therapist who focuses on working with
people who have cancer and cancer survivors. I heard
you have an integrative medicine program and would
like to take you out to lunch or coffee to hear more
about it.”
Vs.
“I have training in XYZ and I’d like to work in
hospitals, I’d like to find out more about how
I could get a job there…” etc.”
Tuesday, October 25, 11

7. Where Might You Work?
¨ Ask if you could take a tour of the facilities in your
informational interview. During the tour, notice who
is in charge? It’s not necessarily the person with the
title.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

8. Key Components a Medical Professional Will Want
#1 Component is:
¨ Trust: being able to speak on the subject with solid skills
behind you and with an educated presence helps the
medical world see your value.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

9. #2 Component is:
¨ Training
¤ Specialization is key—particularly for credentialing.
Take classes in the area you are interested in.
¤ We may know and love Tracy Walton, but some medical
professionals have no idea who she is. Saying, “I
specialize in Oncology Massage,” is better than saying,
“I studied with Tracy Walton.”
Tuesday, October 25, 11

10. Other Things You Must Know
¨ Medical terminology
¨ Knowledge of the research-proven
benefits of massage
¨ Comfortable knowledge of anatomy
and basic physiology
¨ SOAP charting
¨ Knowledge of indications and
contraindications
Tuesday, October 25, 11

11. Some suggestions from Dianne Polseno, President of
Cortiva-Boston:
¨ Professional demeanor in all ways
¨ Appropriate confidence
¨ Good communication
¨ Assertiveness
¨ Great team player
¨ Patience
¨ Persistence
¨ Healthy boundaries
¨ Ability to network
¨ Teaching skills (educating)
Tuesday, October 25, 11

12. You Have a Certification, Skills, and a Contact, Now What?
¨ DON’T CALL ON A MONDAY! Or a
Tuesday for that matter.
¤ After the weekend, staff will be busy
attending to patients’ needs.
¤ Wednesday or Thursday they’ll be
caught up and more likely to be able
to talk.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

13. Inform Yourself
¨ DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
Gather information from the
internet, the hospital’s website,
etc. to educate yourself on the
services offered by that hospital.
Know before you go!
Tuesday, October 25, 11

14. Nurses Rule!
¨ Know that nurses rule the clinical floors
¨ They appreciate what you do and repay your
kindness in many different ways—word of
mouth, access, introductions to doctors.
¨ Offer the nurses massage whenever you can.
They remember it and might give you the
break you’ve been waiting for.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

15. Also from Dianne Polseno:
¨ Use medical terminology, pronounce and spell words
correctly.
¨ Remember, you are the expert in massage therapy.
Don’t think you are inferior, or need to be
intimidated.
¨ Don’t use the word “only”, EVER (I’m only a massage
therapist)
¨ Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”
Tuesday, October 25, 11

16. Answer These Questions for Yourself
¨ What sparked your interest in a clinical
practice?
¨ Do you have enough training and
experience?
¨ Are you willing to spend the time and do
the work needed to create a place for a
clinical practice?
¨ Is your resume reflective of what you have
to offer?
Tuesday, October 25, 11

17. Some Work Relationships to Think About:
¨ Do the dirty work for the facility: figure out ahead
of time:
¨ a) where will you do your work?
b) what will be your status? Independent contractor?
Employee?
c) who will be paying you?
d) paperwork: forms, patient files, computer access
—if you don’t know this before you go, ask questions
about this when you have your informational
interview
Tuesday, October 25, 11

18. Some Helpful Hints on Getting a Buy-in
¨ Could you start a research project on the efficacy of
massage?
¨ Can there be an educational element to your
program such as teaching basic skills to nurses, or
volunteers?
Tuesday, October 25, 11

19. In Closing:
¨ You know what you know: feel confident in that.
¨ Know that they need us to help them in patient
satisfaction.
¨ Know your boundaries, and scope of practice and
make sure the professionals are aware of your
knowledge of these.
Tuesday, October 25, 11

20. Join us for our next Inspire U
Tuesday December 13, 2011 @ 8pm EST
We’ll be joined by Ruth
Werner~President of the
Massage Therapy Foundation
'Trends in massage research-
Where are we going?'
Tuesday, October 25, 11

21. Lisa Parenteau, BA, LMT
Ann Catlin, NCTMB, LMT, OTR
Marketing and Training Consultant
Owner and Director,
Center for Compassionate Touch LLC
Center for Compassionate Touch LLC
lisa@compassionate-touch.org
ann@compassionate-touch.org
617-797-7990
417-844-8514
Tuesday, October 25, 11