The Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) is a not-for-profit education accreditation organization founded in 2015. CMTCA is focussed on ensuring that high-quality and consistent massage therapy education is available across Canada.
CMTCA is proud to announce that, as of March 1, 2022, CMTCA will expand the availability of accreditation services to include education programs in all provinces and territories.
This is made possible by implementing a new fee schedule which considers provincial funding differences.
In British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, members of the massage therapy profession financially contribute to CMTCA’s accreditation program via their regulatory colleges. The cost of accreditation is shared between the members of the profession and the education programs seeking accreditation.
The goal of the CMTCA has always been to offer accreditation services to education programs in all provinces and territories. On February 1st, 2019, CMTCA had to make the difficult decision to suspend accreditation services in provinces where member contributions were inequitable across provinces. The CMTCA Board of Directors is happy to announce that accreditation services will once again be offered to education programs in all of Canada’s provinces and territories. CMTCA has determined appropriate fees to equitably represent the cost of accreditation in provinces and territories where membership fees are not collected by their respective provincial association(s) or regulator. CMTCA feels privileged to now be able to invite any education program in Canada to apply for accreditation.
There are several programs that applied to become accredited with CMTCA prior to February 1, 2019. CMTCA honoured their applications and gave them the option of proceeding with the accreditation process at a fee that was higher than in other provinces. It is clear now, however, that the fee chosen at that time does not adequately represent the cost of accreditation. A one-year transition period is being provided to these programs, after which their fees will increase to match their provincial counterparts. CMTCA would like to commend these programs on their long-term dedication to quality improvement through accreditation.
CMTCA looks forward to welcoming applications from new education programs from across Canada and to working with all programs striving to achieve or maintain accreditation. CMTCA staff are always happy to talk about accreditation, and no question is to big or small. Contact us today to start the conversation.
What makes CMTCA’s accreditation process so impactful?
The focus of CMTCA accreditation is truly on supporting education program quality improvement – quality improvement informs everything CMTCA does.
Each education program is paired with a knowledgeable CMTCA accreditation specialist – and their support is available throughout the accreditation process from application on.
CMTCA accreditation reviewers, or surveyors, receive extensive training which includes practice and mentorship – they are subject matter experts in both massage therapy education and accreditation.
Our site reviews include interaction with many more people than traditional document-based assessment methods. Less documentation, more conversation!
After site visits, programs often express their appreciation for the supportive nature of the process and its influence on program quality improvement.
The impact of the CMTCA “seal of accreditation” cannot be underestimated: it can help your program attract students and promote graduate employment.