32201 Massage therapists

What this occupation covers

Massage therapists assess soft tissues and joints of the body for treatment and prevention of dysfunction, injury, pain and physical disorders. They work in private practice, including group or team practices, hospitals, clinics, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres and educational institutions.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Assess clients by conducting range of motion and muscle tests and propose treatment plans
• Explain procedures, risks and benefits to clients
• Administer massage techniques, treating soft tissues and joints of the body through soft tissue manipulation, relaxation techniques, hydrotherapy, trigger point therapy, joint pain and lower grade mobilizations, remedial exercise programs and client self-help programs
• Suggest home care instructions and provide information about techniques for further postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation and rehabilitative exercises
• Maintain records of treatments given
• May consult with other health care professionals such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians and psychologists when developing treatment plans for clients.
• Massage therapists may be trained in various specialized massage techniques.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 7 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 32209 Other practitioners of natural healing
• 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
• 32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists

Excluded from this code

• Medical technologists and technicians (See 3212 Medical technologists and technicians)
• Other practitioners of natural healing (See 32209 Other practitioners of natural healing)
• Physiotherapy assistant (See 32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment)
• Technical occupations in therapy and assessment (See 3210 Technical occupations in therapy and assessment)
• Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists (See 32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

massage therapist (MT) · masso kinesitherapist · massotherapist · myotherapist · orthotherapist · registered massage practitioner · registered massage therapist (RMT) · Thai massage therapist

Employment requirements

• Massage therapists usually require completion of an 18- to 24-month or 18- to 36-month program in massage therapy from an accredited school and a period of supervised practical training.
• Registration with a regulatory body is required in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and British Columbia.