I am a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), which means that I have completed a 3,000 hour training program at the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in Victoria, British Columbia.

Qualification for the RMT designation is an involved process.  Upon graduation from the Massage Therapy program, students must sit two days of board exams.  The written examination is a comprehensive 3-part exam.  Upon successful completion of the written exam, the last step in the examination process is the oral-practical exam.  The exams are set by the College of Massage Therapist’s of British Columbia (CMTBC), the regulatory body, governed by the Health Professionals Act of British Columbia.

The academic side of the course is exhaustive, comprising everything from basic anatomy to the how the body works on a microscopic, biochemistry level. This knowledge is what differentiates the BC massage therapy program from most other massage therapy courses.

While attending school, through our clinic practicum, I gained specific experience working with the following:

Elderly: working with the residents at:
• Mount St. Mary’s Extended Care Facility
• Beacon Hill Villa Residential Care Facility
• Luther Court Extended Care Facility
• Pregnancy
• Fibromyalgia
• Parkinson’s
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis, and other forms of arthritis

In addition, I volunteered my massage skills at several sporting events around Victoria:

• Canadian Women’s National Championship Rugby Tournament
• Victoria Dragon Boat Festival
• HBC Run for Canada
• Salmon Kings Hockey Team
• Bastion Square Cycling Grand Prix
• 24-Hour Easter Seal Relay

Upon completion of my graduation from WCCMT in December 2005, I have been employed at the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Spa and Resort in Victoria, and at the Yellow Point Lodge in Ladysmith.

Opening my own clinic (JEM Massage Therapy) is a dream finally realized.