This November, our Giving Clinics raised funds for two important Alberta organizations that support people with disabilities in living full and healthy lives. In Calgary, we raised $740 for the Calgary SCOPE Society. In Edmonton, $705 were raised for Robin Hood Association (RHA), a partnership that has been instrumental in our students’ education for over a decade.
While we carefully select all our Giving Clinic recipients, our partnership with RHA is a special one, providing our students with invaluable real-world experience.
A Partnership That Enriches Our Education
For over a decade, Vicars School students have had the privilege of working with RHA as a core part of our massage therapy curriculum.
Until 2020, our second-year classes in Edmonton visited RHA every year to treat their clients in special outreach clinics. This was an opportunity for our students to get practical experience working with people with specialized massage needs. Even after the pandemic changed on-site policies, the partnership has continued through events like treating athletes and volunteers at their annual Sledge Hockey Day.
“Robin Hood does such a beautiful job of creating community, and I’m so thankful that they invite us to be part of that as often as they do,” said Jaime De Groot, our Edmonton Clinic Coordinator. “It’s so wonderful for our students to be able to get to work with all types of clients, especially those who maybe communicate differently or experience life differently than they do.”
Why This Hands-On Experience is Essential
This work with RHA is a key example of the hands-on, supervised experience that is fundamental to a Vicars education. Students participate in special clinic events throughout the program, working with a wide range of clients in diverse settings.
We conduct outreach clinics at seniors centres, sports events, and even the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary. We also host on-campus clinics exclusively for people with specific conditions and complex massage needs, such as clients with brain and spinal cord injuries, fibromyalgia, developmental disabilities, joint replacements, scoliosis, and TMJD.
This hands-on, supervised experience is essential to our students’ education. It helps prepare them for the wide variety of clients and settings they’ll encounter in their careers.
“It’s really valuable for our students to get to work with clients from diverse backgrounds and with diverse health histories while they’re still in a supportive environment, with a faculty member there alongside them,” explained De Groot. “It’s about giving our clients experience working with specific physical conditions, but it’s also about teaching them to adapt their massages and client care for everyone.”
She adds, “Client-centred care is really the heart of everything that we do as massage therapists. So the wider the array of clients that you’re exposed to as a student, the better a therapist you’re going to become.
Experience the Vicars Difference
This commitment to client-centred care is what defines a Vicars-trained RMT. We welcome everyone—all ages and all bodies—to experience this care firsthand.
“We’re well equipped to treat all clients on campus, including clients with a range of mobility concerns,” said De Groot. “We’re wheelchair-accessible in Edmonton and Calgary and are able to make specific accommodations to meet our clients’ needs.”
Learn more about our special conditions clinics and get on the mailing list for Edmonton and Calgary or book a massage at our regular public clinics to experience the difference for yourself.
About Vicars School Giving Clinics
Our Giving Clinic program is a reflection of our values as a school and is our way of giving back to the communities we love. Each month, we dedicate one student clinic day in Edmonton and one in Calgary to a cause that aligns with our values. On these days, 100% of student massage fees are donated to the chosen organizations. We schedule Giving Clinics on high-demand days to maximize the impact of our donations.
Help boost the impact of our giving clinics by booking a massage, by telling a friend about our clinics, or by supporting the organizations directly.
