The Vicars Curriculum
The Vicars curriculum is delivered in a carefully integrated hybrid, or blended-learning, format. Our grads are prepared for success from their very first day on the job, which is why they’re always in demand!
Alberta does not regulate the massage profession or massage education. This means the quality of the education that a student receives depends entirely on the integrity of the school they choose. Students can trust our curriculum because Vicars has full CMTCA accreditation.
Why the curriculum matters
In provinces where massage therapy is a provincially regulated profession, there is a mandatory curriculum standard that all colleges must meet. It has been developed by experienced massage professionals to ensure graduates have the skills and knowledge they need for a modern massage therapy career.Â
This approach to education creates better therapists, and better outcomes for clients.Â
Alberta is not regulated, and does not have a mandatory curriculum standard. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a nationally recognized massage education in Alberta! Vicars School is fully accredited by the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation. This is the same standard that is required in the regulated provinces.
Vicars graduates have the same high-quality education as RMTs in regulated provinces.
Because the Vicars program has the same, or higher, accreditation level as that of the approved BC programs, our graduates can apply directly to write the registration exams in BC without needing a prior learning assessment. They can also go to Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, or PEI—the other provinces where massage is regulated.
This saves our graduates time and money, and it’s an important acknowledgment of the quality of our program and the way it is delivered.
Accreditation matters for your career
What we teach and how we teach it
Vicars School was the first private career college in Alberta to earn the highest level of accreditation from Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation. The curriculum, and how it is delivered, is at the core of what the CMTCA looks for in awarding accreditation. If you are looking for a massage school, that is what you want to look for, too!
Year 1 Overview
- Your online education begins with Anatomy & Physiotherapy and continues with the study of massage theory and ethics. These courses are taught online.
- You begin to learn muscles and bony landmarks online and deeply reinforce this by your hands-on work in the classroom.
- You will first learn how to perform a safe and effective relaxation massage, using techniques that you will use throughout your career. You and your classmates will watch demonstrations and practice on each other in class, adding more advanced therapeutic assessment and treatment techniques as the year progresses.
- Midway through your first year, you’ll start gaining real-world experience by practicing your skills in clinical settings.
Year 2 Overview
- In your second year, you will learn how to treat a wide range of conditions, and perfect your assessment and treatment planning skills.
- You’ll continue to hone your skills in our supervised public clinics.
- In our in-class teaching clinics and outreach events, you will work with clients with the specific conditions you’re learning about online in Pathology.
- With your second-year case study assignment, you’ll do in-depth research on a condition of your choice, and plan and execute a long-term treatment plan with a real client. You’ll also prepare for your career by creating a business plan.
Accreditation is a rigorous test of the quality of a school’s curriculum, materials, instruction, services, and facilities. To earn full accreditation, Vicars School had to demonstrate that it meets the same high standards that programs follow in BC, Ontario, and other provinces where massage therapy education is regulated. The bottom line is how well a program prepares its graduates to be effective therapists from their first day at work!
If you are choosing a massage school, accreditation is the evidence you need that your training will lead to success!
Vicars School of Massage Therapy only offers a full-time, two-year diploma program. One-year programs don’t prepare people to be registered massage therapists. Vicars graduates have the academic and practical training to understand, assess, and safely treat a wide range of conditions, and they’re recognized by all major Alberta professional associations as well as professional colleges in regulated provinces.
Getting a Vicars diploma isn’t any harder than getting a diploma from another CMTCA-accredited program. Any CMTCA-accredited massage therapy program will have about the same learning goals and about the same number of hours required to meet those goals.
Programs that aren’t accredited tend to offer a less complete and well-rounded program, so they might be easier to get through. But the effort you’re saving isn’t worth it. Grads from accredited schools are the first choice of both employers and clients.
Yes. The supervised student clinical experience is one of the most important parts of your education. The hands-on practice that you get working in the teaching clinics will prepare you for a successful career.
The way the Vicars School curriculum works is that all the different elements—classroom, online, clinic—are fully integrated. What you study online is preparation for understanding the skills taught in class; the techniques that are introduced and practiced in class are put to work in the clinic, with the guidance of your supervisors who tie it all together!
Let’s Connect
Our friendly and knowledgeable admissions advisors will help you decide for yourself if Vicars school is a good fit for you.