It's All About the Curriculum at Vicars
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. That’s why it’s important that Vicars School is accredited by the CMTCA: you can trust that our curriculum will prepare you for a career anywhere.
Our grads are prepared for success from their very first day on the job, which is why they’re always in demand!
Why the curriculum matters
Although most reputable schools and colleges in Alberta offer a 2200-hour program, that is just a minimum standard.
A quality education is about more than measuring the length of a program, of course. What is important is what a school teaches and how well they do it.
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.
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
- You will 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.
- You begin to learn muscles, bony landmarks, medical terminology, and other biology fundamentals.
- In addition to the hands-on skills, you’ll start to study massage theory and ethics.
- Midway through your first year, you’ll start to treat real clients in our supervised clinics!
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-class clinics, and at special outreach events. This includes hands-on experience working with clients who have complex massage needs.
- Your scientific education will continue as you start to study pathology as well as anatomy.
- You’ll prepare for a career after graduation by studying business, including creating your own in-depth business plan.
- 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.
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 professional 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 any other school with CMTCA accreditation. 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.
