During his undergraduate degree, Jeff saw first-hand the benefit of massage therapy, paired with physiotherapy, to athletic recovery. When he was looking to study massage, WCCMT’s stellar reputation stood out. We talk to Jeff about his experience at WCCMT below:
Why did you decide to get involved in massage?
I had always been interested in massage, but it took me a while to seriously consider it. I had been directing myself towards physiotherapy during my undergrad degree and decided to switch paths. I was able to take a class at UBC where I was paired as an athletic trainer with one of the varsity athletics teams, and while all the athletes had free access to physio, a few of the athletes also had access to massage through their own medical plans. I was amazed how much faster the recovery was (with comparable injuries) when some of the athletes had both physio and massage instead of just one therapy modality. That definitely caught my attention, and got me thinking about the place massage has in the world of physical therapies.
What made you choose WCCMT to study massage?
Despite the fact that this campus was pretty inconvenient for me, the school had a good reputation and an established program. There were a bunch of options, but the other major school I was considering looked awesome, but hadn’t graduated a class yet at that time. I appreciated the history of success with WCCMT.
What do you enjoy most about the program?
I think the best thing about WCCMT was the quality of instruction. I found this program very challenging, and the only way we got where we did by the end was due to fantastic teachers. I have a lot of post-secondary experience, and the instructors here were simply outstanding. They took the extra time to make sure we understood, really went above and beyond to try to make us better therapists.
How did you get involved as a student therapist?
I was able to get involved in many community outreach programs through the practicums, which is part of our clinical hours, such as friends for life, multiple sclerosis in reach, GF Strong rehabilitation and UBC athletics. However, if you mean outside of academics… I was one of the student representatives for our class which communicated with the administration and was one of the Valedictorians of our class. I was able to win a scholarship from massage addict for excellence in massage therapy/community involvement, 3rd place in the yearly province-wide case study competition, and the Harry Goldstein award for leadership in the classroom. Outside of school, I managed to continue coaching children’s volleyball in my community and stayed involved with the players committee that helps out with the pro beach volleyball tournaments that happen in town.
What do you hope to do after you graduate?
I have recently graduated and have loved the opportunity to get more fresh air and sleep! I took the first few weeks to sleep, hike, and exercise, and now I’m back at it again. I’m currently working with Fairmont Pacific Rim, coaching kids beach volleyball, and studying for the upcoming board exams that will be taking place in September.
Thanks for answering our questions, Jeff!
Since our interview, Jeff passed his exams and officially became a RMT! He has continued practicing at the Pacific Rim, and has decided to take several short term locums in clinical settings to gain a feel for which kinds of clinical environments he enjoys. It’s helpful to ask questions to different practitioners, see the way different clinics operate, all while helping them maintain their patients. He hopes to gain clinical experience through the year and start a more consistent split practice in the fall.
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