If you have been exploring Registered Massage Therapy as a potential career, you have perhaps heard the expression of ‘board exams’ being mentioned by RMT’s or students in an RMT program.  So if you are wondering what, exactly, board exams are, we would like to take the opportunity to explain what they are, why they are important, and who needs to write them.

Registered Massage Therapists are Health Care professionals that have completed an accredited program of study and have successfully completed a series of examinations with the regulatory body of massage therapy, the CMTBC (College of Massage Therapists of BC).  The CMTBC is responsible for public safety and regulates the profession of massage therapy in BC.  They are delegated as the governing body for the profession by the provincial government and are responsible for determining that everyone who is a member of the profession is duly qualified and can competently deliver safe, ethical, and effective treatment for members of the public.

The collective of exams that are given to eligible candidates by the CMTBC are formally known as Registration Examinations and are what are colloquially referred to as ‘board exams’ within the industry.  The process by which a graduate from an RMT program becomes a Registered Massage Therapist is by successfully completing these exams and thereby becoming a registrant with the CMTBC and given the designation of an RMT.  CMTBC Registration exam sittings are held 2 times per year, once in the early Spring, and once in the Fall.

The 3 components of the exams that a candidate must undertake include the following:

1. A written exam that tests their knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology and the way in which that theoretical knowledge is applied to assessment, treatment, and remedial exercise.
2. A written exam that tests their knowledge of the Laws and Ethics of the profession.
3. A Performance-Based assessment requires the candidates to put the cumulative total of the skills they have acquired throughout their program to demonstrate their competence in performing those skills on common conditions RMT’s would see in their practice. To successfully complete the registration exams, candidates are required to achieve a passing score of 70% or higher in all 3 components of the exam process. If a candidate is unsuccessful in 1 component of the process, they would be required to retake that particular exam at a future sitting.

Once an individual has successfully completed their exams, they are given a registration number and are allowed to use the designation of being a registered health care provider, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.  RMT’s can work with patients that have been injured in motor vehicle accidents and workplace accidents and can bill third-party insurance providers such as ICBC and WorkSafe BC on behalf of their patients.  Treatments provided by RMT’s are also covered under most third-party extended health insurance providers, such as Blue Cross, SunLife, Manulife, and others.

WCCMT is committed to providing an education in the field of massage therapy that will not only prepare students to become registered massage therapists in BC,  but to become successful RMT’s with a rewarding career in their chosen field of health care.  To help facilitate this process, WCCMT has incorporated a comprehensive review of the content of the program in the final term of the program, as well as conducts voluntary review sessions for graduates to further assist them in their exam preparation.

Click here to see the most recent scores achieved by our recent graduates in the CMTBC board exams: https://collegeofmassage.com/registration-examination-pass-rates/