Jason Gordon is a Victoria Campus student who has just successfully completed term 1. We asked him if term 1 met his expectations and what Jason is anticipating term 2 will bring.
What made you decide to become an RMT?
I spent a full, rewarding, and active career of close to 30 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. I worked in some very challenging positions. My last 10 years were as a Firefighter and Emergency Medical Responder. In my mid-forties, I retired from the forces for medical reasons. I had to find a new career path to follow. I wanted a profession that offered none of the trauma and drama that I dealt with in my previous professions, but I wanted to keep working with the public and helping others. When I learnt about RMT, it seemed like a natural fit to my personality and goals in life.
Why did you choose WCCMT?
After doing some tests with a career counsellor, I decided the RMT was the profession that I wanted to pursue. I did some research, and spoke with several qualified RMT’s about the program. I also considered which schools offered the best training. CCMH, and specifically WCCMT came up numerous times. Already living in Victoria, WCCMT became my first choice.
What expectations did you have for Term 1? How was what you experienced different?
Even though I audited some of the courses before registering for the RMT program at WCCMT, and I had a background in Emergency Medical Response. I expected to learn about different systems of the body, muscles, and how massage helped and affected people. I thought that it would be something like the intro to massage training.
What I didn’t expect once we started was, the course load, the intensity and pace of learning, and how profound the RMT program goes into Anatomy, Physiology, and Muscular Skeletal Structure of the body. My first week of Term 1 was a big eye opener.
What was your favourite part of Term 1?
My favourite parts of Term 1 was learning the body more in depth, the hands-on training, and learning more about myself both anatomically and academically.
What was the most difficult part of Term 1 for you?
I found that my transition from the military to civilian life was quite challenging. I also found that although there was constant training within the Canadian Forces, adjusting to the intensity and the delivery methods that I was used to, compared to those of learning at a post-secondary level offered me new challenges. In essence, I had to re-learn how to learn, and at the pace and depth that is required to be successful in the RMT program.
What are you looking forward to in Term 2?
In Term 2, I am looking forward to participating in the Public Clinic. I am looking forward to working with the various clientele. I can’t wait to apply what we have learned in class and see how it applies to actual cases.
Advice to future students to WCCMT?
The first thing I would advise to anyone considering the RMT program at WCCMT. Do your best to make sure to make sure your personal life is in order. The course if face paced, intense, and will ask many hours of your personal time. There is not a lot of down time during your course and falling behind because of absences makes it that much harder to stay on top of your courses. I would also recommend doing a refresher of a Grade 12 Biology & Chemistry courses. As well getting familiar with proper medical terminology. Last thing I recommend is not being intimidated by the course load or pace… It’s a very rewarding feeling that first time you treat someone you don’t know and as they leave you can see a difference you make to their physical and emotional well being.
Thanks to Jason for sharing his experiences with us! Want to share your story? Contact [email protected] to be featured in our blog.
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