II. Clinic Structure

A. Clinic Locations

The primary clinical environment in which each massage intern will complete Rotations 1 and 2:

DeRusha/University Health Services (UHS): 2501 W. 84th St., Bloomington, MN 55431

Our clinical education component of your education is continually expanding to offer you more options. Because massage therapy is now an important and respected part of the team in many health care environments, we strive to give you the opportunity to experience these environments to prepare you for your future career in the massage profession. The information in this handbook may vary in clinical environments that differ significantly from our UHS clinic.

B. Clinic Faculty

Instructors for the massage therapy clinical practicum courses are all Nationally or Board Certified in Massage Therapy and Bodywork and have a minimum of two years of practical experience. In addition, a massage therapy resident who is a recent graduate of a COMTA accredited school elsewhere in the country may assist in teaching these courses. Massage residents will also hold NCTMB status and will currently be practicing massage therapy.

C. Clinic Fees and Payment Policies

Fees for massage therapy services in the DeRusha are lower than those for professional massage outside of a teaching context. Currently, the fee for an intern massage is $20 for 30 minutes, $40 for 1 hour, $60 for 90 minutes. Northwestern students, staff, faculty and their immediate family members are entitled to a 20% discount, bringing the cost down to $16, $32, & $48. Fees are subject to change and are established solely at the discretion of the university. No faculty, staff, or intern is authorized to alter or deviate from them without permission of the Dean of the College of Health and Wellness.

Payment is expected at each visit. Generally, massage therapy is not covered by health insurance plans. Our clinic does not bill insurance companies for massage therapy services. Our clinic accepts payment in cash, personal check, or credit card. As an intern, you may not make financial arrangements with clients and should not lead them to believe that payment for services is not expected. You should be aware of clinic fees and payment options and be able to explain them to clients. However, questions about payment options may be referred to a supervisor or front desk staff member.

Tipping Policy: It is the position of Northwestern Health Sciences University that massage therapy in our clinic is delivered as a health care modality and that tipping is inappropriate in a health care environment. Interns and professional practitioners are prohibited from accepting tips for their services in our clinic. If a client should offer a tip, please politely inform them of the policy and refuse to accept any money. It is also important to acknowledge and thank the client for the compliment.

D. Clinic Flow—Paperwork, Procedures, and Scheduling Protocol

1. Fee Slips
   • The front desk generates a paper fee slip for every client visit.
   • The fee slips for massage therapy clients will be placed face down on the right side of the front desk (as you are facing the desk).
   • You get the fee slip, then greet the client, and bring him/her to the treatment room.
   • You have two responsibilities with this fee slip:
     • circle the correct length of massage under “Massage Therapy” on the right-hand side of the form;
     • On the lower left corner of the fee slip, it says “next appointment”—that is where you write when you suggested that the client return—1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, etc.
   • At the end of the massage, you will walk your client to the lobby; at that point, hand him/her a clip board with both the client evaluation form and the fee slip attached. Ask him/her to complete the evaluation and bring it and the fee slip up to the front desk. The front desk staff will take it from there.
2. Client Paperwork
   • When a client comes to UHS for the first time—if they have not visited UHS previously for any modality —the front desk gives the client a packet of paperwork to fill out; this packet includes the HIPAA form but not the Informed Consent form, which has been given to the supervisor at the start of the shift, along with the schedule. The client will fill out paperwork, which they give to the front desk.
   • The front desk processes this paperwork, then gives it to you to review. You will take the paperwork and the fee slip and leave the lobby to review the paperwork for a moment. (You can simply go around the corner; just so you are not standing in the middle of the lobby, reading the paperwork). When you are ready, you greet the client and bring him/her to the treatment room.
   • Before treatment begins, you will review the Informed Consent form (which should be in your room already) & HIPAA form with the new client, just as you learned to do in pre clinic workshop class.
   • For clients who have been to UHS before for another modality but are new MT clients, there will be no HIPAA form to review—that will already have been done at their first UHS visit, no matter the modality. In this case, you will review only the Informed Consent form with the new client as well as have them sign the fee slip.
   • All return clients will already have an electronic health record; no paperwork other than the fee slip is generated for return clients. And you are not responsible for reviewing the informed Consent or HIPAA in this instance.
   • Note, however, that all clients must have an updated informed consent in their file once per calendar year. So, you will likely review the informed consent with some repeat clients, especially early in the year.
3. Schedule Details
   • We want you to see a variety of clients and also experience repeat clients. If you find that you are not seeing a variety of clients or repeat clients, please let your supervisor know.
   • Client requests: On the paper schedule, below the client’s name, there may be a request for a certain intern. Client’s request is generally granted, unless there is a reason not to—for example, if there are multiple requests for the same intern at the same time. Clients are told when they make requests that their request may or may not be granted.
   • On the first day of the shift, you will be assigned a column of clients in Centricity. Each column has a number. For the remainder of the rotation, that will be your column, and the clients in that column will be your clients for the day. Note that the supervisor will review the schedule and make any changes as they see fit—the supervisor has final say over the schedule!
4. Clinic Procedures
   1. Client No-show and late client cancellation policy and procedure:

      Clients are asked to comply with a 24-hour cancellation policy. We will maintain a list of clients who are able to fill a last-minute cancellation or no-show appointment. Clients who no-show for their appointment may not be allowed to reschedule in the student clinic.

   2. Observation of client sessions: Clients are required to sign an informed consent form agreeing to allow instructors to observe a portion of their massage session. The instructor will knock before entering the room. You should make sure your client is aware that their session may be observed. Not all sessions will be observed.
   3. On the first day of each rotation, you will choose your treatment room. That will be your treatment room for the duration of that rotation.
   4. A client bill of rights will be posted in the clinic where clients can read it. As of July 1st 2001, student interns and professional therapists will be required to comply with the Freedom of Access to Complimentary Health Care law (a.k.a. The CAM law) and supply each client who is new to them, a copy of a Client Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights has been written and provided for students in our teaching clinic. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure their name is on the Bill of Rights given to a client that is new to them, and to make sure they receive a signed copy from the client to be kept in the client’s file.