III. Clinic Requirements

A. Clinic Prerequisites – Please see course catalog posted on website

Note: You must be enrolled in Clinic Rotation 2 to participate in Clinical Massage 1.

B. Client Encounter Requirements

A client encounter is simply a massage of any length, be it 20, 30, 60, or 90 minutes. Each clinic rotation in every environment will have a total number of possible client encounters that an intern could see over the course of a full rotation, if the schedule was completely full for the entirety of that rotation. The intern must complete 90% of that number in order to complete and pass the rotation.

Here is an example:

For Rotation 1 students in UHS, if every possible slot was filled throughout the whole 7-week rotation, that would equal 16 client encounters. In order to fulfill requirements for the rotation, the intern must complete 90% of 16, which is 14.4 encounters (we round it down to 14). If the intern has not completed 14 client encounters by the end of the rotation, s/he must do extra shifts to reach 14 encounters.

Each clinic rotation in every environment will have a different number of encounter requirements. You will know what that number is well before the start of the rotation.

Through this client encounter requirement, The Massage Therapy Programs intend to achieve the following:

1. We seek to give NWHSU massage interns the opportunity to help fill their own clinic schedules. As stated above, this is a necessary skill to cultivate for practice in the “real” world. Rest assured that the staff in the various clinics will work hard to fill schedules. NWHSU invites its interns to partner with the clinic staff in that endeavor by talking with the people you know and the people you meet about the benefits of massage; and encourage them to come see you in clinic. Be sure to tell them that, when they call they must request you, so they will land on your schedule.
2. It is the responsibility of massage interns to create a well-defined and professional treatment plan with every client that they see. A professional treatment plan includes talking to clients about optimum frequency of care. With integrity, clear communication, and the best interest of the client at heart, interns should actively encourage their clients to return to see them again as often as the intern deems appropriate.
3. NWHSU faculty know that with every client encounter, interns learn more and become better therapists. Thus, it is our goal that our interns see as many clients as possible while in clinic. The client encounter requirement is a step toward that goal.
4. The Massage Therapy Programs intend to elevate the level of professionalism and responsibility of our massage interns. Since interns must reach a certain number client encounters to complete each rotation, we trust that they will manage their schedules responsibly and attend every clinic shift they are scheduled for, in order to reach that number.
5. The Massage Therapy Programs intend to cultivate a culture where interns fill in for each other, when the need arises. If an intern is sick or suddenly needs a day off of clinic, fellow interns may be more willing to step up and help, because they need to meet a certain number of client encounters.