The Massage Therapy Profession is growing. More-precisely: the mobility of single-state Licensed Massage Therapists to practice in more than their home-state is on the horizon: IMpact.
How would IMpact apply to NVMTs?
Since the Council of State Governments has been mediating the development of the interstate compact – IMpact (Interstate Massage Compact) – for about 2 ½ years now, their currently-published Draft-Compact means that – after many key, stakeholder-, massage-therapy-Organizations have been involved in its development – individual State Legislative bodies may now consider adopting IMpact for use by their massage therapy regulatory-bodies.
Nevada is no exception to the States/Territories that are eligible to become a Member-State of the compact – when the compact becomes active, as an interstate-license system, depends on When the first seven (7) States become Members of the compact.
The Nevada Legislature convenes every two years in Nevada. In its 82nd Session, IMpact took an eventful course in meeting its current disposition – Enacted. Starting in SB270 and ending up in Section 7 of SB161, Nevada is the first state to adopt IMpact into its Statutes – NRS.640C, to be precise. Effective June 12, 2023, the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy is able to participate in the interstate compact, as a Member-State, creating an opportunity for NVMTs to have interstate mobility with other participating compact-Member-States.
A minimum of “7 Member-States” need to put the compact-language through the rigors of their legislative-processes and, ultimately, adopt the language into their statutes before the compact can be Active.
When the compact becomes Active, a Committee with representatives from each of the 7+ States will be convened, Rules will be written, and, then: IMpact License Applications will be accepted. This is a simplified-version of the process, but essentially some of the most-important Phases for Member-States’ MT-licensees to understand.
Why Should I Care?
As a Nevada Massage-Client: the rigors of Accountability through Regulation are stepped up when an IMpact-Licensed Massage Therapist touches you – further layers of Public Safety are accessible.
As a Nevada Massage Therapist (NVMT): interstate portability – amongst Member-States – is coming closer to being a reality. If you are a military or family-of-a-military member and are moving between Member-States, or if you are a seasonal massage therapist that supports a resort-market in another Member-State, or if you live on a Nevada state-line right next to another Member-State or within travel-distance of one: being IMpact-Licensed may be for you.
As an AMTA-Nevada Chapter Member: If you’ve ever had an opinion on some massage-therapy-legislation that affects your practice, you may not have the time to file &/or speak to your own Public Comment, Petition, or Complaint: If you want your voice heard and things to change what may be or seem to be unfair regulation, the AMTA-Nevada Chapter is in a position to pass on our chapter members’ aggregate- and anonymous-opinions. This is an opportunity for you to speak up, be heard … and all with the least amount of effort, as you have your clients’ improved health and wellness to attend.
We want to see our Chapter Members care enough to shape the future of massage therapy that they want and become empowered, through their professional association’s activities, to shape the Massage Therapy Profession in Nevada.
The AMTA Nevada Chapter, with the oversight of our National Government Relations office, sought and gathered our chapter members’ opinions – our member-only Survey Results are below.
Step 1: Inform & Educate
Before we sent out a Survey, with content with which our chapter’s members may or may not be familiar, we wanted to provide an opportunity for our members to learn – through facilitation of an interactive, online Meeting – where we could present IMpact: its nature, history (thus far), challenges, benefits, etc and then have a Q&A Session. You may view this meeting in its entirety, below:
Step 2: Survey & Collect
And, then – with the information you had: we asked you to complete the Survey, via a Constant Contact email-invitation using your AMTA Member Email Address. The Survey was open to all AMTA Nevada Chapter Members for 7 Days.
Step 3: Communicate & Publish
Through Public Comment, the chapter’s support of our members’ surveyed-Opinions and the unique Results of the Survey have been published within a Letter to the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy, at their Regular Meeting and a Letter to the Nevada Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on March 22, 2023, a Letter to the Nevada Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor on May 15, 2023, and a Letter to Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo on June 6, 2023:
- Your answers to Multiple-Choice Answers on the Survey are submitted in aggregate;
- Your answers to Text-Required Answers are submitted Anonymously.
If you ever want to write your own Letter to the NSBMT et al, the AMTA-NV Chapter Government Relations Committee can assist you with that, too.
Why?
The intent of this whole process is to empower our Members’ voices through action – drafting and submitting a Letter to the NSBMT is the most efficient way to have an impact, from one organization (that’s US!) to another (the NSBMT et al).
As always: We invite all the AMTA-Nevada Chapter Members to take part in shaping their profession in Nevada … and Thank You for your participation!
