Scenario A: It is 4:10, class has just ended, and you can’t wait to get to your shift in the Student Clinic.

Scenario B: It is 4:10, class has just ended, and you can feel the knots in your stomach knowing you have your shift in the Student Clinic. 

Whether you or A or B in this scenario Student Clinic and In-reaches are an important component of a well rounded RMT training program. In a supported clinical environment student can stretch themselves as practitioners, with a helping hand present.

I have periodically been asked; Why can’t we learn massage therapy by distance with workshops?   My answer: The wonderful thing about the clinical component of our program is the real-world experiences with patients. Things happen in the clinic on the fly, and you have the support you need to critically think your way through a patient’s health history, current condition, and ongoing health concerns with the support of our amazing clinical team.  You see so many different people walk through the door of our Clinic and In-reach programs. A classroom environment could never give you the rich variety of experience that you receive by treating real people with real conditions. Simulated experiences can only take you so far.  In the real world of clinical rotations, you develop the critical thinking skills that will take you from the classroom to your career. 

In this supported environment you can develop and improve your communication skills, assessment skills, and hands on skills working with real people that are not classmates that know what they are “supposed to be feeling” or what their symptom they are “supposed to have”. Real people are just that, “real people”, unique and exceptional teachers in their own way.  Having a supervisor/instructor there to assist and answer questions, and to coach you along in your skills is essential. They give students the gift of their years of clinical experience and knowledge.  They are a wealth of information and support during your time at school.  So get excited about real world experiences with our clinic and in reach rotations at OV!