30 Miss. Code. R. 2501-1.4 - Definitions

A. "Annual Pass Rate" means the ratio of the total number of individuals who passed any Board-approved comprehensive examination to the total number of individuals who sat for a Board-approved comprehensive examination. The Board will periodically establish a protocol for the annual pass rate.

B. "Applicant" means one who applies for or requests approval of any application.

C. "Approved Massage Therapy School" means a facility that is licensed by this Board and meets the curriculum and instruction requirements as stated in § 73-67-1 et seq. Miss. Code Ann. (1972) as amended.

D. "Board" means the state Board for licensing massage therapists as created by § 73-67-9, Miss. Code Ann. (1972) as amended.

E. "Board-Accepted Hours" means hours of education accepted by the Board to meet requirements of exemption and/or continuing education for pre-act practitioners and is different from "Board approved programs" and/or "Board-approved school hours."

F. "Board Comprehensive Examination" means a comprehensive competency exam approved by MSBMT, including but not limited to:

1. The Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) administered by or on behalf of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Board (FSMTB) (effective April 10, 2009). Cost is determined by FSMTB.

2. The National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB) administered by or on behalf of the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) (effective July 1, 2001). Students MUST select Mississippi as the Official Score Report section for automatic reporting to MSBMT. Cost is determined by NCBTMB.

3. The Mississippi Professional Examination I and II (MPE-1 and MPE-2) administered by or on behalf of MSBMT (effective October 1, 2019).

4. Any other state, nationally or internationally accredited examination approved by the Board.

5. Examinations which were previously approved by the Board and discontinued by the administering body:

a. The National Examination for State Licensing (NESL), only the NCETMB option, administered by or on behalf of the NCBTMB (effective April 10, 2009 and discontinued after December 31, 2012).

b. The Asian Bodywork Therapy Examination (ABTE) administered by or on behalf of the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) (effective July 1, 2001 and discontinued after December 31, 2012).

c. The Mississippi State Pre-Licensure Examination (MSPLE) administered by or on behalf of MSBMT (effective June 30, 2007 and discontinued after December 31, 2012).

G. "Classroom Hour" means no less than fifty (50) minutes of any one (1) clock hour during which the student participates in a learning activity under the supervision of a member of the faculty of the school.

H. "Completion of Program" means satisfying all of the graduation requirements for the school's massage therapy program as published in the school catalog and all requirements for students contained in the school's license from the Board.

I. "Comprehensive Pass Rate" means calculated the equivalent of the annual pass rate by combining the two most recent years' data.

J. "CPR/First Aid certification" means a course that includes hands-on skills training and demonstration and which is obtained from a Board-approved organization, including the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the American Safety and Health Institute, Emergency Care and Safety Institute, Pro-Trainings, LLC, ProFirstAid, Advanced Blended or Classroom, Pacific Medical Training, or another organization on a case-by-case basis. 100% cognitive-only training courses will be accepted, if provided by a Board-approved organization for renewals and first time applicants who previously took the hands-on skills evaluation course.

K. "Examination" means the State Board of Massage Therapy approved examinations for licensure.

L. "Graduate" means a student who has achieved completion of the program.

M. "Learning Objective" means a description of the performance which a learner should be able to exhibit, the conditions in which the performance will take place, and the depth and breadth of the expected performance before the learner is considered competent. These objectives may include and are not limited to cognitive, psychomotor and behavioral learning.

N. "License" means a State Board of Massage Therapy approved form of credential indicating that the license holder has met the requirements of the Board for the practice of massage therapy.

O. "Massage" means touch, stroking, kneading, stretching, friction, percussion and vibration, and includes holding, positioning, causing movement of the soft tissues and applying manual touch and pressure to the body (excluding an osseous tissue manipulation or adjustment). "Therapy" means action aimed at achieving or increasing health and wellness. "Massage therapy" means the profession in which the practitioner applies massage techniques with the intent of positively affecting the health and well-being of the client, and may adjunctively (i) apply allied modalities, heat, cold, water and topical preparations not classified as prescription drugs, (ii) use hand held tools such as electrical hand massagers used adjunctively to the application of hand massage or devices designed as t-bars or knobbies, and (iii) instruct self-care and stress management. "Manual" means by use of hand or body.

P. "Massage Establishment" means a place of business where massage is being conducted.

Q. "Massage Therapist" means a person who practices massage therapy.

R. "Military" means the Armed Forces or Reserves of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and the reserve components thereof, the National Guard of any state, the military reserves of any state, or the naval militia of any state. "Military personnel": refer to Section 33-1-39, Miss. Code Ann. 1972 (as amended).

S. "Mississippi State Law Examination" (MSLE) means the comprehensive jurisprudence examination on the Mississippi Professional Massage Therapy Act § 73-67-1 - 73-67-39 et.seq. and the associated relevant MSBMT Rules and Regulations that is given by the Board or its representative. A score of 70% or higher is required on the MSLE prior to licensure.

T. "MSBMT" means the Mississippi State Board of Massage Therapy. See "Board" above.

U. "MPMTA" means the "Mississippi Professional Massage Therapy Act".

V. "Osseous Tissue" means bone.

W. "Out-of-State Massage Therapy Instructor" means an instructor who is licensed in another jurisdiction and teaching in a Mississippi State Board approved school (see Rule 9.1 and § 73-67-5(l)(a) for specific requirements).

X. "Practitioner" means a licensed massage therapist.

Y. "Pre-Act Practitioner" means an individual who has practiced professional massage therapy before January 1, 2001.

Z. "Professional" means requiring minimum standards of conduct, ethics and education.

AA. "Provisional Permit" means a temporary license approved by the Board when all requirements other than board-approved national or state examinations have been met, not to exceed ninety (90) days, (see Rule 1.4.F "Board Comprehensive Examination" for a list of the Board-approved national or state examinations.)

AB. "Temporary Instructor License" means a license issued when emergency need can be demonstrated by a Mississippi licensed massage school. See 9.1.G.

AC. "Temporary Practice Permit" means a permit issued by the Board to military-trained, military spouse, military dependent or the universal recognition of occupational licenses pursuant to 73-50-1 and 73-50-2 under certain conditions.

Notes

30 Miss. Code. R. 2501-1.4

Miss Code Ann. § 73-67-7, as amended; § 73-67-25, as amended

Amended 12/1/2014 Amended 6/30/2017 Amended 12/25/2021