Seven massage therapy students are finishing their required hours at FTCC after the program ended abruptly at Miller-Motte College. Also pictured is massage instructor Henrike Bowman. [FTCC photo by Brad Losh]
In mid-September, seven aspiring massage therapists found themselves in need of a place to learn when Miller-Motte College ended its therapeutic massage course before they could complete their hours.
So the group made a call to Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Corporate and Continuing Education Department.
“They reached out to us to see if there was anything we could do to help them,” said Kimberly Allen, Department Chair of Corporate Training.
The students needed 100 more in-class hours to sit for the Massage Therapy License Exam (MBLEx). The N.C. Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy requires a minimum of 500 in-class hours at a board-approved school for those who take the exam.
Allen went to work with Amy McLamb, FTCC’s Dean of Career and Community Enrichment, and massage instructor Henrike Bowman to figure out a solution for the students.
Bowman already teaches night and day sections of the course, each capped at maximum of 16 students, and also teaches classes at Central Carolina Community College.
Massage students work on their technique in class. [FTCC photo by Brad Losh]
But for Bowman, an instructor at FTCC since 2012, adding another afternoon section of the course was no problem.
“I was delighted,” Bowman said of the prospect of taking on more eager students. “To impart knowledge on anybody who needs it is my forte.”
The students began at FTCC on Sept. 21 and will attend class three days a week until the final class on Nov. 24.
“The students were very appreciative,” Allen said. “And that’s what makes you feel good, being able to help.”
The next section of FTCC’s Therapeutic Massage Program will begin Jan. 12. The program will hold an open house on Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. in room 118 of the Continuing Education Center to discuss the requirements and instructions for the course and give students an opportunity to register.
Massage students work on their technique in class. [FTCC photo by Brad Losh]
