Adrian School of Massage

     Here it is, the class we have been hearing about since day one!  "Just wait until you get to Skeletal/Muscular Anatomy!" "No, THAT isn't a muscle test, you haven't seen anything yet!" "Only a few of us passed that quiz" "start studying the muscle origins and insertions NOW!".  The senior class has knowingly or not scared the crap out of us!     So our first day rolls around and just walking in the door you could smell the fear ;-) We had previously had the pleasure of meeting our instructor Kathy Davis as a substitute for our A&P class. It was nice having a sense of who she was and her teaching style from that preview. She also has the unique experience of being a teacher and student at the school! So she knows first hand what we are all going through. With that, she started right out explaining the importance of all this information in our career.  The requirement of this knowledge is something we will need and use daily, not j...

    By now you know I am a nervous Nelly and my own worst critic.  I regret to inform you that going into my first day of clinic was no different. I asked a million questions, looked and reviewed the schedule 100 times, thought through my client intake, massage routines and SOAP note procedures YET I was still so antsy I got very little sleep the night before.     Before even attempting to lay down for the night I reviewed the student clinic dress code. I wore my black athletic pants and Adrian School of massage t-shirt. Since I live in flip flops all summer I made sure I dug out a pair of socks and set out my tennis shoes. CHECK! Next I packed my bag for the day. I needed my massage products, product holster, and bolster. For clinic we use linens provided by the school so my sheets got the day off CHECK! I packed a second bag with a bottle of water, a snack, my computer (should I get some down time I could blog;-) and my notebook in case I needed a quick remin...

    Tis the season. The weather has slowly but surely changed to beautifully sunny skies. No better feeling (other than a massage) when your skin is soaking up the sun and just when you feel you are getting to warm... splashing in to a cool pool of water. How many years did we LIVE for the last day of school so we could spend the next couple months playing the day away with friends. My kids had their last day of school last week.  I was caught up in the excitement with them until class time rolled around and I said, "ok boys, mommy is headed to school come give me kisses" "SCHOOL mommy it's summer!" I am LOVING massage school and once I get there it's a good time but it does make it harder to get out that door in summer.     BUT we are grown ups and have responsibilities we made a commitment and there is SO much to do. By now we have reached the end of our Swedish unit! The Swedish exam, like all exams...sounds  a little scary. You are taken into a massage...

  Practice hours are, understandably, a large part of your schooling. We have already discussed getting over the awkward phase of working on your classmates. The 30 hours of practice you will do on your friends and family. Now we have worked our way up the food chain ;-) to the professionals. As part of the program at the Adrian School of massage you be giving 6 hours per trimester of massage on professionals. These are either your instructors, or those that have passed through the halls before us and graduated from ASM.     Does the thought of putting your new found skills to work on the body of practicing professionals make the butterflies in your belly dance? Or is it just me? I mean, we have learned I'm an anxious person with a touch of perfectionism. If that is even a word. SO before setting up these meetings you better believe I formulated a mental check list.       #1 What is Expected? There are paper your professional will be filling out for you ...

    Are you the person who can't keep scrolling when you see the videos of black heads wiggling their way out of a pore? Puss filled abscesses exploding after a slight push? Do you get a strangely satisfying sensation from pulling the burnt layers of your skin off after a sunburn? It's gross stuff but you just CAN'T look away right! Well I have great news for you.... you will LOVE your pathology unit.     Pathology is the study of disease, their causes and how they affect the body. As massage therapists we need to know enough about these conditions so we can keep our clients safe by not exacerbating the condition. As well as keeping ourselves safe from catching contagious conditions. Before we can go any further, you will need a quick vocabulary lesson.   Contraindicated : Describing an intervention that may have a negative outcome in a given condition Indication : The basis for an intervention that is likely to have a positive outcome in a given condition ...

     When it comes to professional ethics there are some fairly obvious facts. Like the importance of keeping a clean, healthy and safe work environment. Knowing it's not a good idea to make passes at your client or take it upon yourself to get them caught up on the latest gossip around town. There are some things that make you think "well duh" but there is also a large gray area that makes things a little trickier. For example, is it ethically appropriate to take on your children's teachers as clients? Is it appropriate to give a big smile and "hey how are you" when you run into a client at the store? How do you approach charging family after your schooling is complete? See.....tricky.      Through our business and ethics unit we are going to work through the hard facts and talk through some of these trickier gray areas. Christy compared professional boundaries to driving. We want to stay on the road with in our lane. In order to do so we are constantly h...

    That's right folks! A short 3 months later we have already covered 78 hours of Anatomy and Physiology! We have tested our way through all the systems of the body. It is a LOT of information. *Fun fact * the life span of a highlighter is one A&P unit at the Adrian School of Massage ;-) Now it is time to sit down to the dreaded unit test where you are expected to recall ALL of the information you have been cramming into your brain for the last 3 months. Dun dun DUUUUUUUUUN ;-)      As I have already explained I have a serious case of test anxiety and I am really my own worst enemy when it comes to this kind of stuff. SO let me share with you some tips and tricks to survive this stressful time and pass with flying colors!     First things first, DO THE WORK. As you work your way through the systems in the first place make sure you are truly learning them not just remembering enough to get through that first test. Read the chapters, don't just r...