Distance learning has been approved by emergency rule for some subject areas effective July 15, 2020, through March 31, 2022.
Since the onset of the public health emergency created by COVID-19, the Florida Board of Massage Therapy (the Board) (https://floridasmassagetherapy.gov/) received many calls and emails from concerned massage schools regarding the safety of students and instructors due to the requirement for in-person classroom hour instruction. Alternative methods were requested to continue to offer and meet specific education requirements for licensure.
In response to the ongoing public health emergency and in an effort to ensure Florida’s massage therapy students are not unnecessarily put at risk attending training in classrooms, the Board entered into emergency rulemaking during the July 9, 2020–July 10, 2020, General Business Meeting to discuss social distancing and education in in-person settings. The Board adopted emergency rule 64B7ER20-29 (https://floridasmassagetherapy.gov/latest-news/board-approved-massage-sc...) to allow some required hours to be taught by distance learning. This rule became effective July 15, 2020, and will remain in effect through March 31, 2022.
By emergency rule, the Board waived the minimum requirements for classroom hours and permitted a distance learning format for the following areas of study:
- Anatomy and Physiology: all hours
- Basic Massage Theory and History: 25 hours
- Hydrotherapy: 3 hours of business for hydrotherapy
- Business: all hours
- Laws and Rules: all hours
- Professional Ethics: all hours
- HIV/AIDS: all hours
- Medical Errors: all hours
We encourage you to review the full emergency rule text (https://www.floridasmassagetherapy.gov/pdfs/64B7ER20-29-filed.pdf) that charts which hours may be offered by subject area beginning on page six of the linked document.