NCCAOM® discontinues its Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT) Certification Program
Dear NCCAOM Diplomate:
The NCCAOM is formally announcing the discontinuation of the NCCAOM Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT) Exam, currently offered to earn certification as a Diplomate in ABT (NCCAOM), effective January 1, 2013. The NCCAOM Board of Commissioners will convene a Blue Ribbon Panel that includes stakeholders from the Asian bodywork therapy and massage communities to determine if there is a current or potential future need for the development of a newly purposed ABT credential. Earning certification from NCCAOM represents a significant professional achievement; therefore, the Diplomate in Asian Bodywork Therapy (NCCAOM) will remain a viable NCCAOM certification for anyone currently holding this certification or for those who will achieve ABT Diplomate status in 2012.Benefits and recertification requirements remain unchanged.
NCCAOM is pleased to announce to those interested in obtaining the Diplomate in ABT (NCCAOM) that the application fee for the ABT certification is now reduced to $75. The 100-item exam delivered by Pearson VUE will remain at $300.00 per attempt. The NCCAOM will be offering four separate administrations of the exam in 2012 to accommodate as many exam candidates as possible. The first exam administration period will be March 5 through March 17, 2012; future 2012 exam administration dates will be announced shortly. This will be a unique opportunity for applicants to become certified in ABT at a significant savings. The updated 2011-2012 NCCAOM® Asian Bodywork Therapy Handbook, which includes the new application, will be available on the NCCAOM website on the “Applicants” page under “Handbooks and Applications” after August 1, 2011.
At its June 2011 Board meeting, the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners considered ongoing feedback from stakeholders in the Asian bodywork therapy community related to the concerns about the high fees for the NCCAOM ABT Certification Program as well as other factors affecting the number of applicants taking the exam. The NCCAOM Board made their decision to discontinue the current ABT exam based on many factors to include:
The decline of candidates applying for the ABT Certification Program;
only one state, since the commencement of the first ABT certification in 1996, has created a separate Asian bodywork licensing law; and
only six other states permit the option of passing the ABT certification exam to obtain a massage therapy and bodywork license.
These six licensing boards also accept one or more of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) examinations, or the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) exam for the purpose of licensing massage and bodywork professionals.
NCCAOM looks forward to meeting with organizational leaders and gathering information from state and national organization members, program officials offering Asian bodywork programs, regulators of massage and bodywork, and current Diplomates to ascertain if there is a need for a certificate program or national certification program for Asian bodywork therapy in the coming years. All input from NCCAOM Diplomates, students, school program officials, state regulators or other interested parties will be reviewed and considered by the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners for the strategic development of future credentialing programs.
The NCCAOM gives its heartfelt thanks to those individuals who assisted the NCCAOM with the creation of Asian Bodywork Therapy Certification Program and to all those subject matter experts that have and will continue to serve the NCCAOM to develop and maintain an ABT credential that will continue to serve the community as a whole. Please send all comments by email or fax them to(904) 598-5001.
sam
