11 Key Attributes Massage Therapists Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Ethan Jones

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Massage therapists perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. They may also assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.

The core tasks that massage therapists are likely to carry out include:

Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
Refer clients to other types of therapists when necessary.
Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.
Use complementary aids, such as infrared lamps, wet compresses, ice, and whirlpool baths to promote clients' recovery, relaxation, and well-being.
Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that massage therapists would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 98%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 97.4%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 94.2%

Being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 91%

Having a strong preference for social work environments. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 90.43%

Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.6%

Developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89%

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 86.8%

Preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 82%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 81.2%

Having a strong preference for realistic work environments. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 81%