The Federation of Massage Therapy Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FOMTRAC) is pleased to announce that a consultant has been engaged to support the modernization of the Canadian Massage Therapy Competency Framework. This milestone reflects our commitment to advancing high, evidence-informed standards for massage therapy practice across Canada.

Next Steps in the Project

Over the coming month, FOMTRAC will be:

• Formalizing Project governance plans. Establishing a Steering Committee to oversee the modernization process and ensure transparent decision-making.

• Formalizing Project development plans. Establishing a technical Development Committee to support the review and modernization process.

Evidence-Informed Approach

This framework development will be guided by evidence-informed practices and processes such as:

• The development of competency frameworks in healthcare professions: a scoping review
• CONFERD-HP: Recommendations for reporting Competency Framework Development in Health Professions; and
• A six-step model for developing competency frameworks in the healthcare professions (copyright © 2021 Batt, Williams, Rich & Tavares).

The new framework development will include the following six-steps:

1. Identify the framework’s purpose, scope, and stakeholders.
2. Explore real-world professional practice in a theoretically informed way.
3. Select methods aligned with practice to investigate competencies.
4. Specify the required professional competencies.
5. Report the development process and outputs transparently.
6. Implement strategies for ongoing evaluation, updating, and maintenance.

By adopting these approaches FOMTRAC is ensuring that modernization is methodologically sound, inclusive, and reflective of current contemporary practice.

Practitioners: How You Can Contribute

FOMTRAC will soon be putting out a call for Canadian massage therapists who may be interested in directly participating in the framework’s development. In supporting the review and modernization of the framework, members of the Development Committee will:

• Help identify and refine core competencies.
• Contribute practical insights from diverse professional practice contexts.
• Ensure the framework reflects the realities of everyday professional practice.

Stay Connected

Project updates, recruitment calls, and opportunities to contribute will be posted on the FOMTRAC website and will be shared through our partner communications channels.