I have been considering becoming one of your members, however I have recently been given some information I need clarified. The information available on your website has not assisted me in establishing the specific criteria for upgrading from one membership level to another. General level membership is available to persons who have completed "group subjects to encompass at least 200 hours" and "Implies a formal course of study ........of Certificate Level 3". http://www.amtasn.au/standards/pg7a3.html

Senior level one membership is available to persons who have completed "group subjects to encompass at least 500 hours" and "Implies a formal course.........of Diploma" http://www.amtnsw.asn.au/standards/pg7a4.html

I am informed that one of your members studied for a level 2 certificate course in massage (less than 300 hours, non-accredited school) and has since completed modules at level 1 and level 2 of Touch for Health. These Touch for Health modules took one or two days each and did not require examintations prior to the issuing of certificates.

This member was previously self employed in an unrelated industry, however was able to maintain business records.

My information is this member has been accepted into your orgainsation at Senior level one membership.

I am a potential member of AMT (NSW Ltd) and wish to know whether this information is possibly accurate. This can be established by the objective standards used to consider admittance and categorisation of persons to your membership levels. It does not require the identity of the person I have been told about.

In the event that such a person could not hold a senior level one membership, please specify the types and amounts of skills that would be required to attain senior level one membership.

I have not stated my level of study and it could be that I too hold a certificate 2 in massage, or other qualification.

I look forward to your response to this post and will utilise your response when considering membership of your association.

-- Potential Member (potentialmember@yahoo.com.au), April 05, 2003

Answers

Thank you for the reply to my mail address, I will quote it here for the information of other readers.

"The membership criteria listed on http://www.amtnsw.asn.au/standards/pg7a3.html are to be read as OR, so it might be possible for the situation to which you refer to have occurred, BUT there would be more to it than the basic qualifications.

AMT tries to treat each application fairly and equitably within its published Criteria.

Geof Naughton President"

With respect, the double ambiguity of "might be possible" does not fill me with confidence that the standards are objective, rather than subjective.

Is there an objective standard when considering upgrading of member status?

Is the standard subjective, in that "this person is a good bloke, or a good salesman" and we want him to boost our membership numbers?

Do the number of hours of study and the quoted certificate and diploma qualifications mean anything, or should they be struck from the documents?

If not, how would I, and your existing members, and their clients, and the health funds, accept that member colleagues are of consisent and high standard?

Am I to conclude that it IS possible that a person who has completed a sub 300 hour, non AMT accredited massage course, CAN be a senior level one member in the AMT (NSW) which is the level attained by a person who has completed over 1300 hours of study at TAFE.

Please realise that I have nothing against someone who wishes to complete an interest course in massage, perhaps for home use, or as an introduction to massage so they can consider further commitment to training.

What I am concerned about is portraying such a person as a fully trained professional to the public, the medical fraternity, the insurers and the health funds is not in the best interests of this industry.

By law, a person cannot claim to be a trained hairdresser unless they have completed a professional qualification. The hairdressing union, for want of a better word, would have fought long and hard for that standard to be implemented and resisted any lowering of standards.

Am I and others to accept that AMT(NSW) has the "has the highest Standards and Code of Ethics in the industry" and join your association?

-- Potential Member (potentialmember@yahoo.com.au), April 08, 2003.

To "Potential Member" aka 'A-nonny-mouse' I give you 'BOTH BARRELLS' from "Ancient Monument" aka Joel Morrell, Director and Treasurer of AMT (NSW) Ltd and I quote you -

""With respect, the double ambiguity of "might be possible" does not fill me with confidence that the standards are objective, rather than subjective.""

After 12 years membership, 5 years as a Director, 3 years as Treasurer, and 11 years as a committed activist for AMT, a group that is really trying to advance the industry, my best possible advice to you is GO ELSEWHERE - and see how you get on!!!!

Notwithstanding the foregoing, I sincerely hope we meet (eventually) and you become as committed an AMT activist as I am, after all I am 70, I am past my use by date, and I desparately need replacement. Ideally by someone like you who certainly has got guts.

With kind regards - Joel Morrell

-- Joel Morrell (arn@tsn.cc), April 09, 2003.