Western School of Health and Business Careers - Monroeville

Western School of Health and Business Careers is a Place to be somebody. It is a school designed to help a student achieve his/her highest potential.

Western School has an obligation to keep its program varied in accordance with the community. The Western School strives for high academic standards in all of its programs. Western School specifically concerned with the graduation of qualified and professionally acceptable individuals, capable of pursuing entry-level positions in their chosen field. Western School offers a Diploma in Massage Therapist training.

The Massage Therapist program at Western School of Health and Business Careers, Monroeville (WSHBC) provides students with instruction in both practical and theoretical massage, anatomy, physiology, pathology, ethics, clinical practice, and hygiene. The program offers training in therapeutic massage principles, hydrotherapy and allied therapeutic modalities, including massage techniques, the external application of water, heat, cold, topical preparations, and mechanical devices. The core curriculum is structured to include a lecture component and a clinical component. The final externship portion of the curriculum consists of supervised experiences in a clinical environment, which requires competencies, logs, and evaluations completed by the student. At the conclusion of the program, graduates who have diligently attended class and their externship, studied, and practiced their skills should have the skills to seek entry-level employment as massage therapists.

Graduates of the program are encouraged to take National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) certification exam. This credential is a nationally recognized voluntary certification that could enhance employment opportunities or income potential, and may be required to practice in a particular state. Certification requirements for taking and passing this examination are not controlled by WSHBC but by outside agencies and are subject to change without notice. WSHBC cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take this certification exam, or any other certification exam, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.

State Licensure/Registration Information

The state of Pennsylvania does not currently require massage therapists to be licensed in order to practice in the state. However, passage of the NCBTMB certification exam and/or state licensure/registration may be required to practice in other states. WSHBC does not control state licensure/registration in Pennsylvania or in any other state, and cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to work as massage therapists in Pennsylvania or any other state, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.

Accreditation/Certification Information Disclosure

Accreditation is a voluntary process which may be undertaken by schools to demonstrate compliance with specific standards designed to indicate a level of education quality. WSHBC is institutionally accredited (accredited in total) by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools of Colleges and Technology (ACCSCT), an independent accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (DOE). This indicates that WSHBC substantially meets or exceeds the stated criteria of education quality established by ACCSCT and approved by the DOE. This recognition of institutional accreditation by ACCSCT entitles WSHBC to offer Title IV Financial Assistance to students who qualify.

An additional form of accreditation that a school may undertake to obtain is a specific, individual accreditation of certain programs (programmatic accreditation). Institutional accreditation is not the same as or a substitution for programmatic accreditation. Although programmatic accreditation is not required for employment in many cases, the existence of programmatic accreditation is a further indication that a program meets the standards of the profession, and may therefore indirectly enhance employment opportunities. Also, in some cases, programmatic accreditation will allow the graduates of the accredited program to sit for some credentialing exams immediately upon graduation without any requirement of work experience.

If you are interested in any of our programs and would like to find out more, please Request Information.