Are you in favor of your state reducing the value of massage education?
Senate Bill 168 (SB 168) puts the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) in jeopardy. The bill would create a state massage therapy licensing exam in place of the MBLEx, the profession’s only psychometrically valid, reliable, and legally defensible licensing exam. The MBLEx serves as the national entry-level licensure exam for 46 of the 48 regulated jurisdictions in the country and should remain the massage licensing exam in Arkansas.
If you believe Arkansas should keep the MBLEx, please reach out to your representatives and explain to them why a state massage licensing exam will negatively impact the community. Here are some talking points you can use:
- The proposed state exam lacks psychometric validity and may render the state legally vulnerable.
- Arkansas has one of the highest MBLEx pass rates in the country—the exam is not a barrier to entry.
- Switching to an exam that is accepted only in Arkansas would severely limit the portability of Arkansas massage therapists—they would have to take an additional exam if they were to relocate and wish to practice in a new state, causing confusion and undue hardship.
- License portability challenges will be especially burdensome for military members and their families when they move to another state.
- An alternative exam is an unnecessary burden to schools and the Department of Health, which regulates the profession, and an unnecessary financial and administrative drain to the state.
- The MBLEx has access to state-of-the-art cheating-prevention technology, making sure only competent individuals pass.
- A state exam could establish lower standards and may put the public at risk from individuals who are not yet ready to practice.
ABMP supports the MBLEx, and if you feel it is a disservice to Arkansas students to take a state exam that will limit them, make sure to reach out to your representatives before SB 168 moves further in the legislature.