No. The National Qualification in Neuromuscular Therapy course is open to all individuals.

On successful completion you will be able to offer treatment to relieve and eliminate chronic and acute pain, injury and dysfunction in muscle and soft tissue.

Typically Neuromuscular Therapists will treat the type of everyday pain and injury many people experience at some stage of their lives such as back ache, restricted range of movement, chronic pain and muscular discomfort.

Many graduates also work in a professional capacity with a variety of sporting teams.

Yes. This course is unique in Ireland as it has full accreditation from the SMA, The Association for Soft Tissue Therapists, at UK Level 5.

The SMA have verified the NTC National Qualification in Neuromuscular Therapy, developed and delivered by the National Training Centre (NTC) in order for this course to be recognised by CNHC as meeting the requirements of the Core Curriculum for Sports Massage Therapy.

The verification process involved cross-refencing the learning outcomes of the NTC Neuromuscular Therapy course, (both Knowledge & Understanding and Performance Criteria) to the National Occupation Standards CNH27 developed by Skills for Health. Quality assurance analysis was carried out to ensure the assessment process was fair and standardised and that teaching staff are appropriately qualified.

NTC meet all the requirements of the verification process and graduates of this course will be accepted onto the Massage Therapy Register approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

Yes. Neuromuscular Therapists are free to offer their services in many countries worldwide. If you have a specific country in mind you should ensure that you check with the relevant authority in that country before embarking an any programme of education.

In some US states therapists are required to sit and pass a state licencing examination before being allowed to practice.

There are many different massage therapy courses available in the Irish market, however many of these would relate to the relaxation element of massage as opposed to massage therapy.

For example the type of massage course which a beautician may take would generally relate to the relaxation experience of their clients and would not usually relate to therapeutic intervention in relation to pain, injury and disfunction.

Other people may take a massage course that does deal with injury somewhat.

It is therefore advisable that you ensure that any programme you enrol on will give you the desired results.

A good place to start is to ask the question of yourself “What do I want to do after I qualify ?”. Once you have answered this question you can ensure that any course you wish to consider will actually lead to your desired outcome.

No. You will be a fully qualified Neuromuscular Therapist and you will be free to offer physical therapy for the treatment of chronic and acute soft tissue and muscular pain injury and dysfunction.

The term Physical Therapist is a protected title by the Health Professions Council in the U.K. and CORU in Ireland and can only be used by qualified Physiotherapists.

Physiotherapy is a broad based health care profession that has a special focus on acute musculoskeletal care of the physically active and also deals with a number of diverse medical fields, including oncology, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics, rheumatology, respiratory and neurological illnesses and burn injury.

Neuromuscular Therapy offers a special focus on chronic pain and injury including musculoskeletal injuries related to physical activity but, unlike Physiotherapy, Neuromuscular Therapy has a focus on the pathophysiology, aetiology and treatment of Myofascial Trigger Points. Such specialisation allows students of Neuromuscular Therapy to examine these areas in much greater detail than a student of physiotherapy.

Practitioners of every stripe will have their own specific focus and a specific model for the treatment of pain and injuries, acute or chronic.

Osteopaths will have a focus on osteopathic principals and will offer, similar to a chiropractor, treatments such as high velocity thrusts.

The Neuromuscular Therapist will utilise a sound knowledge of human anatomy (our director of studies is himself a clinical anatomist) as a solid foundation for understanding pain with a special focus on chronic long standing injuries.

The recommended fee for each treatment session is €60.00. The number of sessions you decide to complete each week will be determined by your own commitment and the results you achieve.

One of the best things about qualifying as a therapist is that you can decide how many hours a day you want to work and therefore regulate your own earning potential.

Neuromuscular Therapists generally operate in private practice either as sole traders, as part of a multi-disciplinary clinical team, or with a variety of sporting teams.

There are many opportunities for qualified therapists as individuals increasingly look outside of traditional medical disciplines for solutions to their health problems and, as Neuromuscular Therapy is a complementary discipline and 100% science based, its appeal is broad.

It should be noted that as with all professional qualifications at all levels, individual success will be result driven and will be in proportion to the time, effort and dedication you are prepared to offer the profession. Many National Training Centre graduates have started their careers on a part-time basis and have seen this aspect of their professional life overtake their full time career to become their primary or only occupation and source of income.

Qualified Neuromuscular Therapists often work within multi-disciplinary injury clinics where therapists such as chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists, neuromuscular therapists etc. offer a variety of pain and injury solutions. This multi-disciplinary model normally consists of a great deal of cross referral whereby therapists refer patients to each other, depending on the therapists individual area of expertise, and, having determined which treatment model is likely to offer the best solution, decide collectively on the best approach.

Individual therapists can establish a G.P. referral scheme in conjunction with a local medical practitioner whereby the doctor may refer patients with appropriate symptoms to the therapist and using the contra-indication skills gained through the qualification process, the therapist can refer their patients to the doctor when Neuromuscular Therapy is not appropriate.

Graduates who hold an existing medical qualification, in nursing for example, may find that they can combine their new skills with their existing skill set within the hospital environment.

The National Qualification in Neuromuscular Therapy course is available as either a weekend or evening study option. Due to holidays, bank holidays etc. the length of time between starting and finishing dates varies from course to course.

The course duration is approximately 15 months. You can view a full schedule of the course dates for each location by clicking on the view schedule button in the booking section.

The course is available in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Waterford.

As the structuring of tutorial schedules contains differences between evening and weekend courses it is not possible to interchange.

It may be possible to change between venues, subject to availability.

Any requests for changes in venue or schedule must be made in writing to the Educational Committee of the National Training Centre ([email protected]) and their decision is final.

Students are assessed formatively throughout the course and are summatively assessed at the end of each term and required to complete written and practical examinations.

Students must complete 100 hours of practical hands-on treatments, including 5 case studies, over the duration of the programme and submit a learner workbook which forms part of their self directed learning.

Students will have to participate in self directed learning outside of class. This will involve study and practice. NTC recommend that students allocate approximately 6 hours per week for this. The course requires commitment, time and effort in order to be a successful, knowledgeable and competent Neuromuscular Therapist.

Students must also complete 100 hours of practical hands-on treatments, including 5 case studies, over the duration of the programme.

80% – to 90% of students participating on the course will successfully complete all of their final examinations on the first attempt. Of the remainder most will need to repeat one exam with a small number having to repeat more than one exam.

Every individual’s ability to succeed will be in direct proportion to the number of tutorials attended and the commitment and time and effort they are prepared to commit to their studies.

Students of all ages participate on the course. The minimum age for registration is 18 years old.

Yes – students can opt to pay a deposit and 12 monthly installments, details of which can be found above under the ‘Fees’ section.

The facility to pay by installment is not a ‘Pay As You Go’ facility. The installment facility is intended to allow students to spread the payment of course fees over a specified time period. At the time of enrollment the student accepts that all of the course fees must be paid whether they complete the course or not.

Students of the National Training Centre regularly receive part funding through the Department of Social Protection’s Technical Employment Support Grant (TESG) scheme.

Individual students will need to contact their Local Employment Services (LES) facilitator to establish their eligibility.

For those who hold a recognised fitness instructor qualification which is recognised by REPs Ireland are eligible for up to 25% funding through the Leisure Health Fitness Skillnet. For more information contact Leisure Health Fitness Skillnet.

For assistance please contact the NTC office of administration on 01 882 7777.

The National Training Centre’s code of ethics requires that all NTC graduates who are actively working with the public, hold a professional indemnity insurance policy which covers them against legal action taken by a client as a result of an injury which was received by following the graduate’s professional advice. Graduates who are working on private premises may also need to hold public liability insurance if such cover is not held by the owners of the premises.

The National Training Centre have a customised insurance scheme with discounted rates available exclusively to those who have qualified with NTC. The policy is one of the broadest available including many important features that other policies may not offer.

The policy has been arranged through Balens Ltd and the insurer for the scheme is the Zurich and DAS Legal Expenses.

Balens are a very well established, fourth generation family-run business dedicated to looking after health professionals. They are built on solid roots going back to 1950 and are pioneers in the development of top quality cover for all types of health professionals with special rates and industry leading cover that has been developing and improving over 22 years in this speciality.

The scheme will cover thousands of other therapies/activities you may require cover for and many at no extra premium subject to suitable qualification held.

Some of the features covered in the policy consist of Medical Malpractice, Professional Indemnity, Public Liability, Product Liability, Loss of Reputation, Breach of Intellectual Property, Client Confidentiality Protection, Loss of Documents cover, First Aid cover as well as Good Samaritan Acts.

The indemnity limit is €4,000,000 per claim for the Republic of Ireland.

Unlike some other policies on the market, an unlimited number of claims may be made for any year and unlimited legal defence costs are also included.

Also included, at no extra charge, is retroactive cover to pick up any previous insured work.

Temporary cover abroad (excluding USA/Canada which is available on request) is available with no time restrictions and at no additional premium as long as you are a UK/Ireland resident.

If you cease to practice Balens include unlimited run off cover which means the policy will always be in place if a claim was made after you stop the policy running and this is also free of charge.

For further information or proposal form, please contact Balens directly on 00441684 580771 or e-mail- [email protected]

Students of all ages participate on the course with the average tending to be from late twenties to fifties. The minimum age for registration is 18 years old.