RMIT Launches New Myotherapy Program to Equip Students for Success
The College of Vocational Education will introduce a new Advanced Diploma of Myotherapy in 2025, featuring an updated curriculum focused on getting students industry-ready.
The new program was designed by a steering committee which included Toby Glennon, Program Coordinator in the College of Vocational Education.
Glennon said the program would address skills gaps in the industry, particularly concerning the treatment of chronic pain – which has been estimated to affect over three million Australians.
“The myotherapy program builds on the existing training curriculum, with new units focusing on the assessment and treatment of patients with chronic pain and developing tailored corrective exercise programs to suit the patient’s needs,” Glennon said.
Program Manager Laura Yeomans said she was excited for the program to continue RMIT’s long history with myotherapy, which started back in the 1990s when the university became the first in Australia to introduce the qualification.
“The new advanced diploma continues the tradition of the myotherapy programs before it, providing students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in practical applications,” Yeomans said.
She explained that students will receive supervised training in client-facing environments at RMIT’s Student Massage and Myotherapy clinics, which offer treatments to the public.
They will learn how to develop management plans and use evidence-based treatment protocols, in addition to technical skills such as myofascial dry needling.
“We have structured the program to ensure that the content is connected to its application, which allows students to build key competencies and, importantly, grow their confidence so that they feel ready to enter the workforce,” Yeomans said.
Glennon said he was confident the updated program will prepare students to be adaptable and respond to the needs of the industry for years to come.
“It will set up our graduates to be at the forefront of the myotherapy industry,” he said.
Myotherapy graduate heads to the IFCPF World Cup in Spain
Georgia Tuckett graduated from the Advanced Diploma of Myotherapy in June 2023 and has since been kicking goals as a massage therapist for the Pararoos, whom she will join at the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) World Cup in Spain this November. This amazing opportunity was granted to Georgia through a generous scholarship from Massage and Myotherapy Australia.
Tuckett’s transition from study to industry was quite smooth, thanks to the skills and experience she gained at RMIT.
“The diploma prepares you extremely well to get into industry. The teaching faculty are very realistic in their approach and have a lot of skills that they happily pass on,” she said.
“Working at RMIT’s public clinic also allowed me to get a feel of what day to day at a clinic would be like.”
A highlight from Tuckett’s studies was her internship with the Essendon Football Club’s AFLW team, which she credited with getting her where she is today.
“My favourite part was getting to treat the talented athletes and learn from their in-house physio.”
“It sparked my interest to work with sporting teams,” she said.