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Newly updated for September 2026. Prevention of Medical Errors is a 2 CE hour course designed to help massage therapists recognize common sources of error and incorporate practical patient safety practices into everyday professional care. The course examines how incomplete information, communication problems, documentation errors, failure to reassess, distractions, human factors, equipment issues, and other circumstances can contribute to preventable errors.
The course applies these concepts specifically to massage therapy practice, including scope of practice, client intake and health history, informed consent, treatment planning, contraindications and precautions, SOAP documentation, body mechanics, draping and positioning, infection prevention, equipment and environmental safety, client communication, and appropriate referral. The course emphasizes recognizing risks early, responding appropriately when problems occur, and developing consistent procedures that support safer and more professional client care.
In This Course, You Will Learn:
How medical errors occur and why they matter to patient safety
Common types and causes of medical errors relevant to massage therapy
How communication, documentation, and reassessment can help prevent errors
How human factors such as fatigue, stress, distractions, and time pressure can affect safety
The importance of practicing within your scope of practice and level of competence
How to conduct an effective client intake and health history
Principles of informed consent and respecting changes or withdrawal of consent
How treatment planning and reassessment can reduce safety risks
How accurate SOAP notes and other documentation support safe client care
Basic hygiene and infection-prevention practices
How equipment and environmental conditions can contribute to errors
How clear client communication and feedback can improve safety
How to recognize, respond to, document, and learn from errors and near misses
Why Take This Course?
Medical errors are not limited to hospitals or traditional medical settings. Massage therapists make decisions throughout every client encounter that can affect safety, from reviewing health information and obtaining informed consent to selecting techniques, monitoring the client's response, documenting the session, and recognizing when referral may be appropriate.
This course provides a practical framework for identifying potential risks and making patient safety part of your normal massage therapy workflow. By developing consistent habits for intake, communication, reassessment, documentation, treatment decisions, and environmental safety, massage therapists can reduce preventable risks while remaining within their professional scope.
Identify common types and contributing causes of medical errors.
Describe the role of patient safety in massage therapy practice.
Recognize how communication, documentation, and reassessment can help prevent errors.
Identify human factors that may increase the risk of errors.
Explain the importance of practicing within scope of practice and professional competence.
Apply basic principles of client intake, informed consent, and treatment planning.
Recognize common contraindications, precautions, and situations requiring modification or referral.
Describe appropriate documentation and SOAP note practices that support client safety.
Identify practices that promote safe body mechanics, draping, positioning, hygiene, and infection prevention.
Recognize equipment and environmental hazards that may contribute to client or therapist injury.
Describe appropriate responses to errors and near misses.
Apply patient safety principles to everyday massage therapy practice.
Text: Prevention of Medical Errors by Corrine Mollet Rubida, BS, LMT, 54 pages
Course guide with instructions
10-question examination
Course evaluation
Certificate of achievement upon completion
Unlimited phone support
The Center for Massage Therapy Continuing Education, LLC is an Approved Provider through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB); Approved Provider number 409296-00. This course meets the Florida continuing education requirement for medical errors.
Our online massage continuing education courses are also accepted by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and most state boards.
For more information on individual state requirements and approvals, please visit our Approvals page and click on your state.
I liked how straight forward the course was and that you could complete it in a timely manner. - Josie Betten
Easy to understand and I could do it on my mobile device. - A. Green, LMT
Fit into my busy lifestyle and provided relevant information. D. Sanderson, LMT
User friendly, good format. - M. Reno, LMT
Straight and to the point. - A. Simonetti, LMT
I liked the fact that it was upfront and went in order with the text and the study guide. The exam was basically the same as the study guide and i appreciated that it did not try to trick me(the student) into incorrect answers. - Ryan Frye, LMT
What is an important concept in patient safety when an error occurs?
A. An error does not always result in harm
B. An error always indicates that a professional was careless
C. An error should only be addressed if the client is injured
D. An error is considered harmless if it is corrected immediately
Which factor is identified in the course as contributing to medical errors even when a professional intends to provide safe care?
A. Consistent reassessment
B. Appropriate informed consent
C. Accurate documentation
D. Fatigue, distractions, stress, and time pressure
Which of the following is NOT an appropriate response when a therapist makes a mistake?
A. Stop or modify the activity if continuing could cause additional harm
B. Communicate with the client, but do not disclose that an error was made
C. Review what contributed to the error
D. Identify reasonable changes that could reduce the chance of recurrence
Course Author
About the Instructor
Corrine Rubida, BS, LMT
Corrine completed her massage therapy training at Gateway College of Massage Therapy in 1997 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Administration in 2012. She has been practicing and teaching massage therapy since 1997 and currently holds a massage therapy license in South Dakota. She is also a member of the ABMP. In 2002, Corrine founded the Center for Massage Therapy CE to make professional massage continuing education courses available both online and by mail. Since then, she has developed more than 100 home-study massage continuing education courses and has taught live courses for AMTA and the Gateway College of Massage Therapy.
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