In our last post, we talked about a typical day for a massage business owner.  Today, we’ll look at a massage therapist who gives massages in a hospital.  Ms. Shirley Vanderbilt wrote an insightful article in the June-July 2000 issue of Massage and Body Work Magazine where she featured two massage therapists – Lynn Daniels and Cynthia Swan.

Ms. Daniels starts her day at 7 in the morning and offers her services in Longmont United Hospital in Colorado.  Longmont is a hospital that has adopted the Planetree model that includes alternative healing options for patients.  “Beginning simply with massage therapy and t’ai chi, the center gradually added services and grew steadily with the support of the hospital and its clients to become one of the largest hospital-based alternative therapy programs in the country”, Ms. Vanderbilt said.

It’s not always smooth sailing for hospital-based massage therapists.  Ms. Vanderbilt wrote that therapists work long hours.  Add to that the challenges that come up unexpectedly.  But when Ms Daniels does her rounds, she is rewarded a hundred times over says Ms. Vanderbilt.  Getting a smile from a cancer patient, a “you made me feel so relaxed” comment from a new mother and a doctor’s nod of approval are strong incentives for her to continue what she loves doing.

Pre-surgical patients who undergo invasive surgery are offered massages to help them relax.  As a massage therapist, Ms. Daniels feels that she has a dual task:  to ease the patient’s anxiety and to help her cope mentally with the impending surgery.  It is the combination of gentle and compassionate conversation, light caressing movements and a mildly scented lotion that helps patients breathe more deeply, their surgery fears gradually diminishing.

Then there are the new mothers. Ms Daniels is either received with a “yes, please” or a “not now, maybe later” reply.  She makes sure that they know she’ll be back the next day or can resume the massage when breastfeeding time is over.  With new mothers, Ms. Daniels’ priority is relaxation.  Many brand new mothers feel lower back pain and that’s one area that Daniels pays special attention to.  She asks the mother how the area feels and then she proceeds to massage the back and shoulders alternately.  She knows the massage is working because the mother has stopped talking and has drifted off to sleep.

Cynthia Swan has her share of heartbreaking encounters – women who have lost their babies or mothers whose babies are born with a health disorder.  Cancer patients who are in the hospital for radiation/chemotherapy sessions are another special group; a massage therapist is expected to be tactful, diplomatic and armed with a strong sense of empathy. As one administrator explained, “bodywork is essential to this population while their bodies are being bombarded with radiation. We want to help them be back into their body before treatment…when you see these cancer patients, there’s a blank, empty look. We try to help them reconnect by giving them the space and atmosphere to bring their body and spirit back together.”