NBCAAM is LIVE!
The National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure & Massage (NBCAAM) is LIVE.

The Equine Massage and Equine Acupressure Examinations have been reviewed and revised this past month. These two exams are ready for qualified applicants to take as soon as the website is live and they are accessible. Please go to www.NBCAAM.org

We are pleased to announce the new NBCAAM Board of Directors:

Co-Chairs:

Theresa Gagnon, Bancroft School of Massage Therapy
Amy Snow, Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute

Co-Vice Chairs:

Larry Coon, Dean, Hocking College
Tina Romine, Hocking College

Secretary: Lisa Doran, Animal Dynamics
Treasurer: Lola Michelin, Northwest School of Animal Massage

At-Large:

Nancy Zidonis, Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute
Mike Scott, Equine Massage / Muscle Therapy
Jonathan Rudinger, PetMassage & IAAMB
Don Doran, Animal Dynamics
Billy Harnetty, DVM, Hocking College
Jean Pierre Hourdebaigt, MassageAwareness

NBCAAM has spent many months going through an arduous process of developing Standards of Practice then creating examinations that reflect these Standards followed by having a 20-person Review Committee of professional animal massage and acupressure practitioners and instructors comment. Revisions were made and the examinations are on the Hocking College web-server. As soon as the website is live, people will be able to access all the information regarding the requirements and procedures for taking the national examinations.

Here are a few examples of the type of questions on the Equine Massage exam for your review:

What is the term used for increased blood flow to the tissue?
a. hyperemia
b. hypothermia
c. hyperthermia
d. hyperthyrea

Signs of a poorly fitting saddle include:
a. good clearance over the withers and a
central position on the horse's back
b. the seat being level and balanced
c. objection to being saddled and not
standing when the rider mounts
d. the rider's weight being evenly
distributed and not overloaded in one area

Which of the following is a physiological benefit of massage for the digestive system?
a. decreases blood pressure
b. stimulates peristalsis
c. improves blood flow to the intestines
d. b and c

Sample Equine Acupressure questions are:

The Heart Meridian begins:
a. Just under the center of the eye
b. On the chest under the foreleg
c. On the ventral midline at the anus
d. At the outer canthus of the eye

The health of the Liver can be seen in the:
a. Eyes and hooves
b. Teeth and ears
c. Body hair and skin pores
d. None of the above

Ht 7 is located near:
a. The accessory carpal bone
b. The elbow
c. The cannon bone
d. None of the above

We sincerely appreciate all the support we have received from so many people. We understand what is at stake and it is so important to take this step in creating our own organization that will ultimately benefit all of us.

If we support NBCAAM and make it the industry standard, then the impact and meaning will even be greater. A lot of good people are putting a lot of good work into this effort and we definitely need to monitor our own professionalism.

Taking the examination is entirely voluntary and we are excited to be able to offer this option to people who are serious about enhancing the professional standing of animal massage and acupressure. NBCAAM Board of Directors welcomes your participation on the committees that are in the process of being formed. The Marketing Committee is building and we are eager to work with everyone wanting to enhance the scope of communication for animal massage and acupressure within the various communities. Please contact the info@animalacupressure.com to volunteer for the Marketing Committee.

NBCAAM

Colorado-based, Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute founders are behind the development of the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure & Massage (NBCAAM). We have speakers from our organization (we are a 501(c)(6) - which is a lobbying entity) to speak at the IAAMB Conference and people will be able to go to the www.nbcaam.org website very shortly to obtain further information. The speakers will be: Larry Coon, Dean of Natural Resources, Tina Romine, director of Equine Alternative Care Program and Lola Michelin, Northwest School of Animal Massage.

Nancy and Amy have been working with Hocking College, our host for the examinations, to create NBCAAM for over a year and a half. We have been adjunct faculty at Hocking in the equine program for almost 10 years, so we were able find a way of supporting our entire field rather economically and with an accredited university. We look forward to having everyone support and involved NBCAAM so that animal massage and acupressure will become a respected career path and tons of animals will benefit. We are looking for more people join the Marketing Committee -- Please Join this exciting adventure!