As a medical masseur with a Federal Diploma of Higher Education, you have the opportunity to set up your own practice or be employed in a therapy practice, hospital, retirement home, rehabilitation center, clinic, spa or course center. You can also work for sports associations and clubs, as well as in wellness centers and spa hotels.

A job as a medical masseur involves the following tasks:

• use targeted hand movements to influence their patients
• Cure or alleviate physical complaints
• Use of technical devices that support them in their work
• work in therapy according to the doctor's instructions
• Understanding diagnoses and prescriptions
• derive treatment measures tailored to the individual patient
• Medical masseurs ensure a calm and relaxed atmosphere in order to achieve optimum recovery success
• Regularly checking the functionality of the technical devices
• Administrative tasks such as arranging appointments
• Protocol management
• Billing

Continuing education, further training to become a medical masseur / medical masseuse can be completed part-time or full-time. The part-time course lasts between three and four years and the full-time course lasts around two years.

The personal requirements for medical masseurs are as follows:

• a keen sense of observation
• Fine tactile perception
• manual dexterity
• good interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and deal with conflict
• Willingness to work irregular hours

Anyone wishing to be admitted to the final Federal Professional Examination "Medical Masseur" must have eight module qualifications or certificates of equivalence by the time they register for the examination. The modules are

• Collection, interpretation and documentation of data
• Measures and intervention processes
• Implementation of the measures
• Shaping relationships, cooperation, conflict resolution
• Design of the workplace
• Ensuring administration and organization
• Quality assurance
• Clinical internship

After passing the final examination, graduates receive the protected title: "Medical masseur with a federal certificate" or "Medical masseuse with a federal certificate".

The final examination for further training as a medical masseur with a federal certificate is divided into four examination parts, each of which can be subdivided into different items. Examination part A is a written, three-hour examination of factual and practical knowledge, which is weighted simply. Examination part B is a practical examination of massage and physical therapy forms, which lasts around four hours and is weighted twice. The third part of the examination (C) is an oral specialist discussion and case presentation lasting approximately one hour with a single weighting. All parts of the examination must have a grade of at least 4.0 in order to be considered passed.

After training as a medical masseur, you have these opportunities for further development:

• Higher professional examination to become a federally certified medical masseur (HFP)
• Further training from the Swiss Association of Professional Massage Therapists and recognized massage schools

Medical masseur jobs require the following responsibilities and skills:

• Responsibilities
  • Treatment and prevention
  • Formulation of the therapy goal
  • Choice of measures and techniques
  • Correct patient management
• Competencies
  • Professional competence: knowledge of physiological and physical processes, technical understanding, independent work
  • Social skills: perception of the patient's problem area, ability to work in a team, resilience

In order to be admitted to the final examination, all eight module qualifications or a certificate of equivalence as well as at least one year of professional experience must be proven. In addition, candidates must have a Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training or an equivalent or higher qualification and must not have an entry in the central criminal register that is incompatible with working as a medical masseur.