Oregon Massage License Renewal Checklist: Ethics, Cultural Competency, and More
Written by Melissa Haeckel
Renewing an Oregon massage license involves more than completing 25 hours of continuing education. Oregon distinguishes between supervised and unsupervised education and requires specific hours in ethics, boundaries, communication, and cultural competency.
Use this checklist to organize your continuing education, understand the role of online learning, and prepare the records you may need if the Oregon Board of Massage Therapists selects your renewal for an audit.
Renewal Dates and Hours
Oregon massage licenses expire on the last day of the licensee’s birth month. Licensees born in an even-numbered year renew in even-numbered years, while licensees born in an odd-numbered year renew in odd-numbered years.
Although the license expires at the end of the birth month, the completed renewal application and requirements must be submitted no later than the first day of the expiration month. A late fee may apply after that date.
Active Oregon LMTs generally complete 25 continuing education hours during each renewal period. However, the CE requirement does not apply to a licensee’s first renewal. Education completed during the first renewal period must be reported during the second renewal period.
If you are unsure whether an upcoming renewal is your first renewal, review your original license issue date or contact OBMT.
Current renewal fee
The current biennial renewal fee for an active Oregon massage license is $270. The inactive renewal fee is $135, and late renewals are subject to an additional fee of $25 per week, up to $100.
Fees can change. Confirm the amount shown in the OBMT renewal system before submitting payment.
The 25-Hour Breakdown
For an active renewal requiring continuing education, Oregon’s current requirements include the following:
Eight supervised hours
At least 8 of the required 25 hours must be supervised continuing education. Supervised education includes formal courses, seminars, or workshops delivered in person or through qualifying interactive distance learning.
Four supervised ethics hours
At least 4 of the 8 supervised hours must address one or more of the following subjects:
- Professional ethics.
- Boundaries.
- Communication.
These 4 hours are part of the 8-hour supervised requirement—not an additional requirement on top of it.
One cultural competency hour
At least 1 of the 25 hours must address cultural competency. The cultural competency hour may fall within either the supervised or unsupervised portion, depending on the course’s delivery format.
A course addressing health equity or a related subject should not automatically be assumed to satisfy the cultural competency requirement. Review the subject designation on the certificate and course page before enrolling.
Oregon pain management module
Licensees must complete the pain management module provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission at least once by their next required CE reporting period. The module may be repeated once during each renewal period and counted toward continuing education.
A pain-related course from another provider does not replace the official OPMC module unless OBMT expressly confirms otherwise.
Remaining hours
After satisfying the required categories, the remaining hours may be supervised or unsupervised. No more than 17 of the required 25 hours may come from unsupervised education.
All CE subjects must fall within the topics permitted by OAR 334-010-0050 and remain within the massage therapist’s scope of practice. Provider approval alone does not make an unrelated subject acceptable.
Supervised Online Education
Oregon permits supervised education to be delivered through interactive distance learning. This may include a live online course or an asynchronous course in which students are required to interact with an instructor through email, an electronic discussion board, a learning platform, or another method of direct communication.
A supervised course must also have a syllabus identifying the competencies covered and the methods used to assess learning.
Online education without the required instructor interaction may fall within Oregon’s unsupervised category. A prerecorded video, reading assignment, or multiple-choice quiz does not automatically become supervised education simply because it is delivered online.
When evaluating an online ethics course, ask:
- Is instructor interaction required?
- Does the instructor review or respond to student work?
- Are assignments or assessments required?
- Does the course have a syllabus with competencies and assessment methods?
- Is completion verified before a certificate is issued?
- Are the CE hours and subject category clearly stated?
- Can the provider document the course format if questions arise?
“Online,” “self-paced,” and “asynchronous” describe how and when a course is completed. They do not, by themselves, determine whether OBMT will classify the hours as supervised or unsupervised.
Renewal and Audit Checklist
Before submitting an active renewal that requires CE, confirm that you have:
- 25 total continuing education hours.
- At least 8 supervised hours.
- At least 4 supervised hours in Professional Ethics, Boundaries, or Communication.
- At least 1 hour in cultural competency.
- Proof of completing the official OPMC pain management module, if it has not already been completed and reported.
- A current Basic Life Support card.
- A completed renewal application.
- The current $270 active renewal fee.
- Certificates and supporting records for your CE activities.
Oregon requires a current Basic Life Support card. A general CPR course should not be assumed to satisfy this requirement unless it is the American Heart Association BLS Healthcare Providers Course or an accepted equivalent, and the card must include an expiration date.
Keep your documentation
OBMT randomly selects at least 10 percent of the renewals received each month for a continuing education audit. If selected, a licensee has 30 days to complete the audit form and submit copies—not originals—of the requested CE certificates.
Licensees must retain continuing education records for at least five years. Your files should include:
- Certificates of completion.
- Course titles and descriptions.
- Course syllabi when available.
- Completion dates.
- CE hours and subject categories.
- Provider information.
- Documentation of supervised participation.
- Relevant correspondence.
Course completion is determined by the date the course was completed. Except for eligible supervised carryover hours, education generally must be completed during the applicable renewal period.
Supervised hours completed beyond the total requirement may be carried into the next renewal period. Excess supervised hours in Professional Ethics, Boundaries, or Communication may also be carried into the next renewal period. Keep clear records so the same hours are not reported twice.
Listening Field Training Courses
Listening Field Training offers self-paced, asynchronous continuing education for massage therapists. Depending on the course, activities may include guided lessons, case-based exercises, written reflection, knowledge assessments, required assignments, and instructor review or feedback.
Students must complete the stated requirements before a certificate is issued. Each course page identifies the subject, number of CE hours, learning objectives, delivery method, assignments, and completion process.
Current areas of study include:
- Professional ethics.
- Boundaries and communication.
- Cultural competency.
- Health equity.
- Trauma-informed ethical practice.
- Pain-informed ethical practice.
- Business ethics and practice management.
Listening Field Training courses include required instructor interaction and assessment. Rather than relying on a general statement that every course automatically satisfies a particular Oregon category, review the individual course page for its hours, subject designation, and participation requirements.
Listening Field Training can document the course format and the work completed by a student. OBMT makes the final determination about how education is classified and whether it is accepted for an individual renewal or audit.
Choose your course
- Choose an ethics course if you need to study boundaries, communication, consent, power, or professional decision-making.
- Choose a cultural competency course when you need education specifically designated in that category.
- Choose a bundle when its individual components match more than one of your renewal needs.
- Choose a pain-informed course for additional professional development, while remembering that it does not replace the official OPMC module.
Review the full course description before purchasing and compare it with your individual renewal record.
This article provides general educational information and is not legal advice or a guarantee that a course will be accepted for a particular renewal or audit. Requirements and fees may change. Each licensee is responsible for reviewing current OBMT rules and determining whether a course fits their individual renewal needs.
