Massage Therapy makes big move, to call Advanced Technology Center home at RLC

INA, Ill. (July 29, 2013) - Big changes are imminent for the students in the Therapeutic Massage program at Rend Lake College as it moves from its home for the past decade at the RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon to the Advanced Technology Center on the Ina Campus.

Mike Adamson, Therapeutic Massage Professor, said the program will be moving into one classroom in the ATC building, room 142, and a newly built lab for clinical work. The program held its first class on the Ina campus in 2000.

Adamson said that he hopes the move will bring in more students from the south and west for an evening program, as the move will be a shorter commute for those students. In previous years the college offered the program in an evening format, and will again offer that option if the demand is there.

“Moving back to the Ina campus, we’re trying to get the evening program started again and we’re looking for enrollment,” he said. “The program will now offer a full-time, two-semester day program, and a part-time, three-semester evening program.”

Areas of study include anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, pathology, and business practices, as well as massage techniques for relaxation and addressing muscular-skeletal conditions with orthopedic and sports massage. The program prepares RLC students to become a licensed massage therapy professional.

Graduates may work in a variety of settings, including medical facilities, beauty salons, private practice and sports clinics.

For more information or to register for the Therapeutic Massage program, contact the Allied Health Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1251.

Taking the place of the Therapeutic Massage program at the MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon will be a new Nail Technology program in connection to Studio RLC. The new program, announced in June, will teach students the skills of manicures, pedicures, nail tips and wraps, gel nails, acrylics and nail art.

“Nail Technology is a growing field,” said Daphne Mitchell, Director of Studio RLC. “As more nail salons open and as more cosmetology businesses expand their services to include nails, we dedicated ourselves to creating a quality training program to fill that need.”

Classes for the program begin August 19, both in full-time and part-time formats. Students who successfully complete the program will receive an occupational certificate and will be able to sit for the Illinois Nail Technician Examination.

For more information or to register for the Nail Technology program, contact Mitchell at 618-242-8459, or at mitchelld@rlc.edu.