CMTO MCQ Exam Breakdown

Category Percentage Weight Number of Questions
Professional Practice 18% 26
Assessment 25% 36
Treatment 42% 64
Clinical Science 15% 24
Total 100% 150

Professional Practice

Communication

  • Employ effective questioning techniques
  • Knowledge of medical terminology

Professionalism

  • Knowledge of relevant provincial and federal requirements.
  • Knowledge of the mandate and roles of a regulatory body
  • Knowledge of CMTO requirements (e.g., Policies, Standards of Practice)
  • Differentiate between the role of a regulatory body and that of a professional association.
  • Knowledge of quality assurance requirements
  • Knowledge of professional practice documentation requirements
  • Knowledge of security, confidentiality and access requirements for records
  • Knowledge of standard hygiene practices
  • Knowledge of standard precautions of infection control.
  • Understand research processes.
  • Knowledge of billing procedures

Therapeutic Relationship

  • Knowledge of the purpose and components of informed consent
  • Knowledge of potential sensitive areas
  • Knowledge of what constitutes abuse in the client-therapist relationship.
  • Explain the therapist’s responsibility for managing the client-therapist
  • Knowledge of the characteristics and implications of transference and countertransference.

Assessment

  • Knowledge of the components of a comprehensive case history
  • Incorporate assessment findings of other healthcare practitioners into assessment planning
  • Identify indications for assessing client, based on presenting symptoms and conditions.
  • Knowledge of safety considerations and adaptation of assessments for client, based on presenting symptoms and conditions
  • Modify assessments based upon emerging findings
  • Perform vital signs assessment.
  • Identify indications, safety considerations for and the components of performing the following assessments as well as differentiate between normal and abnormal findings:
    • Palpatory assessment
    • Gait assessment
    • Vital signs assessment
    • Postural assessment
    • Range of motion assessment
    • Muscle length assessment
    • Muscle strength assessment
    • Joint play assessment
    • Neurological assessment
  • Identify indications, safety considerations for and the components of performing special tests
  • Identify the purpose of the selected test
  • Knowledge of how the selected test affects the involved tissues
  • Formulate a clinical impression / differential diagnosis
  • Recognize presentations of common urgent medical conditions and the appropriate responses to urgent medical events
  • Knowledge of presentations that require non-urgent medical care and the appropriate responses to non- urgent medical events.

Treatment

Treatment Principles

  • Knowledge of considerations that guide treatment planning, including principles of massage
  • Formulate an individualized treatment plan. Incorporate relevant assessment data, research evidence, and clinical experience into development of a client centered treatment plan.
  • Relate treatment components to indications and safety considerations
  • Knowledge of health sciences related to client symptoms and conditions
  • Knowledge of common clinical presentations
  • Apply treatment modalities and techniques based on commonly-occurring symptoms and conditions
  • Knowledge of appropriate draping for treatment
  • Select self care based upon desired outcomes
  • Knowledge of how to instruct client in self care

Massage Techniques

  • Knowledge of the components, indications, safety considerations, effects, and outcomes of the following techniques:
    • stroking
    • vibration
    • petrissage
    • effleurage
    • skin rolling
    • percussive techniques
    • rocking and shaking
    • frictioning
    • muscle stripping
    • muscle approximation
    • fascial / myofascial techniques
    • joint mobilization techniques
    • lymphatic drainage techniques
    • trigger point techniques
    • Golgi tendon organ techniques

Therapeutic Exercises

  • Knowledge of components, indications, safety considerations, procedures, effects, and outcomes of the following techniques:
    • range of motion exercises
    • strengthening exercises
    • cardiovascular exercises
    • stretching
    • proprioception exercises

Thermal Applications

  • Perform and direct clients for thermal exercises. Knowledge of indications, safety considerations, effects, and outcomes of:
    • Heat Applications
    • Cold Applications
    • Contrast Applications

Clinical Sciences

  • Incorporate and apply an understanding of :
    • Anatomy
    • physiology
    • pathophysiology
    • Pharmacology as it relates to massage therapy