ITEC Reflexology & Exams

[pueppi]

From everything I understand (please forgive me, if I have anything wrong, and feel free to correct me if I do), ITEC is based out of the UK. For Reflexology, it is a governing board to allow those certified through it, to have the option to practice in about 30+ countries who use ITEC as a certification standard.

The research I have found shows that in order to be allowed to take the ITEC Reflexology exams, one must pass their course-work in an ITEC Reflexology school first. (I am in the USA, and there are currently only 2 ITEC related Reflexology schools here at this time.)



These are the rules for the examinations which I have pieced together at this point:

• The ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Reflexology comprises of the following mandatory ITEC units. The ITEC Level 3 Diploma in Reflexology complies with the National Occupational Standards for Reflexology at Level 3 (UK, EU, etc.)
  
  
  • Anatomy & Physiology
    
    • • 50 multiple choice question paper of 1 hour duration. There is one question followed by four alternative answers A, B, C or D. The student must indicate the correct answer by marking an ‘X’ over the appropriate letter in the box on the answer-sheets. There is only ONE correct answer. – grading at 50% with Pass (50-74%), Credit (75-89%) or Distinction (90% and above).
      
      • o Skin – 5 questions
        o Muscular System – 5 questions
        o Cells and Tissues – 5 questions
        o Skeletal System – 5 questions
        o Endocrine System – 5 questions
        o Vascular System – 5 questions
        o Lymphatic System – 5 questions
        o Neurological System – 5 questions
        o Reproductive System – 2 questions
        o Digestive System – 3 questions
        o Respiratory System – 3 questions
        o Urinary System – 2 questions
      • Link for A&P Syllabus: http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... llabus.pdf
      • Link for A&P Syllabus (short version): http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... llabus.pdf
  
  
  
  
  • Reflexology - Theory & Practical (has 3 elements– theory, practical and case studies).
    
    • • 50 multiple choice question paper of 1 hour duration – grading at 60% with Pass, Credit or Distinction.
      
      • o Contraindications – 5 questions
        o Reflex Areas – 13 questions
        o Reading of feet – 5 questions
        o Other Therapies – 5 questions
        o Aftercare – 5 questions
        o Concept and History – 5 questions
        o Treatments – 12 questions
      • Practical Exam
      • o ACCURACY OF LOCATING RELEXES – 10 MARKS (2 marks each)
        o RAPPORT WITH THE CLIENT – 5 MARKS (1 mark each)
        o TREATMENT TECHNIQUES – 20 MARKS (5 marks each)
        o POSTURE – 5 MARKS (1 mark each)
        o TREATMENT SUMMARY – 10 MARKS
        o ORAL QUESTIONS – 10 MARKS
      • Link for Reflexology Syllabus: http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... llabus.pdf
      • Link for Reflexology Syllabus (short version): http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... llabus.pdf
      • Link for Practical Guidance Sheet: http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... idance.pdf
      • Link for Practical Pre-Examination Assessment:
      http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... 20Form.pdf
    
    
    • Professional Conduct and Business Awareness
      
      • • Combined paper of 1 hour duration of 25 questions each, with a total of 50 questions
        • o Financing and costing– 5 questions
          o Retail – 5 questions
          o Sales and Marketing – 10 questions
          o Health, Safety and Hygiene – 20 questions
          o Ethics – 5 questions
          o Comunication – 5 questions
        • Link for Business Practice for Complementary Therapies Syllabus: http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... llabus.pdf
        • Link for Health, Safety and Hygiene for Complementary Therapies Syllabus:
        http://www.itecworld.co.uk/Syllabus/Uni ... llabus.pdf

[pueppi]

Additionally, this information I have also pieced together, may help some people:


For Reflexology ITEC Exam

• • Bring Case Studies
  • o Student ID to go on all Case Studies
  • Bring School Test Folder with results
  • ITEC Examiner will look at both of these prior to the ITEC Exam

PRACTICAL (15 mins. consultation / 45 mins. hands-on)

• • If you don’t pass the School exam, you won’t be able to sit for the ITEC exam.
  • Wear all black - including black socks, trouser socks or hose.
  • Hair completely back / plastered to head, off forehead and behind ears with not 'fashionable tendrils' falling out if you have it up.
  • No earrings (at maximum only studs).
  • No polish on nails.
  • Do not interact with the examiner and no eye contact except during exam.
  • You must stand up and great your client!
  • You must sit with your back supported by the chair at all times. You must sit up and not slouch.
  • Don’t be wishy-washy during the practical, don’t give anything extra. Don’t think about the answer too long. If you don’t know, ask her to come back.
  • No Mind/Emotional links on test. Do not mention emotional issues to ITEC examiner!!
  • ITEC is not watching for you to go through all of the systems or every point in every system.
  • You will find out if you passed the practical, the day of the exam.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Reflexology Practical Exam

• ACCURACY OF LOCATING RELEXES – 10 MARKS (2 marks each)
  
  1. Demonstrate knowledge of the zones of the feet.
  2. Locate appropriate reflexes for any condition.
  3. Be seen to rework an area if crystals found.
  4. Be able to identify any reflex points on the foot.
  5. Be able to identify any reflex points on the hand.

• RAPPORT WITH THE CLIENT – 5 MARKS (1 mark each)
  
  1. Observe the client’s expression during the treatment.
  2. Ensure the client displays open body language.
  3. Do not diagnose.
  4. Ensure findings are recorded on a blank foot chart during the treatment.
  5. Ensure client is aware of procedures.

• TREATMENT TECHNIQUES – 20 MARKS (5 marks each)
  ITEC recognizes reflexology routines and techniques are varied and different. The candidate must demonstrate a safe and acceptable routine.
  
  1. Demonstrate a warm up massage routine on feet prior to treatment.
  2. Follow a logical sequence of working incorporating the techniques listed in the syllabus.
  3. Adequate pressure must be applied either with thumbs or fingers.
  4. Ensure that client is comfortable with pressure applied.

• POSTURE – 5 MARKS (1 mark each)
  
  1. Candidate should be sitting to perform this treatment.
  2. Candidate’s back should be straight with feet flat on the floor.
  3. Position of shoulders.
  4. Position of arms.
  5. Flexibility of wrists.

• TREATMENT SUMMARY – 10 MARKS
  
  This should take into account client’s medical history, reading of the feet, findings on the feet and treatment findings, including home care advice.

• ORAL QUESTIONS – 10 MARKS
  
  Sample oral questions:
  
  1. What presenting problems does your client have?
  2. Name some contraindications to reflexology?
  3. Why is the temperature of the foot relevant?
  4. Why is the color of the foot relevant?
  5. When would you use hand reflexology?
  6. How would you describe this treatment to your client?
  7. Why is it important to perform a foot massage prior to a reflexology treatment?
  8. What is reflexology?
  9. Why is it important to perform a detailed consultation?
  10. What's the importance of consultation and foot reading?
  11. Why is it important to chart findings during the treatment?
  12. If you feel grittiness, what do you do?
  13. If your client has swollen or puffy ankles, what could this suggest?
  14. What would you do for hay fever and show me the areas to work.
  15. What would you do for whiplash?
  16. What reactions might you expect to get from your client during a treatment?
  17. What have you learnt from the consultation?
  18. What have you noticed from reading the feet and what have you noticed from the treatment compared to the consultation?
  • • Understand and explain methods of consultation.

WRITTEN
• 1 answer per question.
• You will find out if you pass/fail, 6 weeks after the exam.
• You will be told what you missed, if you fail.



- You will be considered a Certified Reflexologist, if you pass the School Exams.
- You will be considered an Internationally Certified Reflexologist, if you also pass the ITEC Exams.

[pueppi]

An additional and important note:

• When searching for ITEC information online, you may wish to google "ITEC papers" or "ITEC past papers". It seems that the exams are called "papers" in other countries, and if you search with an "American" vocabulary, you can miss other information that is on the internet about how these exams are handled.

[pueppi]

An update on my ITEC Examination experience:

The examiner actually flew over from Florida, from what I understand, as she practices there, currently. I mention this, because I was under the prior knowledge that she was to fly over from the UK. My mis-understanding.

Practical exams were in the morning (greet client, seat client, perform health history, went through the systems on our own and an examiner came around to ask each candidate questions as to what they were working on and specific reflexology based questions, completed working on the client and provided a treatment summary and after-care instructions for the client) . Comprehensive written exams were in the afternoon. We knew at the end of the day how we did on the practical. We should find out how we did on the written in approximately 6 weeks. If we pass both, we are considered Internationally Certified Reflexologists and mailed the diploma.

• For Americans taking the exams, be aware that the actual exam paper is laid out much different than what we would consider a normal exam layout.
  
  Therefore, if you have any attention deficit issues, or difficulty reading items in "small spaces", be aware that you should proceed through the exam slowly.
• Because I am already licensed in another health care field (MT), I was able to skip the ITEC "A&P" exams. If you aren't told about this, please ask for the exemption. It will make your final exam day that much less stressful.
  
  • I needed to supply a copy of my current license. And, I also provided my certificate/diploma.
• Both the Reflexology & Professional Conduct and Business Awareness exams were not difficult if you knew how to study for it. However, there were a few questions (about 5 on each test I took) which I had to guess at. Each exam took our entire class no more than 40 of the 60 minutes allowed.
  
  I can't comment on the A&P as I was exempt.
• We were told if we passed the practical on the day of the exam, and that exam actually was much for comfortable to take than I expected, because our instructors had us practice for the exam (in the same format) in each class we took.
• We will recieve our written grades and certificate/diploma (if we passed) in approximately 6 weeks.
• I was told you only have to re-take the portion of the exams you don't pass, so if you fail 1 of the 3 written exams, you will only need to repeat that particular exam.

I'll eventually add a link about the exams on my blog, with a .pdf of questions I put together so I could study for the exam in some semblance of order.

[pueppi]

I am adding this quote of the ITEC list of countries (from 2012), because I have some updated 2015 information at the end of this post.

Below you can find the list of countries where ITEC currently (as of this post) has registered colleges, in case you would like to contact them directly.

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Barbados
• Canada
• China
• Cyprus
• France
• Ghana
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Japan
• Kenya
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Namibia
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Philippines
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saint Lucia
• Singapore
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Taiwan
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Zimbabwe

From the "Reflexology Practitioners" FB Page that discussed a Reflexologist who cannot practice in Germany with her ITEC diploma, along with potentially useful reply (from 2015):

Comment: "I am in Germany.. My ITEC Diploma is not recognized here..."

Response: "Here in the UK the VTCT qualification now carries the EURO pass on the L3 QCF current qualification. Is it worth investigation of a conversion?"