Scope of Practice

Last updated 27 July 2026

Scope of practice: please read before you enrol

This programme awards an educational certificate. It is not a massage therapy licence, and it does not confer one.

New York State regulates the practice of massage therapy. Manual lymphatic drainage performed on the public may fall within that regulated scope depending on how you practise and where you practise. Other states, provinces and countries regulate it differently.

You are responsible for confirming and meeting the licensing, registration and insurance requirements that apply where you work, before you accept a client. Nothing we teach overrides those requirements.

Our curriculum is educational information, not medical advice. Clients with medical concerns must be directed to their surgeon or physician.

1. What this certificate is

Completing our programme earns a certificate of completion in manual lymphatic drainage and post-operative aftercare. It is evidence that you studied a defined body of material and passed the assessments attached to it, and, in the Certified Practitioner tier, that you completed supervised hands-on training at our institute.

It is a genuine and verifiable record of training.

2. What this certificate is not

It is not a licence, a registration, a state credential or a permit. It does not authorise you to practise anything. No school can issue you a licence, because licences are issued by regulators, not by schools.

Specifically, this certificate does not:

make you a licensed massage therapist;
authorise you to practise massage therapy in New York State or anywhere else;
make you a medical, nursing or allied health professional;
authorise you to diagnose, prescribe, treat a medical condition, or perform any invasive procedure including drawing off fluid with a syringe; or
substitute for the professional liability insurance you will need before you take a client.

3. New York State

New York State regulates the practice of massage therapy. Depending on how and where you practise, manual lymphatic drainage performed on members of the public may fall within that regulated scope. Practising a regulated profession without the required licence is a serious matter, and the consequences fall on the practitioner.

If you intend to practise in New York, confirm your position with the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions before you accept a client. If you are unsure, take legal advice. We are your educators; we are not your regulator and we cannot give you that clearance.

4. Everywhere else

Other states, provinces and countries regulate this work differently. Some require a massage therapy licence, some require registration under a different title, some regulate only certain techniques, and some do not regulate it at all. Requirements also change.

Before you accept a client, you are responsible for confirming and meeting the licensing, registration, scope and insurance requirements that apply where you work. Our teaching does not override them, and enrolling with us does not transfer that responsibility to us.

5. Clinical boundaries we teach

Whatever your licence status, the boundaries below are part of the professional standard we teach and expect of anyone carrying our certificate:

Do not diagnose.
Do not prescribe, and do not advise a client to start or stop any medication.
Do not extract fluid. That is determined and performed by a licensed professional.
Do not override a surgeon's instruction.
Do not treat a client with cancer, diabetes or other disease without clearance from their surgeon.
Refer promptly. Abscess, major incision reopening, blood loss, clots, and signs of low haemoglobin all go to a medical professional immediately, not to your next session.

6. How you may describe your training

Accurate descriptions:

Certified in Manual Lymphatic Drainage for post-operative care by Magic Post Op NYC Institute.
Completed the 35 hour Magic Post Operative MLD Instructional Course.
Certified Practitioner, Magic Post Op NYC Institute, where you have completed the in-person clinical days.

Descriptions that are not accurate, and that we will act on:

Licensed massage therapist, unless you separately hold that licence.
State certified, state licensed or board certified.
Any medical or nursing title.
Any claim that our certificate permits you to practise in a jurisdiction that requires a licence.

We may revoke a certificate where the holder makes false claims about what it authorises, as set out in our Terms of Service.

7. Educational information, not medical advice

Our curriculum is educational information. It is neither intended nor implied to substitute for advice from a medical professional familiar with a person’s health status. Clients with medical concerns must be directed to their surgeon or physician.

8. Questions

If you are weighing enrolment and are unsure how the rules apply to you, ask us before you pay. We will tell you plainly what our certificate does and does not do.