A registered masseuse who admitted to massaging patients with just one hand while using a mobile phone in the other has been disciplined by her professional college.
Najia Xu admitted to the misconduct in a consent agreement with the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia, a summary of which was posted on the college’s website this week.
According to the summary, Sue admitted to checking her phone several times while treating multiple patients between June 2021 and February 2022.
The college began investigating Burnaby-based RMT after receiving a patient complaint in November 2021.
In February 2022, the college sent an “undercover investigator” whose camera caught her using her phone “three times for between 30 seconds and five minutes” during the massage.
“The Commission of Inquiry found Ms. Xu’s admitted conduct to be serious, involving numerous breaches of professional standards,” the online summary reads.
“By using her cell phone while treating patients, she did not treat those patients with respect and did not act in their best interests.”
Sue’s consent agreement with the college requires her to pay a $1,000 fine to the college as well as $1,500 in partial reimbursement for the costs of the investigation.
The agreement also calls for a five-day suspension of her college registration and a formal reprimand.
As part of the settlement, Sue promises not to repeat the behavior and agrees to “a permanent condition on her practice of massage therapy, namely that she cannot have a cell phone in any treatment room in which she performs massage therapy “.
She must also complete “extensive remedial education,” according to the summary.
Add Comment