Burnaby massage therapist reprimanded, fined for using cell phone on the job

(File Photo)

A registered massage therapist who admitted to massaging patients with just one hand while using a cell 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 B.C., a summary of which was posted on the college's website this week. 

According to the summary, Xu admitted to checking her phone multiple times while treating multiple patients between June 2021 and February 2022.

The college began investigating the Burnaby-based RMT after receiving a complaint from a patient in November 2021.

In February 2022, the college sent an "undercover investigator," whose camera captured her using her phone "three times for between 30 seconds and five minutes," during the massage.

"The inquiry committee considered Ms. Xu’s admitted conduct to be serious, involving numerous breaches of professional requirements," the online summary reads.

"By using her cellular phone during patient treatments, she did not treat those patients with respect or act in their best interests."

Xu'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 cost of the investigation.

The agreement also calls for a five-day suspension of her registration with the college and a formal reprimand.

As part of the agreement, Xu promised not to repeat the conduct and agreed to "a permanent condition on her practice of massage therapy, namely that she cannot have a cellular phone present in any treatment room in which she provides massage therapy."

She must also complete "extensive remedial education," according to the summary.