Commonly Asked Questions

Osteopathy based on principles doesn't teach you how to remember techniques. Instead, it shows you how to understand why the body works and adapts the way it does. Students learn how to look at, think about, and treat patients using osteopathic principles, anatomy, biomechanics, and natural law. This leads to better and more accurate care.

The CAO program has more than 4,200 hours of coursework, which is more than what is needed to become an osteopath anywhere in the world.

The program gives students about 1,500 hours of hands-on training, which includes lab work and a lot of supervised clinical experience.

The only place in Canada where you can learn the Collective Mechanics™ method is at CAO, the only osteopathy school. This model is based on principles and uses movement, physics, and natural law to give patients osteopathic treatment that works, is accurate, and is quick. This method makes CAO graduates different from other manual therapists and OMPs.

The 4,200 hours of classes, in-depth study of biomedical sciences, hands-on training, and clinical exposure at CAO meet or exceed international standards for professional osteopathic education.

In addition to the full four-year osteopathy program, the Hamilton campus of CAO also has a three-year program. All of these programs are based on osteopathic ideas about how to think about, assess, and treat people.

Students learn a lot about:

• Anatomy and physiology
• The history and theory of osteopathy
• Principles-based assessment and treatment
• Professionalism and ethics
• A lot of supervised clinical training

Yes. Students learn a lot by working with real patients in supervised teaching clinics and getting feedback from their teachers.

Students can safely put what they've learned into practice during supervised clinical training, which helps them get better at figuring out what's wrong and improve their hands-on skills. Then they can be sure they are ready for the real world when they graduate.

There are working osteopaths, PhDs, and MDs on the faculty at CAO, so every part of the program has both theoretical and practical clinical knowledge.

Yes. CAO has a full-time program with a flexible schedule that lets students work and study at the same time without having to move.

Many students can work and study at the same time because CAO has a flexible schedule. This means that people who want to change jobs or who already work can take part in the program.

Students at CAO learn how to think critically, do hands-on work, follow the rules, and act like a professional. This makes sure that graduates can get a job right away.

Yes. OSTCAN members can bill for full insurance across Canada, which is why CAO graduates can do this. This means that CAO graduates can open successful businesses that help people get care.

There are hundreds of CAO graduates running successful private practices and working in multidisciplinary clinics all over Canada. They are well-known in their fields and have a lot of experience working with patients.

Yes. CAO helps graduates with their careers for the rest of their lives by helping them grow their practice, improve their skills, and have long-term success in their careers.

To become an expert in osteopathy, you need time, practice, and a teacher. Students in CAO's program have enough time to learn how to feel things, build their clinical confidence, and make good decisions as professionals.

In CAO's learning environment, students who care about academic rigor, principled thinking, and doing things well do well.

CAO has one of the most complete osteopathy programs in Canada. It offers a Tier 1 education based on principles, with more than 4,200 hours of training, the unique Collective Mechanics™ approach, flexible scheduling, supervised clinical experience, eligibility for insurance, and support for life.