What is osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy that involves looking at and treating the whole body. It uses hands-on methods to bring the body's structure and function back into alignment , which helps patients move better, feel better and get healthier overall.
An Osteopathy Manual Practitioner (OMP) is a trained practitioner who uses osteopathic principles and hands-on techniques to find and fix problems with the body's muscles and systems. OMPs use their skills in palpation and clinical reasoning to help the body heal itself.
CAO offers a Type 1 osteopathic education with more than 4,200 hours of curriculum, including 1500 hours of hands-on training and supervised clinical practice. The CAO’s schedule for classes is also very different. We offer a modified format that allows students to work at their jobs while they study.
The CAO has a 4-year regular paced program, and a 3-year fast-track program. Both curriculums are the same 4200 hours of education.
Students at the CAO learn anatomy, physiology, osteopathic theory, palpation skills, clinical reasoning, professional ethics, in addition to the extensive hands-on training. This mix gives graduates the skills and confidence they need to work successfully in the field.
Of course, yes. CAO has a modified schedule that allows students to keep working while they complete their osteopathic studies.
The Collective Mechanics™ method is a model that uses movement, physics, and the laws of nature to give patients good, accurate care. CAO is the only school in Canada that teaches this method, because it was created by our Principal and Founder, Robert Johnston.
When students graduate, they are ready to work as professionals because of the in-depth training they received at the CAO. Students participate in the classroom lab, supervised practice clinic, and supervised public clinic in addition to all their health science course work.
CAO helps graduates start businesses and make professional connections that will last for the rest of their lives. OSTCAN helps former students get jobs and pay their insurance bills.
A lot of graduates start their own businesses. Some work in multidisciplinary clinics, some grads are in osteopathy clinics, and some work in osteopathy specialties (women only, athletes, animals, pediatrics).
The osteopathy program at CAO emphasizes experiential learning, holistic body awareness, and comprehensive patient care. This gives students a unique professional identity that attracts patients who want natural care that isn't invasive.
The teachers at CAO are osteopaths, PhD’s, and MDs who have worked in the field and expect a lot from their students. There are no electives in this program. Everything is relevant to clinical practice. We make sure that every lesson is useful in real life.
Well trained Osteopaths are in high demand for personalized care because more people want drugless, hands-on ways to deal with pain, mobility, and health. Most patients are also interested in preventative health-care.
Yes. If a patient’s benefit plan includes osteopathy! CAO graduates earn the MOMSC designation which is recognized by private insurance stakeholders as the gold standard. Our graduates are eligible to join Osteopathy Canada (OSTCAN) Canada’s premiere osteopathic association which is recognized by all insurers.
You can learn more about CAO and see if it's a good fit for your career goals by talking to admissions, going to a lab visit, or asking for our free textbook sample.