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Osteopathy Programs and Prerequisites

The OAoPO is the only Osteopathy school in Canada that fully complies with the WHO guidelines for Osteopathic education. We have two osteopathy program offerings, including the Non-Practitioner and Practitioner streams.

  1. Non-Practitioner Program (Type 1 Program in accordance with WHO)
    The OAoPO Non-Practitioner Program is open to anyone without a previous healthcare background.
  2. Practitioner Program (Type 2 Program in accordance with WHO)
    The OAoPO Practitioner Program is open to anyone with the following healthcare backgrounds:
    • Chiropractic
    • Naturopath*
    • Physiotherapy
    • Athletic Therapy*
    • Occupational therapy*
    • Medical Doctor*
    • Nurse*
    • Massage Therapy*
    • Acupuncture*

* = Will require some additional training and or science credits to participate in the practitioner program.

Non-Practitioner Program

The Non-Practitioner Program is a full-time program oriented towards non-therapists who wish to graduate a program compliant with standards set by the World Health Organization. The OAoPO curriculum abides by the CEN document on osteopathic education, an updated version of the original guidelines in the WHO document.

The full-time program is a combination of health science credits provided by an Ontario university as well as the courses involved in the Practitioner Program. A few additional courses help bridge the gap between the two groups that make up the OAoPO student body, practitioners and non-practitioners.

Practitioner Program

All students in the Osteopathy program are required to fulfill a mandated number of clinical training hours. The following are guidelines for required clinical hours for different healthcare backgrounds:

  • Physiotherapy: 550 hours
  • Athletic Therapy*: 600 hours
  • Chiropractor: 550 hours
  • Naturopath*: 750 hours
  • Medical Doctor*: 750 hours
  • Occupational Therapy*: 1000 hours
  • Massage Therapy*: 800 hours
  • Acupuncture*: 1000 hours

Practitioner Program Requirements

  • Attend 4 guided practice sessions per month (this may vary depending on previous training)
  • Observation hours in an osteopathic practice 6-8 times per academic year
  • Completion of each osteopathic module per academic year
  • Completion of Functional Neurology modules 1-3 (Module 4 is optional)
  • Completion of all Pathophysiology modules
  • Completion of research course and research project

What you need to apply to OAoPO

  • $150.00 processing fee (non-refundable)
  • Copy of past educational transcript(s)
  • Copy of valid government-issued ID
  • Criminal background check