Many students come to the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy to transform their career path to a hands-on and dynamic profession. That includes those who already have a background in health–either those working as healthcare professionals or graduates of a Health Sciences degree.
Having a strong understanding of clinical anatomy and physiology is a big part of working as an osteopathic manual practitioner, and with a background in health, you’re on the right track.
As a student at CAO, you’ll cover the principles and practices of osteopathy, osteopathic history and theory, and health sciences. While we ensure every student is up-to-date with a foundational knowledge of the body, those with a background in health may find the program particularly rewarding. Find out more below!
Begin Training for Your Career Directly
One of the benefits open to incoming students with a background in health is an accelerated pathway to our training program. If you have a degree in Health Science or are currently a health professional, you could be eligible to bypass our Induction Prep and go directly into Year 1 of the program. The Prep course is designed for those who need to learn essential anatomy and physiology content before beginning the program. Those with a background in health will likely already have that knowledge under their belt.
This includes those with a degree in kinesiology, bio-med, pre-med, life science, or human kinetics. Similarly, if you’ve worked as a massage therapist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, paramedic, physician, or nurse, you could benefit from this accelerated entry into our osteopathy program.
Explore Anatomy from an Osteopathic Lens
Training for an osteopathy specialization requires you to reexamine your understanding of the body, its function, and its natural state. For those with a background in health, this is an opportunity for you to apply and adapt your knowledge of anatomy and physiology, turning to look at the body through an osteopathic lens.
What do we mean by an osteopathic lens? It means to see the body as a dynamic unit of function! Osteopathy is based on a belief in the body’s ability to self-health and self-regulate. Osteopathic manual practitioners are there to strengthen the body’s framework, balance the body’s systems, and facilitate its return to normal health following stress or injury.
Those with a background in health will have a chance to use their knowledge of the systems, joints, and muscles of the body while transforming their expertise by applying osteopathic principles.
Discover a Holistic Approach to Health With an Osteopathy Specialization
As explained above, the curriculum at CAO comprehensively covers clinical anatomy and physiology while moving toward a fully integrated osteopathic model that examines the body as a whole dynamic body of function. In this sense, osteopathy takes a holistic approach to health, looking beyond the problem area and seeking the root cause. This can be a highly rewarding practice for those with an interest in identifying signs and symptoms of the body and improving the lives of others.
As you work towards your osteopathy career advancement, you can apply your interest in problem-solving with the body or your experience working with clients in a healthcare setting. Through your osteopathy training, you’ll dive deeper into these areas and learn how to treat the layers of bodily structure on a more personalized, individual level.
Are you interested in training at our osteopathy school?
Contact the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy to get started.