Above all, osteopathy is a practice centred around helping others. Through manual therapy techniques, Osteopathic Manual Practitioners facilitate the body’s return to normal health so it can self-heal and self-regulate. At the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy, our challenging program is supported by a community of dedicated instructors and students who are there to advance your understanding of osteopathy every step of the way. Through the CAO’s professional associations, expert instructors and alumni network, students graduate from our program with the support they need to build a professional career in osteopathy. Read on to learn more about the community experience in our osteopathy program!
Support From Your Peers and Instructors in Osteopathy School
The CAO community is supportive of one another on the path to professional practice. This starts during your education in the classroom and student clinic. As a student at our osteopathy academy, you’ll receive expert instruction from professionals actively working as Osteopathic Manual Practitioners. Through small class sizes, you can enjoy more individualized attention from these professionals.
Students also participate in supervised, practical hands-on training in our student clinics. Here, you’ll work with your fellow students to treat real-life patients and put your knowledge of osteopathic principles to practice. Upper-year students of the osteopathy program will lend their knowledge and experience to students in the under-year clinic as teaching assistants. This is their chance to monitor and instruct other students, and support one another’s understanding of the osteopathy clinical practice as a whole.
Not to mention, our upper-year students also mentor and tutor their under year peers. This helps upper-year students retain under year content, while helping the under year students find their footing in the academic environment.
In a collaborative learning environment that allows you to learn with your peers and instructors, students feel confident and supported in their path to becoming Osteopathic Manual Practitioners.
Tap Into Our Alumni Network
Our community-centred school offers athletic events, annual events and more to encourage our students to build connections that will support their learning experience. Most importantly, the CAO hosts two alumni events each year: Spring Symposium and Fall Founders Day. These events are where alumni can come together with current students at our osteopathy school to participate in lectures and demonstrations from Osteopathic Manual Practitioners, Anatomists and Historians from around the world. Students can take this opportunity to find out more about the profession while learning from the experiences and achievements of alumni at the CAO.
In their Year 3 clinical semester, our students will also shadow graduates of the CAO in their private practices, allowing them to connect with alumni and see what different shapes professional practice can take after graduation. Our graduates are very supportive of this and can volunteer to be a shadowing preceptor.
With a growing demand for Osteopathic Manual Practitioners across Canada, graduates can take advantage of the CAO’s alumni network to learn more about job opportunities in Ontario and across Canada.
Building Connections With Leaders in Osteopathy at the CAO
Since its beginning, the CAO has put in the time and resources to create and foster connections with leaders in the field of osteopathy. This helps to inform our curriculum and ensure it meets the high standards of osteopathic practice. The goal is to make our profession stronger, safer and increasingly effective.
The CAO is recognized by Osteopathy Canada (OSTCAN), an organization that is committed to promoting the highest standards of osteopathic care while protecting the patient community. It has affiliate professional associations in every province so that graduates of the CAO can choose to work anywhere in Canada. By building connections with important organizations in the field, the CAO aims to give every student a pathway to a safe, effective and rewarding career in osteopathy.
Are you interested in becoming an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner?
Start your career with the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy!