This is a review posted by registered massage therapist & manual osteopath, Andrew Subieta, DOMP who is an alumnus of National Academy of Osteopathy in Toronto. He has also studied at the first osteopathy school in Ontario, the Canadian College of Osteopathy.
I studied at CCO and NAO
Choosing the profession is a very difficult decision but when we finally
know what we would like to do in our professional life, there is always
a dilemma which school to pick. When I decided to study osteopathy 18
years ago, right after graduating from the Massage Therapy College,
there was only one school providing this type of education – the
Canadian College of Osteopathy (CCO). Now there are several programs
available at the different schools. It’s not the secret that CCO has a
very good reputation around the world to be one of the best schools
offering manual osteopathy program. I can confirm that after studying
there for 5 years. It gave me the opportunity to establish successful
practice and open my own clinic.
A few years ago I heard about NAO
offering a 1 year full time program in Manual Osteopathy. Health care
professionals can complete it within 6 months. At first I was shocked
but finally I became intrigued. I decided to enroll in on-line program
myself. I can say with integrity now that NAO offers a very decent
education. It concentrates on science based osteopathic techniques like
Muscle Energy, Joint Mobilization and Soft Tissue Techniques. It
introduces students to Cranial Osteopathy, Visceral Manipulation and
Counterstrain techniques. In my opinion the program provides a very
strong foundation for the future post-graduate education.
As the
owner of the clinic I always look for good osteopathic practitioners
that could join me and be willing to work with me as a team. In the past
6 years I hired 6 practitioners educated in different osteopathic
schools in Ontario. Unfortunately I had to let go 5 of them. The only
one I am happy to work with is a graduate of NAO. My satisfaction with
this professional convinced me to interview several more graduates from
this school and decision to hire two more.
In my opinion choosing
NAO as an entry level to the osteopathic profession would be a wise
choice for several reasons. The school provides excellent business and
clinical management course taught by Dr. S. Pourgol. This knowledge is
crucial in achieving success. No other osteopathic school in Canada
teaches this course. I wish I had this knowledge when I started my
practice, it would have helped me to achieve success much faster.
The program leads to fast accreditation without cutting educational
hours required by the World Health Organization. As the matter of fact
it has the same number of hours as the other part time osteopathic
programs. With the osteopathic licence graduates can start working in
the profession, continue their education in the different schools like
National University of Medical Sciences towards Doctor of Osteopathy
degree (where all the graduates from NAO receive a scholarship) and
take postgraduate courses. They can find a mentor that will help them to
learn more about the profession and improve their technical skills.
The key to success in manual therapy is hands-on experience together
with continuously expanding theoretical knowledge. When I studied at CCO
it was a big problem for many students. They learned the theory and saw
the techniques once or twice during lectures but without possibility of
practice they could not memorize them for long and had a problem with
retention of many advanced techniques. For this reason the drop-out rate
at CCO was around 70%. Over 100 students started the first year and
only 27 of us went to the end of the fifth year. Even less wrote and
defended their thesis to receive a diploma (DOMP). At NAO the students
can go back to watch techniques and lectures on line reviewing it as
many times as needed.
Another plus is the fact that NAO accepts
candidates without prior health care education. For these candidates I
would recommend campus based program over on-line studies. For others
with a profession in health care such as Massage Therapists,
Physiotherapists or Chiropractors, the on-line course is sufficient. I
watched Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology lectures offered at NAO. They
are very good and provide more than enough information to have a
proficient knowledge at the level of Diploma of Osteopathy.
The
school program pays a lot of attention to teach safe and widely accepted
techniques without introducing questionable osteopathic concepts that
can only frustrate students and lead to the increased therapeutic
failure. It emphasizes the importance of following scope of practice and
code of ethics set by the International Osteopathic Association.
If
any of you is considering osteopathic studies and to become a member of
this enormously rewarding profession, I would be more than happy to
answer all of your questions. It helped one person I met recently to
make a life changing decision. A few months ago a student from CCO came
to my clinic asking for a job. He just finished the 4th year of study. I
could not hire him without the osteopathic diploma. It would be at
least another 3 years before he would graduate from CCO, write and
present his thesis and be able to find a job as a Manual Osteopath. I
encouraged him to enroll in the NAO program. He listened to my advice,
graduated in August and became a member of the Osteopathic Association
recognized by majority of insurance providers. We will start working
together next week. He will continue his study at CCO but now with the
possibility of applying his knowledge in the real clinical setting.
For
any of you that would like to learn more and experience the osteopathic
treatment before deciding about your future, we offer $20 discount for
the first session.
Please call us at 905.660.8810 and visit the clinic website
www.osteoklinika.com
We are located in Vaughan, Ontario at 1750 Steeles Ave. West, Unit 8.
DREAM BIG AND TAKE ACTION.
Andrew Subieta M.Sc.,R.M.T., D.O.M.P.
