Osteopathic Regulation in Ontario
Today, there are no government regulations for the profession of Osteopathic Manual Practice in Ontario but the OAO has made significant progress in the process of self-regulation. Currently, the OAO is finalizing a regulation document that will be submitted to the Ontario government which explores provincial health regulation.
Any future provincial regulation will have to recognize the difference between the 2 types of osteopathic practitioners in Ontario:.
- Osteopathic physicians practise in Ontario, and they are recognized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. However, the training needed to become an osteopathic physician is not available in Canada - these practitioners get their training exclusively in the United States. They have a medical degree from a college approved by the American Osteopathic Association. They are licenced physicians that practice with an osteopathic philosophy and who may also have osteopathic manual training.
- Osteopathic Manual Pracitioners have extensive training in manual osteopathic practice, but they are not medical doctors. They treat patients using an osteopathic philosophy and manual techniques only. The training needed to become a manual Practitioner is available in Canada.
To support the development of government regulations, the OAO has adopted the education standards for osteopathic manual practitioners that has been proposed by the World Osteopathic Health Organization (WOHO). The WOHO was created in March 2003 at a meeting in Ottawa, Ontario. Representatives from 25 countries attended that meeting.
The aim of this organization is to promote, develop, protect and establish throughout the world the study, philosophy, science, and practice of osteopathy in both its application and research for the benefit of the peoples of all nations. In addition WOHO seeks to ensure the worldwide availability of traditional manipulative (manual) osteopathic practice of the highest standard and its integration into existing health services in different countries.
The WOHO recognizes the two types of osteopathic practitioners: osteopathic physicians and manual practitioners.