Osteopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones. In most countries, practitioners of osteopathy are not medically trained and are referred to as osteopaths.
Osteopathic medicine is a branch of the medical profession in the United States that promotes the practice of science-based medicine, often referred to in this context as allopathic medicine, with a set of philosophy and principles set by its earlier form, osteopathy. Osteopathic physicians (DOs) are graduates of American osteopathic medical colleges and are licensed to practice the full scope of medicine and surgery in all 50 US states; they have historically applied for medical licensure in 87 countries outside of the United States, 85 of which provided them with the full scope of medical and surgical practice. The field is distinct from osteopathic practices offered in nations outside of the U.S., whose practitioners are generally not considered part of core medical staff nor of medicine itself, but rather are alternative medicine practitioners. The other major branch of medicine in the United States is referred to by practitioners of osteopathic medicine as allopathic medicine.
Staffordshire University is a public research university in Staffordshire, England. It has one main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent and four other campuses; in Stafford, Lichfield, Shrewsbury and London.
The University of North Texas Health Science Center is a public academic health science center in Fort Worth, Texas. It is part of the University of North Texas System and was founded in 1966 as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, with its first cohort admitted in 1970. UNT Health Science Center consists of six schools with a total enrollment of 2,329 students (2020–21).
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) is a private medical school with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and additional locations in Suwanee, Georgia and Moultrie, Georgia.
The University College of Osteopathy (UCO), formerly the British School of Osteopathy (BSO), is the largest and oldest school of osteopathy in the United Kingdom. The UCO holds Recognised Qualification (RQ) status from the statutory regulatory body for osteopathy in the UK, the General Osteopathic Council. The institution was granted degree awarding powers in October 2015. It was given University College status in September 2017 from the UK Privy Council, and it is an exempt charity.
Most physicians in the United States hold either the Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) or the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (DO). Institutions awarding the MD are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Institutions awarding the DO are accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The World Directory of Medical Schools lists both LCME accredited MD programs and COCA accredited DO programs as US medical schools. Foreign-trained osteopaths do not hold DO degrees and are not recognized as physicians in the United States or in other jurisdictions.
The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) is a private medical school located primarily in Old Westbury, New York. It also has a degree-granting campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Founded in 1977, NYIT-COM is an academic division of the New York Institute of Technology. Formerly the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, it is one of the largest medical schools in the United States.
A.T. Still University (ATSU) is a private medical school based in Kirksville, Missouri, with a second campus in Arizona and third campus in Santa Maria, California. It was founded in 1892 by Andrew Taylor Still and was the world's first osteopathic medical school. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. ATSU includes three campuses on 200 acres with seven schools and colleges.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become licensed as a physician or surgeon and thus have full medical and surgical practicing rights in all 50 US states. As of 2021, there were 168,701 osteopathic physicians and medical students in DO programs across the United States. Osteopathic medicine emerged historically from osteopathy, but has become a distinct profession.
The British College of Osteopathic Medicine is an educational organisation based in London and is part of the BCNO Group. It was one of the first colleges to offer degree-level and master's-level study in osteopathy. BCOM offers a four year full-time Master of Osteopathy and four year modified attendance BSc (Hons) Osteopathy.
Osteomyology is a multi-disciplined form of alternative medicine found almost exclusively in the United Kingdom and is loosely based on aggregated ideas from other manipulation therapies, principally chiropractic and osteopathy. It is a results-based physical therapy tailored specifically to the needs of the individual patient. Osteomyologists have been trained in osteopathy and chiropractic, but do not require to be regulated by the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) or the General Chiropractic Council (GCC).
The London School of Osteopathy (LSO) is an osteopathic school in London, England, that offers MOst / BOst (Hons) pathways, validated by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU). Through its partnership agreement with ARU, the LSO also has government (HEFCE) funding available for eligible students. The LSO is the only fully part-time osteopathic school to have a UK government funded integrated Masters programme in osteopathy.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) is a private, non-profit medical school for osteopathic medicine located in downtown Pomona, in the U.S. state of California. The college opened in 1977 as the only osteopathic medical school west of the Rocky Mountains. COMP was the founding program of Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), which now has 8 colleges in addition to COMP, each offering professional degrees in various fields of healthcare. COMP has a single 4-year program, conferring the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. Graduates are eligible to practice medicine in all 50 states and more than 85 countries.
Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT) is an Australian private natural health college that offers both tertiary education and vocational education and training.
The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) is a private medical school in Dothan, Alabama. It is the first osteopathic medical school in the state and is believed to be the first osteopathic medical school in the nation established by a regional not-for-profit hospital.
The International Academy of Osteopathy (IAO) was founded in 1987 by Grégoire Lason who still is the Principal.
Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM) is the medical school of Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois. CCOM grants the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine D.O. academic degree and is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA).
Jenette H. Bolles, also known as Nettie Bolles, was an American medical doctor. She was the first woman to study and have a career as an osteopath and the first osteopath in the state of Colorado. She held a number of positions in the medical field and was a suffragette.
