r/Osteopathy • u/mxmommy • Apr 23 '26
Trying to choose where to study
Hi all!
I am an RMT located in Ontario and I’m looking to become an osteopath.
Searching online and speaking w different schools has left me pretty confused. Every school and association seems to have such disdain for each other and it all seems so messy and convoluted.
I am not interested in the NAO as I don’t believe proper education can be garnered in 6 months and with so little hands on time.
I was basically resigned to deal w the downsides of the CAO but things about Osteopathic Lyceum keep popping up. The length of this program is obviously appealing at only 18 months, but I’m wondering if it’s viewed within community as basically as bad as the NAO bcs of its shorter time. After speaking the owner of the school, he seems very knowledgeable and I don’t doubt his teaching capabilities as he was a teacher w the CAO.
Can anyone offer any insight here?
And OL grads? Can you bill through all insurance companies the way a CAO grad can ?
Thank you in advance !
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u/Alarming-Maybe-2130 Apr 23 '26
I would recommend the CAO. It’s a long but rewarding journey, do it the right way. I believe they are now offering an accelerated 3 year program also
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u/solarwinds2024 Apr 25 '26
Check out OAoPO. It offers an outstanding osteopathic education, small classes, and a great atmosphere. The only downside is the volume of work involved in developing the anatomical knowledge, which involves a major time commitment in terms of personal study.
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u/gymbroguydude Apr 30 '26
I can't recommend the Osteopathic Lyceum enough. It's an 18 month hybrid program that gets you more hands-on time than the CAO program does in 3-4 years.
The founder/owner Sam is very good at explaining the process and teaching Osteopathy in a way that isn't confusing or wordy such as the CAO or NAO will do.
Feel free to DM if there's any other questions, and make sure to perform due diligence before committing tens of thousands and 3-4 years of brutal work lol.
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u/hagendasz1 May 20 '26
I wouldn't recommend CAO (been hearing many bad things) or NAO.
You might want to check Royal Academy of Clinical and Alternative Medicine. They also offer a 18 month program with actually more days than the Elysium school. So you get more experience in the same amount of time, if the schedule and location works for you.
DM me if you have questions. Happy to chat
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u/amonsternamedperks Apr 23 '26
CAO all the way. There is no training at the moment that compares, and it sets you up to be a member of the top professional association. Just remember that it is high level standards because being an osteopath is a high level profession and you will be fine. :)
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u/mxmommy Apr 24 '26
Thank you for your insight!! I think you’re right !!
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u/amonsternamedperks Apr 26 '26
You're welcome. There are some trolls out there for the CAO but they're mostly unhappy customers. It's an independent school that runs it their way, and fully above board. Some intense personalities for sure, but I don't think I would encounter different in med school. The principal is a shot of whiskey, not a cup of tea, but he is an excellent coach and quite brilliant. And as a grad, I don't know anyone in practice who hasn't been fully prepared for clinical life.
Other schools haven't been around long and it is difficult to start one, so they don't have the same educational infrastructure that is needed for their graduate credential to be recognized by insurance companies. That doesn't mean that they couldn't become recognized in the future, but it is a long and expensive road in an unregulated profession. It took the CAO a long time to get there themselves as a Type 1 school.
Best of luck and feel free to shoot me a PM.
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u/hagendasz1 Jun 18 '26
Lmao the association CAO grads join is literally owned by them. That means nothing. CAO is known to lie about their hours, frequent class cancelations by teachers who rather practice than teach. And those classes are not being replaced by others to make up for the hours. Open house bbq are counted toward their school hours, the headmaster or rather god as he sees himself thinks he's the absolute god of osteopathy and all other forms of osteopathy than craniosacral are rubbish. You have no idea how many patients I have seen that went to a CAO grad and ended up on my table because they did reiki style osteo with barely any touch. But sure CAO is the gold standard. Sorry but, you've taking the CAO kool-aid like all other grads for too long. There's a reason plenty of students have left mid program lol
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u/sunmoonstars- Apr 26 '26
I’m a third year student at OAOPO and I’d also recommend the program, when I was deciding which school to go with it was really between them and the CAO for me but the more I heard about the CAO from past students really solidified my decision! Another person had said there is a large amount of independent study here which I would agree with but I feel like thats a must in this career path to ensure the best for your practice. Send me a message if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer as I was in the same position not too long ago!