By law, you have to be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) to practise in the UK. It is a criminal offence, liable to prosecution, for anyone to claim explicitly or by implication to be any kind of osteopath unless they are on the GOsC Register. In order to be registered, you must have completed a course of training that is accredited by the GOsC.
Training courses generally lead to a bachelor’s degree in osteopathy (a BSc Hons, BOst or BOstMed) or a masters degree (MOst). Courses usually consist of four years of full-time training, five years part-time or a mixture of full or part-time. There are also courses with accelerated pathways for doctors and physiotherapists.
A degree course includes anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, nutrition and biomechanics, plus at least 1,000 hours of clinical training. Read more here about the 10 UK institutions currently accredited to provide osteopathic training.
A practising osteopath must be covered by professional indemnity insurance for a minimum of £2.5 million, to ensure that a patient harmed by treatment can be adequately compensated.
As an osteopath you may work with children and/or vulnerable adults so, as part of your registration, you are required to have a criminal records check which is performed by the Government agency the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).
There may be occasions when a UK osteopath graduate could have their registration application reconsidered on the grounds of conduct or health. Our statement on the relationship between recognised qualifications and registration outlines the limited circumstances in which this might happen. For further information about this, see How to register - UK qualified.
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