Getting to know our regulator
Recent graduates Anna and Olivia share their experience of attending a GOsC Council meeting as observers when they were in their final year, and why it’s important to get to know the regulator.
We were very excited to have the opportunity to observe a GOsC Council meeting in person. As recent students who have just graduated and are preparing for practice, we’ve been looking for opportunities to improve our understanding of the profession. We saw the Council meeting as a chance to find out more about the regulator of osteopathy, to understand what happens during meetings and what is discussed.
We were unsure of what to expect of Osteopathy House, the people attending the meeting and how the meeting would be conducted. Honestly, we were excited and eager for the day but slightly nervous too.
Our expectations compared to our experiences of the day were very different. GOsC staff were very welcoming and offered us refreshments before we went into the Council chamber. It wasn’t the court room that we thought it might be, which helped to put us at ease.
Council members welcomed us, and during the breaks took time to have conversations with us about the support that could be offered to students during their studies and after graduation. The meeting ran smoothly, the Chair and Council members worked together well and everyone came across as genuine and professional, warm and welcoming.
As recent students who are about to register as osteopaths, GOsC felt like a very daunting organisation. Getting to know its staff members and observing the discussions that take place during a Council meeting was eye opening for us. This helped us to better understand how the organisation is run and how its work affects osteopaths, patients and the public. We now feel better informed of GOsC’s role as regulator, especially its role in protecting patients.
This experience also left us feeling positive about our future in the profession. We’ve been encouraged to think about what might be missing in regulation from a student perspective, and we’ve been given valuable insight into the different opportunities available to newly qualified osteopaths after registering with the GOsC. Because of this, we think this experience can really help newly qualified osteopaths starting out in professional life.
Despite feeling like GOsC was quite strict towards osteopaths beforehand, our conversations with members of Council really reassured us. We now understand that GOsC is also there support us to be the best osteopaths we can be, and we’re looking forward to joining the profession and continuing our osteopathy journey.
The GOsC welcomes anyone to attend and observe meetings of Council. If you’d to attend in person or online or you would like to find out more, please email us at council@osteopathy.org.uk
About Anna and Olivia
Anna is a graduate from the European School of Osteopathy (ESO), aiming to work in an established multidisciplinary osteopathic clinic post graduation. Anna is interested in the psychology of pain, patients’ perception of pain and how to communicate better with long term pain sufferers.
Olivia is a graduate from the ESO and would like to specialise in chronic pain and headaches post-graduation. Olivia has a passion for working with people and understanding how their pain impacts their personal quality of life, striving to provide a safe space for patients to be heard and understood.
