On this page
Key facts for osteopathic practitioners
- Statutory regulator
- None for osteopathic manual practitioners in any province or territory
- Who sets standards
- Voluntary associations such as the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners and Ostéopathie Québec, plus the general law
- Quebec
- Government announced on 25 March 2026 that osteopaths will be brought into the professional system; not yet in force
- Osteopathic physicians
- Licensed by provincial medical colleges; see our physician courses instead
- Our two core courses
- Osteopathy ethics; osteopathy professionalism and professional standards, about 2 hours each, CA$95
- Assessment
- 10 questions, 80% to pass, reflective account and certificate of completion
Read this first: who is regulated, and by whom
The word "osteopath" covers different people in Canada, and the rules that apply depend on which group you belong to. Both courses set this out at the start, and so do we.
| Group | Regulatory position | Which courses fit |
|---|---|---|
| Osteopathic manual practitioners | Not a regulated health profession in any province or territory: no statutory college, no legislated scope, no protected title. Standards come from voluntary associations and the general law. | The two courses on this page |
| Osteopathic physicians | Licensed as physicians by the provincial medical regulatory colleges, such as the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. | Physician courses |
| Practitioners who also hold a regulated credential (for example physiotherapy, massage therapy, kinesiology or nursing) | The standards of that regulatory college apply as well, and a complaint can go to that college. | The courses on this page, alongside your college's own requirements |
The title in Ontario
In Ontario, the Medicine Act, 1991 restricts the title "osteopath" to members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. That is why non-physician practitioners there describe themselves as osteopathic manual practitioners. Using a title you are not entitled to, or implying that you are a physician or a regulated professional, is both an integrity issue and a legal risk.
Change under way in Quebec
On 25 March 2026, Quebec's minister responsible for the application of professional laws announced that work would begin to bring osteopaths into the province's professional system, which would make osteopathy Quebec's 57th regulated profession, with the Office des professions du Québec leading the next phase. Until a framework is actually in force, osteopathy remains unregulated in Quebec too. Associations elsewhere, including in Ontario, have also worked toward regulation.
Accountability without a college
The absence of a statutory regulator changes who holds you to account, not whether anyone does. The ethics course argues that ethics carries more weight in an unregulated field, because the credibility of the profession rests on practitioners showing high standards without being compelled to. In practice, expectations come from five directions:
| Source | What it can mean for you |
|---|---|
| Your association | A code of ethics and standards on consent, boundaries, confidentiality, honesty and records, enforced through membership and complaints processes |
| Civil law | The common-law duty of care and the duty to disclose material risks apply to you regardless of regulatory status; an uninformed patient can bring a claim |
| Privacy law | Provincial health-information law, such as Ontario's PHIPA, and PIPEDA where it applies, govern how you collect, store and share patient information |
| Criminal law | Serious boundary violations and fraud carry criminal exposure |
| Insurers | Professional liability cover and association membership can be lost after serious lapses, and insurers may ask to see your records |
A complaint, loss of association membership or insurance, a civil claim or reputational harm can follow from the same lapses that would bring a regulated practitioner before a college.
The two core courses
Core course 1Ethics
Ethics for Osteopathic Manual Practitioners
Ethics for osteopathic manual practitioners in an unregulated field: title rules, consent, hands-on boundaries, privacy law and complaints.
Core course 2Professionalism
Professional Standards for Osteopathic Manual Practitioners
Professional standards for osteopathic manual practitioners in Canada, where there is no statutory regulator: honest titles and claims, consent, boundaries, records and handling complaints.
Which one do I need?
| Compare | Ethics for Osteopathic Manual Practitioners | Professional Standards for Osteopathic Manual Practitioners |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Values, reasoning and ethical dilemmas | Conduct, standards, scope, records and accountability |
| The question it answers | What is the right thing to do here, and why? | What do my standards require, and how do I show it? |
| Choose it when | A decision, a dilemma or your judgement is in question | Behaviour, systems, scope of practice or records are in question |
Not sure? Many concerns and most CPD plans need both: take them together for a complete picture.
The two courses follow a similar nine-section structure and share some ground (boundaries, cultural safety, complaints and reflection), seen from different angles. Both are written specifically for an unregulated context.
Ethics and Ethical Standards for Osteopaths
This course asks what is right, and why. It applies six principles (respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, confidentiality and professional integrity) to osteopathic care. It gives particular attention to informed consent for manual therapy as both an ethical and a legal requirement, including the material risks a patient is entitled to know before agreeing; to boundaries where treatment involves close contact and sometimes undressing; to confidentiality in shared clinic spaces; and to the recurring tension between clinical need and revenue around lengthy or prepaid plans. It closes with a structured decision-making framework, cultural safety, how to act when a complaint or professional-conduct concern arises, and reflection and remediation.
Professionalism and Professional Standards for Osteopaths
This course asks what is expected of you, and how you show it. It sets out eight components of professionalism (integrity, accountability, patient-centred care, boundaries, communication, competence and scope, reliability, and ethical awareness), then covers professional communication, the key components of an osteopathic record and how to keep it under privacy law, and challenging situations: difficult interactions, managing expectations and dependency, clinical uncertainty and referral, responding to errors, and professionalism under pressure. It ends with complaints and professional scrutiny, and with writing effective reflective statements.
| Your concern is about... | Start with |
|---|---|
| Consent, risk disclosure or a decision you had to make | Ethics |
| Your title, qualifications or advertising claims | Ethics (integrity), then professionalism |
| Records, communication or a difficult patient | Professionalism |
| A complaint to your association or insurer | Either, then the complaint response course |
Honest titles, training and claims
Because training routes and titles vary in an unregulated field, honesty about who you are and what you offer matters more, not less. The courses ask osteopathic practitioners to:
- Describe your training and qualifications accurately, and never imply that you are a physician or a regulated health professional if you are not.
- Use only titles you are entitled to use where you practise, keeping Ontario's restriction on "osteopath" in mind.
- Make only claims you can support about what osteopathy can achieve, in person, on your website and on social media.
- Be transparent about fees, the number of visits you expect and any prepaid plan, and do not pressure patients into extended commitments.
- Recognize when a presentation lies outside osteopathic scope or your competence, and refer.
If a concern is raised about you
Without a college, a concern may reach you as a complaint to your association, a letter from an insurer or benefit plan, a privacy complaint or a lawyer's letter. If you also hold a regulated credential, it may go to that college. The courses' advice is the same in each case:
- Engage honestly and on time. Treat the complainant and the body handling the concern with respect.
- Leave the record as it is. Never alter notes; any late addition must be dated and labelled.
- Do not contact or pressure the complainant about the complaint.
- Get advice from your association, insurer or a lawyer before you reply in writing.
- Reflect and act. Show what you have understood and changed, supported by evidence, rather than a formulaic apology.
See also our remediation courses for osteopathic practitioners and the complaints guide, which explains the college processes that apply if you hold a regulated credential.
Supporting courses: consent, chaperones and boundaries
Explaining each procedure before you touch, appropriate draping, offering a chaperone and spotting early boundary drift are the practical core of safe manual therapy.
Supporting courses: records, privacy and money
Your notes are often the most important evidence if a civil claim or complaint arises, and receipts and plans must be honest.
Supporting courses: insight, reflection and rebuilding trust
For practitioners who want to show an association, insurer or patient what they have learned after a concern.
RecommendedStart with these
Further relevantAdd if they fit the concern
Who these courses suit
- Osteopathic manual practitioners in private practice who want to hold themselves to a documented standard.
- Association members keeping up their continuing education.
- Practitioners who also hold a regulated credential, such as massage therapists, physiotherapists or kinesiologists, who need to meet two sets of expectations.
- Practitioners in Quebec preparing for a professional framework as it develops.
- New graduates building consent, record-keeping and fee practices from the start.
- Practitioners facing a complaint, claim or insurer query who want structured learning to reflect on.
How the courses work
Each course is online and self-paced, with nine sections unlocked in order and short reflective checks. Allow about 2 hours. At the end you write a reflective account and answer 10 final questions; 8 correct (80%) passes, and you can retry. A certificate of completion follows. Each course costs CA$95.
Start your osteopathy ethics CPD
Choose the ethics course for consent, integrity and decision-making, or the professionalism course for conduct, communication and records. Browse the course catalogue or return to all professions.
Questions
Is there a college that regulates osteopathic manual practitioners?
No. Manual osteopathy is not a regulated health profession in any province or territory, so there is no statutory college, legislated scope of practice or protected title. Standards come from voluntary associations such as the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners and Ostéopathie Québec, and from general law including civil liability, privacy legislation and the criminal law.
Has Quebec regulated osteopaths?
Not yet. On 25 March 2026 the Quebec government announced that osteopaths will be brought into the provincial professional system, with the Office des professions du Québec leading the work. Until a framework is in force, osteopathy remains unregulated in Quebec. Check the Office des professions for current status.
Can I call myself an osteopath in Ontario?
In Ontario, the Medicine Act, 1991 restricts the title "osteopath" to members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, which is why non-physician practitioners use "osteopathic manual practitioner". Both courses treat accurate titles as an integrity issue as well as a legal one. If you are unsure what you may use, take legal advice.
I am an osteopathic physician. Are these courses for me?
No. Osteopathic physicians are licensed as physicians by the provincial medical regulatory colleges and are held to physician standards. Our ethics and professionalism courses for doctors are the right fit.
I am also a registered massage therapist or physiotherapist. Which standards apply?
Both courses note that where you hold a regulated credential, the standards of that regulatory college apply as well, and a concern may be taken to that college. These courses support your osteopathic practice, but they do not replace any learning your college requires, so check its continuing competence rules.
If there is no college, why do ethics matter so much?
Because, without a statutory regulator, the standing of osteopathy rests largely on practitioners' own conduct. Patients can still be harmed, and practitioners can still face association complaints, loss of membership or insurance, privacy complaints, civil claims and criminal charges. The ethics course explains why consistent, documented ethical practice is your main protection and the profession's.
Does the course cover consent for manual therapy?
Yes. The ethics course treats informed consent as an ethical requirement and a legal one, grounded in the common-law duty to disclose material risks, which applies to osteopathic practitioners whatever their regulatory status. It covers consent at the start and as care continues, and what to record.
Will my association accept the course for continuing education?
Associations set their own continuing education rules. Your certificate records 2 hours of learning and includes your reflective account, which you can submit where your association accepts outside learning.
What should I do if a patient complains to my association or insurer?
Respond honestly and on time, leave the record unaltered, avoid contacting the complainant about the complaint, and get advice from your association, insurer or a lawyer before you reply in writing. Both courses explain how to show reflection and remediation. They are educational and do not replace advice on your situation.
How long are the courses and what do they cost?
Each course has nine sections plus a conclusion, takes about 2 hours online and costs CA$95. You finish with a reflective account and a 10-question assessment with an 80% pass mark.
Official sources
Checked October 2026. Rules and processes change, so confirm the current position with the official source. This page is general information, not legal advice.
- Gouvernement du Québec – Une 57e profession sera encadrée: intégration des ostéopathes au système professionnel (25 March 2026)
- Ostéopathie Québec – Statement on the step towards regulation of the profession
- Ontario – Medicine Act, 1991 (restricted titles)
- Ontario – Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada – PIPEDA
How these courses are built
Official sources only
Every legal and regulatory point comes from primary sources: provincial and territorial health professions statutes, the regulatory colleges' standards and codes, and federal and provincial privacy law. Anything we cannot confirm is left out.
Original, edition by edition
Lessons, scenarios and assessment questions are written by us for each edition separately, then checked for accuracy, teaching quality and fair assessment before publication.
Reviewed when rules change
When a code, standard or law changes, the affected courses are reviewed and updated. Reported errors in legal or regulatory facts are corrected first.