One of our key initiatives is to prepare for the regulation of manual osteopathy through the Nova Scotia provincial government. The practice of (non-medical) manual osteopathy is not currently recognized as one of the 22 regulated health professions in Nova Scotia as indicated in the Fair Registration Practices Act, 2008 or any other legislation. We believe regulation is important to protect the public and our profession.

The process to establish regulation for a profession often takes several years to complete. We are hopeful that this process is changing in Nova Scotia. In the meantime, the NSAO is working diligently on behalf of our membership to build the necessary documentation to submit to government to allow osteopathy to become recognized as a regulated profession.

Currently, many NSAO members are regulated health care professionals such as nurses and physiotherapists or non-regulated health professionals such kinesiologists, massage therapists and naturopathic doctors, who have sought additional education and training in order to provide manual (non-medical) osteopathic treatment.

Some of our members are graduates from osteopathy educational programs in Europe where the practice of manual osteopathy is regulated, and practitioners can legally use the title “Osteopath” in their home country.

Members of the NSAO are not osteopathic physicians, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine nor do they practice osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic manual practitioners are not members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia