Working in California as a Certified Osteopathic Manual Practitioner


Are you planning to offer osteopathic manual practice (also known internationally as osteopathy, manual osteopathy, and European style osteopathy) in the state of California (USA)? If you do, osteopathic manual practitioner, Len de Wit, DOMP, COMP the vice president of American Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (www.fb.com/osteopathicmanualpractice) has summarized the following information for you:

-In the States you cannot call yourself an osteopath or manual osteopath. Here our members are called osteopathic manual practitioners.

-The COMP (certified Osteopathic Manual Practitioner) is copyrighted by the American Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners. You cannot use this title if you are not a member of AAOMP.

-To become a COMP, you must have graduated from a school accredited by the US Council on Osteopathic Manual Practice Education (www.fb.com/UCOMPE) and pass the board exams of the American Osteopathic Manual Practice Examining Board (www.fb.com/AOMPEB). 

-Our members should not use the word “osteopathy” to describe what they practice in the US. Instead they should use “osteopathic Manual Practice”.

-You must make patients sign a mandatory waiver (consent form) as requested by the California State Senate (provided by the Association for members). This is mandatory. Failure to use this waiver and get patients to sign it will make you in breach of the California state laws and can be considered practicing medicine without a license, which is a criminal act. A copy of this waiver must be given to the patient and the original must be kept for a minimum of 3 years in the patient's file.

-The waiver form must have contents covering a range of items, including your qualifications as a COMP, the fact that you are not a licensed physician, and that you offer alternative health care. A copy of a sample Waiver Form will be given to AAOMP members which should be customized for your own professional use.

-Our members are prohibited from performing or offering a number of health related services. The full list is provided to the Association members. However the important ones are that AAOMP members cannot offer medical diagnosis, cannot offer advice on medications, they cannot ask patients to stop taking a medication, they cannot prescribe or administer x-rays, they cannot do surgery or prescribe medications, they cannot offer electrotherapy, they cannot set fractures, they cannot treat lacerations, and they cannot call themselves physicians or surgeons.


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