Osteopathy Bachelor degree program introduced

First undergraduate degree program in osteopathy introduced

The largest osteopathic association in Germany, the Verband der Osteopathen Deutschland e.V. (VOD) published a statement a few days ago, according to which there will be the first undergraduate Bachelor's degree in osteopathy from winter semester 2011 in Germany.

Together with the statement, the VOD invites to an information event and press conference in early February. Speakers are the chairman of the VOD, Marina Ch. Fuhrmann D.O., the vice-president and dean of the health department of the Hochschule Fresenius in Idstein, Prof. Dr. med. med. Achim Jockwig, and the Commission for Distance-oriented Teaching of the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Prof. Bernhard Meyer.

Jockwig presents the course Osteopathy, which will take place at the University of Fresenius, in the context of the academisation of therapy professions. Meyer will report on the background and career of the bachelor program, which should cover eight semesters. And Marina Fuhrmann as a functionary in Osteopathy, but also as a practical therapist, reports on the higher education maturity of osteopathy in Germany.

Osteopathy study course open to students with a college degree or high school diploma
The degree program is open to those entitled to higher education entrance qualifications, such as pupils with a college degree and high school graduates, and participants in the degree program are even qualified in individual cases. According to the Bologna criteria, this osteopathy degree program is recognized and a consecutive Master's program should be planned, which would then take more than a year.

This program is diametrically opposed to the ideas of the Federal Association of Independent Physiotherapists IfK e.V. The IfK had declared only days before that no own profession osteopath in Germany would be needed. The association favors further education and the integration of osteopathy in everyday practice for physiotherapists and doctors.

With the current result of the efforts of the VOD, the course could possibly be set in Germany for a change of professional policy. The independent practice of osteopathy in first contact was often a reason for physiotherapists, „to do the alternative practitioner“. It remains to be seen how the osteopathic study program will be accepted and whether there will be disadvantages in practice competition and membership for both professions, physiotherapists and non-medical practitioners.

In Germany, osteopathy has been experiencing a high-altitude flight for years. Surveys among osteopathic practitioners suggest that the most common reasons for patients' osteopathy are musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, shoulder pain or knee pain. (tf, 28.01.2011)