Editing Osteopathy (section)

=== Australia ===
{{COI|section|date=August 2020}}
A majority of osteopaths work in private practice, with osteopaths working within aged care, traffic and workers compensation schemes or co-located with medical practitioners. Osteopaths are not considered physicians or medical doctors in Australia, rather as allied health professionals offering private practice care. The majority of private health insurance providers cover treatment performed by osteopaths, as do many government based schemes such as veteran's affairs<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-treatment/injury-or-health-treatments/health-services/osteopathic-services |title=Osteopathic services &#124; Department of Veterans' Affairs}}</ref> or workers compensations schemes<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sira.nsw.gov.au/for-service-providers/A-Z-of-service-providers/osteopaths |title=Osteopaths}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oialliance.org/pdf/australia_osteopathy.pdf |title=Osteopathy in Australia |publisher=Osteopathic International Alliance |access-date=26 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324124423/http://www.oialliance.org/pdf/australia_osteopathy.pdf |archive-date=24 March 2012}}</ref> In addition, treatment performed by osteopaths is covered by the public healthcare system in Australia ([[Medicare (Australia)|Medicare]])<ref name="Medicare Australia">{{cite web |title=Chronic Disease Management – Individual Allied Health Services under Medicare – Provider Information |url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-medicare-health_pro-gp-pdf-allied-cnt.htm |publisher=Medicare Australia}}</ref> under the Chronic Disease Management plan.

Osteopathy Australia<ref>{{cite web |title=Osteopathy Australia |url=http://www.osteopathy.org.au |publisher=Osteopathy Australia |access-date=10 July 2014}}</ref> (formerly the Australian Osteopathic Association) is a national organization representing the interests of Australian osteopaths, osteopathy as a profession in Australia, and consumers' right to access osteopathic services. Founded in 1955 in Victoria, the Australian Osteopathic Association became a national body in 1991 and became Osteopathy Australia in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) |url=http://www.ahpa.com.au/ |publisher=Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) |access-date=10 July 2014}}</ref> and is a member of the Osteopathic International Alliance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Osteopathic International Alliance |url=http://wp.oialliance.org/ |publisher=Osteopathic International Alliance |access-date=10 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626000603/http://wp.oialliance.org/ |archive-date=26 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Osteopathy Board of Australia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osteopathyboard.gov.au/Codes-and-Guidelines.aspx |title=Board of Australia Codes & Guidelines of the Profession |website=osteopathyboard.gov.au |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219150950/http://www.osteopathyboard.gov.au/Codes-and-Guidelines.aspx |archive-date=19 February 2011}}</ref> is part of the [[Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency]] which is the regulatory body for all recognized health care professions in Australia.<ref name="ahpra.gov.au">{{cite web |url=http://www.ahpra.gov.au/ |title=Australia Health Professions Regulatory Agency |access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> The Osteopathic Board of Australia is separate from the Medical Board of Australia which is the governing body that regulates medical practitioners. Osteopaths trained internationally may be eligible for registration in Australia, dependent on their level of training and following relevant competency assessment.<ref name="ahpra.gov.au"/>

Students training to be an osteopath in Australia must study in an approved program in an accredited university.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.osteopathyboard.gov.au/Registration/Forms.aspx |title=Osteopathy Board of Australia - Forms |publisher=Osteopathyboard.gov.au |date=1 January 2022 |access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref> Current accredited courses are either four or five years in length.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Accreditation/Approved-Programs-of-Study.aspx?ref=Osteopath |title=Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency - Approved Programs of Study |publisher=Ahpra.gov.au |access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref> To achieve accreditation universities courses must demonstrate the capabilities of graduates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.osteopathyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines/Capabilities-for-osteopathic-practice.aspx |title=Osteopathy Board of Australia - Capabilities for osteopathic practice |publisher=Osteopathyboard.gov.au |access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref> The capabilities are based on the CanMEDS competency framework that was developed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

A 2018 large scale study, representing a response rate of 49.1% of the profession indicated the average age of the participants was 38.0 years, with 58.1% being female and the majority holding a Bachelor or higher degree qualification for osteopathy. The study also estimated a total of 3.9 million patients consulted osteopaths every year in Australia. Most osteopaths work in referral relationships with a range of other health services, managing patients primarily with musculoskeletal disorders.<ref>A workforce survey of Australian osteopathy: analysis of a nationally representative sample of osteopaths from the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION) project, Adams et al. BMC Health Services Research (2018) 18:352 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3158-y</ref>