This credit-bearing course will develop and enhance your knowledge, practical and clinical skills in the specialist area of paediatric osteopathic practice, and will provide you with valuable hands-on experience of working within Europe’s largest osteopathic clinic under the supervision of experienced osteopaths.
You will learn a broad range of relevant technical and structural approaches to evaluation, treatment and management, enabling you to deal with the challenges of paediatric clinical uncertainties. There will be a focus on recognising, managing and safeguarding critical incidents and diagnosing and managing complex paediatric cases. The course emphasises collaborative learning in academic, skills lab and clinical settings.
Key course features
- You will be equipped with the capability to recognise serious problems relating to red flags and safeguarding challenges presenting in osteopathic paediatric practice and be able to effectively manage these cases.
- You will learn to effectively diagnose and manage complex problems commonly presenting in osteopathic paediatric practice by recognising these presentations and differentiate them from features associated with normal child development.
- You will have your own patient list in the busy University College of Osteopathy (UCO) specialist paediatric clinic, seeing a variety of clinical presentations in ages ranging from 0 to 17. Our reputation means we see referrals from a range of other professionals, which includes social workers, CAMS, health visitors, occupational therapists and midwives.
- Experienced tutors who specialise in paediatric osteopathy aim to support your specific needs and encourage you to use a variety of treatment approaches whilst applying criticality and reflection.
- Delivered as a theoretical unit (Unit 1) and a clinical unit (Unit 2), final year osteopathy students may undertake Unit 1 alongside their undergraduate degree before commencing Unit 2 once qualified and registered.
- Unit 1 will be delivered online with physical attendance only required for Unit 2.
Entry requirements
Graduated Applicants:
- UK Applicants must be registered as a practising osteopath with the General Osteopathic Council and hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance..
- EU and overseas applicants must, where applicable, be registered as a practising osteopath with the relevant regulatory authority or association and must, irrespective of the former, hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance.
Pre-Graduated Applicants:
- Final year students from an approved UK osteopathic education institution can apply to take Unit 1 before completing their undergraduate studies.
- Applicants must demonstrate consistent grades across all areas of undergraduate study. Applicants will be considered if they have achieved an average grade of C (or % equivalent) and above in all assessments from the previous academic year.
- All students must have completed and passed all areas of undergraduate study and be registered with the General Osteopathic Council (or EU or overseas relevant regulatory authority or association) and possess professional indemnity insurance to be eligible to commence Unit 2.
All Applicants:
- Students whose first language is not English are required to demonstrate fluency in both written and spoken English equivalent to an IELTS overall score of 7.0.
- All applicants need to take into consideration their physical abilities due to the essential practical requirements of this course. Further advice may be obtained from the UCO's Student Support team.
Additional entry requirements
All students will be required to complete an enhanced DBS registration check at the point of registration in line with the UCO’s Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Policy & Procedure (found on our Policies, Procedures and Privacy page).
All students must agree to comply with our Student Terms & Conditions and other Policies and Procedures.
Careers & employability
Upon completion of this course you will be sufficiently confident and competent to establish a paediatric osteopathic clinic and manage your paediatric caseload. Furthermore you will have developed a high level of meta-cognitive and critical reflective skills and an ability to operate at the forefront of this specialism and to offer new connections, ideas and knowledge in the area of paediatric osteopathy, thus opening up possible further research opportunities.
Course structure & delivery
This is a 60 credit postgraduate course consisting of two units.
| Unit | Credits | Level | |
| Unit 1: Developing Specialist Paediatric Practice in Osteopathy |
15 | 7 | |
| Unit 2: Specialist Paediatric Clinical Practice |
45 | 7 |
Unit 1 will be a mix of online tutorials, group discussion and self-directed learning and will focus on developing students' existing knowledge and skills to enable effective diagnosis, management and treatment of paediatric patients.
Unit 2 will consist of supervised clinical practice in the paediatric outpatient clinic at the UCO Clinic, located on Southwark Bridge Road.
More information can be found in the Course Information Form available to download from this page.
Assessment & feedback
The course is assessed through both summative and formative assessments including:
- a practice audit
- written critical reports and case reviews
- supervisor assessment reports
- a final written critical analysis
More information can be found in the Course Information Form available to download from this page.
Students must successfully pass both units to receive the PGCert SPOP award.
Mode of study
Part-time
Dates & duration
February start, 1 year
Location
Unit 1 will be delivered online.
Unit 2 will be delivered via the paediatric outpatient clinic at the UCO Clinic, located at 98-118 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 0BQ.
Teaching may on occasion be delivered at other sites as required.
Award & awarding Body
Postgraduate certificate (PGCert), University College of Osteopathy
Discussions with AECC University College
The UCO is currently in discussion with AECC University College about a proposed merger to create a unique inter-disciplinary environment for education, clinical practice and research in osteopathy, chiropractic, and across a wide range of allied health and related disciplines. This may involve a change to the awarding body for UCO courses. About the proposed merger...
Professional Body Accreditation
N/A
Facilities & resources
Students have access to a variety of resources at the UCO to support learning. These include a recently refurbished library with an extensive collection of osteopathic recources, an ergonomic IT suite, spaces for group and independent study, practice rooms, a student union and common room, and the UCO Clinic. Students also have access to our virtual learning environment (VLE) and Anatomy TV.
Read more about our facilities and resources.
Support for students
The UCO has a dedicated Student Support team who are on hand to provide advice and guidance on a range of issues, including learning and welfare, budgeting and finance, disability and dyslexia, pastoral care, bereavement and personal issues, as well as counselling. Find out more.
Students are advised to disclose any disabilities or special learning needs as soon as possible so that provisions can be made to support them through the application process and to ensure everything is in place for the start of their studies.
Costs & financial support
The course fee for all students (Home/UK, EU, international) for the 2024-25 academic year (2024 entry) on this course is £4,700 (£1,350 for unit 1, £3,350 for unit 2)
More details on course fees, discounts and payment plans for this course, as well as a copy of our Course Fee Policy, can be found on our course fees page.
Students should be aware that there may be some additional costs to consider when budgeting for the course.
There may be financial support available to you depending on your circumstances. Details can be found on our Financial Support page.
How to apply
Applicants should download and complete the application form on this page and return it to admissions@uco.ac.uk. Please specify which date of entry you are applying for.
For more information about how to apply and to read a copy of our Admissions Policy & Procedure (including our Complaints Process) visit our How to Apply page.
Disclaimer
Please note that while the University College of Osteopathy makes every effort to run courses as advertised, courses are subject to change or cancellation if enrolment targets are not met.
Courses are typically approved for a period of five years from the point of approval to the point of periodic course review. During this period it may be identified that modifications to a course would enhance the provision. As part of this process current students shall be consulted on any proposed change and current and prospective students shall be notified of any change.
