Information about the Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Osteopathic Practice to be delivered at Dubai Health Care City from September 2017

1. Postgraduate Diploma in
Advanced Osteopathic Practice
Dubai Health Care City
Starting date – September 2017

2. Aim
• This is one-year postgraduate course validated by Instituto Piaget (a
Higher Education Institution/University in Portugal) and delivered at
Dubai Health Care City, United Arab Emirates.
• The course will enable practising osteopaths to develop advanced
knowledge, skills and capabilities in patient evaluation, clinical
reasoning, diagnosis and osteopathic treatment applied to the fields
of geriatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology and genitourinary problems,
paediatrics, and sports care, from an evidence-informed perspective.

3. Course Leader
• Dr Jorge Esteves, PhD, MA, BSc, DO - Associate Professor at Instituto
Piaget, Scientific Coordinator for the BSc (Hons) Osteopathy at
Instituto Piaget in Portugal.
• Please email: jorge.esteves@gaia.ipiaget.pt or
jorge@osteopathydubai.com

4. Teaching Faculty
• Experienced educators and researchers in the field of osteopathy,
including Dr Oliver Thomson, Haidar Ramadan and Francesco
Cerritelli for the Osteopathic Paediatric Care module.

5. Learning Outcomes (1)
• Demonstrate competence in the selection and clinical application of a
wide range of osteopathic treatment techniques taking into account
absolute and relative contraindications, indications and modification,
and the rationale underpinning their selection and application of in
the individual patient in relation to patient safety, care of self and
effectiveness of the technique;
• Critically understand the principles and practice underpinning
specialist osteopathic patient management;

6. Learning Outcomes (2)
• Apply osteopathic specialist knowledge and principles in formulating
and deploying evaluation, treatment and management strategies
within a simulated context of clinical uncertainty in the fields of
geriatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology and genitourinary problems,
paediatrics, and sports care;
• Critically appraise the role of multimodal and multidisciplinary care in
osteopathy, and the role of osteopathic treatment in the fields of
geriatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology and genitourinary problems,
paediatrics, and sports care.

7. Entry requirements
• Suitable academic qualification in osteopathy (DO or BSc (Hons), BOst,
MOst)
• Applicants without a degree in osteopathy (but with a DO) should possess
a health related degree qualification
• 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
• Ideally applicants will be required to provide evidence of having achieved
IELTS level 6.5 or equivalent. Applicants with IELTS between 6.0 and 6.5 will
also be considered as part of an interview where the ability to effectively
communicate in English will be evaluated.

8. Course Structure
• Duration
• 12 months - 720 hours – 60 credits ECTS
• Start date
• September 2017 (subject to a minimum number of applicants)
• Timetable
• 10 monthly seminars of 4 days (Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon)
• Thursday 4-8pm
• Friday and Saturday 9am-1pm and 2-6pm
• Sunday 9am-1pm
• Online lectures, tutorials and skype meetings and group discussions

9. Tuition Fees (subject to confirmation)
• AED 15,500/EUR 4,000/USD 4,300

10. Curricular Content
MODULES STUDENT CONTACT TIME CREDITS - ECTS
Advanced Clinical Reasoning and
Osteopathic Care
30 hours lectures and seminars; 40 hours
practicals; 10 hours tutorials
8.0
Osteopathy Care of Older Adults 40 hours lectures; 20 hours seminars and
workshops; 10 hours tutorials
8.0
Osteopathic Sports Care 40 hours lectures; 20 hours seminars and
workshops; 10 hours tutorials
8.0
Osteopathic Paediatric Care 40 hours lectures; 20 hours seminars and
workshops; 10 hours tutorials
8.0
Osteopathic Care in Obstetrics
and in Genito-Urinary Conditions
40 hours lectures; 20 hours seminars and
workshops; 10 hours tutorials
8.0
Practice-Based Project 10 hours lectures; 10 hours tutorials 20

11. MODULE 1 - Advanced Clinical Reasoning and
Osteopathic Care
• Healthcare models of health, illness and disease – a critical evaluation
• Osteopathic concepts in clinical practice – health, illness and disease, structure-function
interrelationship, adaptation and compensation
• Somatic dysfunction – a critical evaluation
• Osteopathic models of evaluation and treatment: historical developments, plausibility and
evidence base
• Clinical reasoning and decision making in osteopathy
• Osteopathic Evaluation
• Patient management in osteopathic practice
• Osteopathic Technique
• Visceral Osteopathy
• Functional techniques
• Osteopathy in the Cranial Field
• Critically-informed clinical application of a range of soft tissue, fascial, mobilisation, Muscle Energy, HVLA,
functional, visceral and cranial techniques

12. MODULE 2 - Osteopathy Care of Older Adults
• Ethical, professional and legal context
• Osteopathy and older adults
• Osteopathic clinical care

13. MODULE 3 - Osteopathic Sports Care
• The role of osteopathy in the management of acute and chronic
sports injuries –osteopathic evaluation and treatment strategies
• Osteopathic evaluation and treatment techniques
• Applied exercise science in osteopathic sports care
• Sport psychology
• Nutrition in sports

14. MODULE 4 - Osteopathic Paediatric Care
• Ethical and legal context
• Osteopathic care and children – key clinical concepts
• Osteopathic clinical care and management

15. MODULE 5 - Osteopathic Care in Obstetrics
and in Genitourinary Conditions
• Obstetrics
• Osteopathic care in obstetrics – key clinical concepts
• Osteopathic clinical care and management
• Osteopathy in genitourinary conditions

16. MODULE 6 – Practice-Based Project
• Evidence-based medicine and evidence-informed osteopathy
• Literature Searching
• Critical appraisal of research
• Narrative and Systematic Reviews
• Clinical audit and research
• Writing up/Referencing
• Review of models of osteopathic evaluation and patient management
• Consideration of different patient categories and areas of clinical
intervention. Evidence based rationale for osteopathic care

17. Assessment Strategy
• Continuous assessment
• Individual and group presentations with structured feedback from
members of faculty and students.
• Practical assessment during workshops
• One formal practical assessment at the end of the course
• One written case presentation - 5,000-word case report presented in
the format recommended by the International Journal of Osteopathic
Medicine.

18. Thank you!