An international organisation for osteopaths, and for those wanting to understand osteopathic health services for women and children
WHOMBS Osteopathy
Whombs has several types of Certification for osteopaths, which are all based on our definitions of enhanced / extended scope for osteopathic practice.
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For details of extended and enhanced role descriptors, click here to visit that page.
Womens Health,
levels 1 and 2
Infant Feeding Support
Pelvic Care Specialist
Paediatrics, levels 1 and 2
Mother and Baby, Levels 1 and 2
There are various types of Certification:
Whombs hope that you find the Certification Marks useful. Only those people listed on our site can hold the certification marks.
To maintain the use of the marks the Osteopaths must periodically update their skills, provide evidence of ongoing critical review and / or further training, and to demonstrate either currency with the standards of practice which have been developed within the Whombs organisation. The whombs community of experienced practitioners regularly reviews its standards, evidence frameworks, protocols and procedures, to ensure best practice and osteopathic alignment.
These certifications are not in lieu of the regulated / registered requirements in each osteopath's country of practice. Whombs is not a statutory regulator, but a voluntary community of osteopathic practitioners and educators. Patients should still refer to the overarching regulated standards of care and regulatory bodies directly. Whombs takes these standards as a base upon which it builds additional guidance for the osteopathic care of women and children
The Certification Marks and what they mean.
Certification is based on the whombs organisation standards of practice and educational review, and is maintained by portfolio, clinical audit and clinical observations by peers (required for example in the pelvic care specialist certification).
The certification indicates successful completion of additional training. Not all ostoepathic undergraduate / pre registration programmes specialise in women's health or paediatric education, and so whilst these are within the scope of general osteopathic practice, usually further training is required, especially to attain an advanced level of practice. The certification mark is to indicate which practitioners have received the training required to reach these standards.
This Certification is not implied to be instead of or in relation to the Register or Regulator of Osteopathic Practice in the country where the practitioner resides. Regulation of practice is through the national regulator in each country.
This is a voluntary certification, based on expert practitioner opinion within the whombs community, who are all experienced and regulated osteopathic practitioners, or who hold primary osteopathic qualifications or who are recognised leaders in the global osteopathic community.
The Infant Feeding Support Certification is available, in two levels, for osteopaths to apply for, and requires attainment of certain post graduate training, or an extensive experience base. This is assessed on a case by case basis, and must be reviewed every 3 years.
This certification means that the practitioner has additional post graduate education in supporting the care of infants, and the mother-infant dyad through osteopathy. Use of the mark indicates that they agree to maintain the standards set by the whombs organisation
Level one certification requires a minimum of 300 hours of self-directed learning, formal taught lectures and direct clinical observations and supervised clinical training.
Level two, requires an additional 200 hours of self-directed learning, further clinical observations and supervised clinical training, and further lecture requirements.
The education committee in women's considers qualifications, continued professional training and experience when considering eligibility.
Click to read more.
