Short answer
In Europe, the D.O. is the diploma that an osteopathy school awards to a graduate who has successfully completed the training and the thesis: it is not an academic degree and does not automatically confer a licence to practise. In the USA, by contrast, a D.O. — a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine — is a fully qualified physician. cPNI is additional training in clinical psychoneuroimmunology, and HP is the Heilpraktiker licence in Germany.
Many titles and abbreviations are used in the field of osteopathy. Knowing what they mean is important for students and patients alike.
D.O. (in Europe)
In European osteopathy schools, the D.O. is usually the osteopathy diploma awarded to a graduate who has successfully completed the training and the thesis. It is not an academic degree and does not automatically confer a licence to practise. For example, graduates of Osteopathie Schule Deutschland may be given the title “D.O. OSD”. This is OSD’s own professional title, not an academic degree of “Doctor of Osteopathy”.
D.O. (in the USA)
In the USA, a D.O. — a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine — is a fully qualified physician. This degree is entirely different from the European D.O. diploma.
The title “Dr.”
When practitioners who hold neither a doctorate (PhD) nor a medical degree call themselves “doctor” or “physician”, this creates a false impression. The UK’s advertising rules also advise against this.
cPNI
Postgraduate additional training in clinical psychoneuroimmunology. This training is related to lifestyle medicine. It is not a regulated profession or a medical speciality.
Heilpraktiker (HP)
A licence in Germany that permits persons who are not doctors to provide treatment under certain conditions. In Germany, only doctors and holders of a Heilpraktiker licence may practise osteopathy independently.
Uzm. Fzt.
The title of specialist physiotherapist in Türkiye. It is usually used by physiotherapists who hold a master’s degree.
Sources
- Osteopathie Schule Deutschland — osteopathy training and professional titles osteopathie-schule.de (opens in a new window)
- An explanation of osteopathy titles and trademarks osteokompass.de (opens in a new window)
- Osteopathic International Alliance — the difference between osteopathic medicine and osteopathy oialliance.org (opens in a new window)
- Gevitz N. (2014). The history of the D.O. degree. J Am Osteopath Assoc. DOI: 10.7556/jaoa.2014.025 (opens in a new window)
- UK Advertising Standards Authority: guidance on advertising osteopathy (2022). asa.org.uk (opens in a new window)
- Germany: judgment of the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court of 8 September 2015 (I-20 U 236/13). nrwe.justiz.nrw.de (opens in a new window)
This article is for educational purposes and does not replace a physician's advice.