Teaching Osteopathics undergraduate students to be knowledgeable consumers of research: why, when and how? / Workshop B

The osteopathic profession needs to build a structure to foster the development of osteopathic researchers, but what is the first step? At Centre Ostéopathique du Québec (COQ), we think one of the way to promote research is to develop a critical mass of people, amongst teachers, graduates and students, that would use and integrate the evidence-based medicine data (EBM) provided by research in their clinical reasoning, thus promoting the use of these data in daily clinical practice.

To achieve this goal, students must be introduced to both critical reading and interpretation of the osteopathic scientific literature and research methodology.

Integrated in the COQ’s curriculum is a research methodology introductory course including presentation of the method itself (research design types, analytical grid, nature of possible biases, etc.) combined to an introduction to both the basics of statistics and the scientific results’ interpretation in a clinical practice perspective. Emphasis is put on the analysis of scientific literature and articles, presentations and active discussions with fellow students.

By introducing this course at year four of a six-year formation, we can monitor and assess the knowledge acquired over a two years period before the completion of the formation. This assessment will be held mainly by conducting reading and writing activities. This particular course may also help us identify and support potential graduate-level academic research candidates (both Master’s and Ph.D level), therefore easing their integration to existing research teams.

This workshop shows and replicates parts of the COQ’s course described above.

Chantal Morin:
Studied osteopathy at the Centre Ostéopathique du Québec (COQ) (1996-2002). She has a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Occupational therapy and Master’s degree in clinical sciences from the medical faculty at Sherbrooke University. She is now candidate for a PhD degree in this same faculty. She has received many awards recognizing her research on the relationship between temporal bone dysfunction and otitis media, garnering recognition from the Faculty of Medecine, the osteopathic community and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is presently an osteopathy teacher at the COQ, a teaching assistant in rehabilitation programs at the University de Sherbrooke, and has a private practice in Québec, Canada

Andrée Aubin:
Graduate of Physiotherapy, Université de Montréal in 1986
Graduate of Osteopathy, Centre ostéopathique du Québec in 1992.
Osteopathy teacher, COQ since 1992 – Presently head teacher in Paediatrics, the Cranial field and advances courses
Held various pedagogical functions at the Centre ostéopathique du Québec, and is currently General Manager since 2003
Enrolled in a Psychopedagogy graduate degree at Université de Montréal.
She has a private practice in Laval, Québec.