So how do I start. I''ll give you a brief history about me.
I came to Osteopthy fairly late in life. Perhaps a mid life crisis.
Before the bad here's the good. Osteopathy has positively changed me and my family. It's to say had I not done it I would have been crippled with neck pain and arm pain and would have lost the use of my arms due to compression of the nerves in my neck and shoulders. I was suggested surgery by my doctor. Osteopathic treatment solved the problem in 6 weeks!
Now the bad..
After 5 years of bloody hard work approximately 200,000 words of tick box essays a final FCC exam that gave me night mares for a year and £30,000 in fees was it worth it?
That's for you to decide.
Unfortunately after two years of advertising it still hasn't taken off to the point where I can live off it. I'm getting more in debt by the month with no end to bills.
At the moment I am considering whether to pack it all in.
It's a shame, I have helped many people and can feel and see way beyond what's normal.
There are a couple of reasons why new Osteopathy businesses are doomed.
The main problem is people don't know about it. In the end you describe yourself as a mixture of Chiropractic and Physiotherapy!
Osteopathy as a profession does not promote itself. The main blame for this must lie at the feet of the GOSC the governing body. These are the ones who will persecute you if you if someone complains. The charge you £750 for the privilege. With regards to promotion of the business they do nothing to help. Physiotherapists pay only £150 for this. Seriously why pay 750 when you can pay 150 plus you have a job at the end of the course. Seems like a scam to me. The other way is to become an Osteomyologist it costs 185 which is much more reasonable.
The schools succer you in with the possible promise of jobs at the end. They're only concern is to keep themselves going. Sadly there are no jobs at the end. YOU have to get your own business going yourself.
Think about it.
You have to explain to everyone you meet what this stuff you do is. You then have to convince them to give you money rather than the better known Chiropractic professions. They all know what a chiro is generally they would rather go there. Chiro is mainstream Osteo is weird stuff. You may as well call yourself a googleplexy flexy. What you say is that? I don't know it's the same as the word Osteopath to most people! However that all changes when you make them better after they've tried every thing else.
