Osteopaths are primary contact practitioners, which means that they deal with patients who can refer themselves rather than coming via a doctor, and in consequence an osteopath must have differential diagnostic skills of a high order. They primarily work on the musculoskeletal system but can also work on the viscera (the contents of the abdomen) and the cranio-sacral mechanism which involves palpation of the cerebrospinal fluid channels. Osteopaths look at the body as a whole.

Most Osteopaths are self-employed and it is possible for newly qualified practitioners to set up their own practice immediately upon graduation. However, most choose to start working in an established practice with other osteopaths or other qualified complementary therapists.

At the time of writing, there are somewhere in the region of 3,500 qualified osteopaths registered with the General Osteopathic Council. Since it became the first complementary therapy to gain statutory recognition, the demand for, and popularity of treatment has been steadily increasing. Today osteopaths carry out approx. 7 million treatments in the UK alone, increasingly within the NHS.

Osteopathy is a flexible profession, with most osteopaths working in private practice, either on their own or with other healthcare professionals. Earnings will  vary, depending on how many patients one sees, and how and where one works. On average, osteopaths charge between £25 and £45 per treatment.

Graduates of the school are enabled immediately following graduation to register with the General Osteopathic Council and enter into full-time osteopathic practice.