CANCELLATION POLICY

The American Academy of Osteopathy reserves the right to cancel an educational program if an insufficient number of physicians register. Sufficient registrations must be received 30 days prior to the opening of the course. If you are considering registering for a course less than 30 days prior to the opening, contact the Academy office before making travel plans. In the event of course cancellation due to lack of registrations, all registration money will be refunded.

Cancellations from participants received in writing and signed 30 or more days before the course opening may receive an 80 percent refund of their registration fee.

For cancellations received in writing less than 30 days before the course opening, registrants may transfer 80 percent of their registration fee to another course to be held within the next 12 months.

Registrants who fail to appear for an AAO program can transfer up to 50 percent of their registration fee to another AAO educational program to be held within the next 12 months if a written and signed explanation is received at the AAO office within 10 days of the scheduled course. All other cancellations will receive no refund or transfer of registration fees.

AOBNMM Prep Courses

The AAO hosts AOBNMM exam prep courses every year, generally 2-3 weeks prior to the exam date. Courses will be available for registration 1-2 months prior to the exams.

The 2025 board exam dates are below.

• AOBNMM Written Exam, October 10, 2025
• AOBNMM Practical Exam, October 18, 2025
• AOBNMM Oral Exam, October 27, 2025

AAO Course Policies

The American Academy of Osteopathy strives to be a pre-eminent, worldwide source of education on osteopathic medicine, specifically the basic osteopathic principles, palpatory diagnosis and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) that comprise traditional osteopathy.

We firmly believe that osteopathic manipulative medicine should be a first-line approach to treating patients with a variety of complaints, and to that end, the Academy leaders develop and teach manipulative skills to physicians in a variety of ways, so they, in turn, may better serve their patients.

Each March, the AAO’s hosts its annual Convocation, a full four days of lectures and hands-on workshops to refresh osteopathic principles and skills. In addition, we partner with other specialty colleges each fall at the American Osteopathic Association's annual OMED, and we host various one- to four-day hands-on workshops throughout the year.

The AAO’s Education Committee works hard to provide opportunities for physicians in all stages of their careers, and more opportunities are added regularly throughout the year. See also the list of upcoming CME opportunities from friends of the Academy.

AAO Tuition Assistance through OCAF

Do you need tuition assistance to attend an AAO live CME course? Contact Osteopathic Cranial Academy Foundation (OCAF) at https://osteopathiccaf.org/ or click the image below.

AAO Continues to Provide Highest CME Standard

The American Osteopathic Association changed their continuing medical education requirements for the 2019-21 cycle. The Academy is an AOA Category 1-A CME sponsor. We will continue to ensure our speakers and courses are properly credentialed to count as the general Category 1-A CME as required by the AOA and make sure that CME is reported as such to the AOA to be added to your CME cycle reports.

You know that we are the specialty college that represents and advocates for neuromusculoskeletal medicine/osteopathic manipulative medicine (NMM/OMM). In addition to the requirements of the AOA, our educational offerings will meet the high standards for NMM/OMM specialty-specific credit.

The CME offered by our Academy will count for both Category 1-A CME for your AOA requirements and for NMM specialty-specific credits that you may need to provide for other purposes such as state licensing requirements and insurance, and for your own desire to continue learning and growing in your chosen specialty.

Thank you for your continued support of the AAO.

Who May Attend AAO Educational Programs

The primary educational objectives for AAO is to provide programs aimed to improve understanding of philosophy and diagnostic/manipulative skills for AAO members, DOs who are not AAO members, individuals who are licensed for the unlimited scope and practice of medicine, and for those in programs leading to such license.

Another educational objective of the AAO is to provide programs aimed to improve understanding of manual techniques for licensed health care professionals within their respective scopes of practice. Enrollment in a class or classes is not a substitute for completion of education and training in a college of osteopathic medicine and, simply taking a course or courses in manual techniques does not provide the necessary training and skills to practice osteopathic manipulative treatment, and/or osteopathic manipulative medicine.

The AAO invests its resources primarily into educational programming marketed to physicians who are licensed for the unlimited scope and practice of medicine. Nevertheless, the AAO also recognizes the need to educate the general public and other members of the health care team in the principles and practices of manual techniques. The AAO acknowledges that manual techniques are not solely the domain of any one health care profession and that osteopathic physicians may be called upon to train other members of the health care team in manual techniques.

When instructing allied health professionals in the use of manual techniques, the osteopathic physician must distinguish the techniques being taught from osteopathic manipulative treatment. Manual techniques must be within the scope of practice of the attendee. Non-physicians who receive education in manual techniques from osteopathic physicians are not to promote themselves as “osteopaths,” an “osteopathic practitioners,” or as having received “osteopathic training.”