Research Strategy
Key Strategic Goals for 2019-2021
Advocacy
Be the proactive voice of osteopathy by advocating for practice rights and consumer choice in Australia, particularly:
- Private health insurance and rebate equity.
- State and federal governments and their funded schemes.
- Use our influence to engage with osteopaths, regulators, accreditors, educators and researchers both nationally and internationally.
- Continue to invest in innovative leadership development to strengthen our voice.
- Comment on diverse societal issues related to osteopathy and broader health and wellbeing.
Recognition
Ensure the current and potential osteopathic scope of practice is recognised by:
- Governments and their funding schemes.
- Private health insurance.
- Peak health bodies and professional groups.
- International osteopathic organisations.
Community Value
Be the voice that builds community awareness and trust in osteopathy.
- Promote and educate consumers on the benefit of osteopathy for health and wellbeing.
- Educate stakeholders on osteopathic competencies.
- Use multiple channels (e.g. traditional media, social media, pop culture) to increase our reach.
- Foster ambassadors to promote and build awareness of the positive role of osteopathy in the community.
- Strengthen our capacity to promote osteopathy and educate members on promotion whilst maintaining compliance with advertising legislation.
- Promote equity and social inclusion by advocating access to health services in equity priority. populations such as disability, indigenous, refugee and low socio-economic status.
Evidence-Informed Practice
Evidence-informed practice and engagement with research is the hallmark of modern osteopathy.
- Promote Osteopathy Australia research strategy.
- Fund clinical research and research leadership.
- Ensure continued engagement in research opportunities, including ORION.
- Raise awareness among consumers, health practitioners and osteopaths on research that builds the osteopathic evidence base.
- Promote the effective use of current research to develop modern practice and influence changes within education and training if needed.
- Educate members on critical appraisal of research.
- Use international alliances to source and promote global research on osteopathy.
Clinical Excellence
Be the hub of knowledge to assist osteopaths work, grow and promote current best practice.
- Develop high-quality, affordable, accessible continuing professional development (CPD) for members through e-learning to support every day, extended and advanced practice.
- Offer ‘lifelong’ learning pathways via clinical practice groups for osteopaths, to build recognition of additional skills.
- Through clinical practice groups and CPD facilitate collegiality within the profession.
- Use our professional indemnity insurance partners to educate the profession on risk management and clinical safety.
- Increase member support for clinical practice improvement.
Workforce
Having the right number of osteopaths, in the right places, with the right skills, to provide quality services for the future.
- Refine research to build an understanding of current and future workforce issues.
- Advocate for geographical diversity in osteopathic education to foster better workforce distribution.
- Work closely with educators and accreditors to ensure quality training and student. competencies are mapped for future workforce needs including health priorities.
- Advocate to ensure regulatory recognition of skills and reduce legislative barriers restricting practice.
- Investigate resourcing and strategies to encourage practitioner movement to areas of need.
Sustainable Careers
Building sustainable and worthwhile careers and businesses
- Provide support and resources for prosperous, healthy careers.
- Promote practitioner well-being through support, training and mentoring.
- Foster understanding of employment, contractor and business models for fair and sustainable industry growth.
- Lobby to remove inequities under the Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2010.
- Promote the use of technology to improve business and practice.
- Foster career development pathways.
- Work with AOAC and the academic sector to promote quality clinical placement experiences across Australia
Member Services
Be the one-stop-shop for our members' needs
- Continue to provide a suite of flexible and relevant member services with an attractive. pricing structure to meet the needs of a diverse profession.
- Ensure the best mix of member services to engage, entice and retain members.
- Review and optimise member benefits and increase access to resources and services.
- Embrace technology and its application to member services.
- Explore new membership and business development initiatives.
- Deliver effective, targeted communications.
Sustainability
Be an innovative, efficient and cost-effective association to ensure sustainable support for a growing osteopathic industry.
- Foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in everything we do.
- Ensure our IT infrastructure is appropriate.
- Use best practice financial management systems.
- Develop income diversification strategies.
- Attract and retain the right people across governance, staff and volunteers.
- Lead continual improvement of governance and management processes.