Evocations of Osteopathy's founder and questions for contemporary osteopathic professional identity: A thematic analysis

Introduction

As contemporary osteopathy is increasingly mainstreamed into the broader field of American medicine, it is important to understand how osteopathic physicians’ professional identities are shaped, from medical education to practice. This study examines the way in which osteopathic professionals negotiate their identities in relation to the ideas and legacy of osteopathy’s 19 th century founder, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still.

Methods

A thematic analysis of ten years of articles from the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine allowed the researchers to examine themes arising in the dataset, which in turn served as the basis for a thematic distillation of how those themes illuminate negotiations of osteopathic professional identity.

Results

JOM authors evoked Still for several reasons. First, decontextualized “name-checking” served to ground investigations into osteopathic principles and skills in osteopathic history. Second, authors evoke Still’s name and influence on the early profession to negotiate a range of contemporary questions, from identity to health policy. Within this second category, this study finds that American osteopaths engage in a speculative practice about what Still would or would not think about contemporary osteopathic medical education and practice.

Discussion

If osteopathy is concerned with training future generations of practitioners who will continue the traditions that have distinguished osteopathy from mainstream medicine, then understanding its history is an essential step toward professional self-understanding. This study suggests that a close look at how American osteopathic medical professionals relate to Still reveals a great deal, not only about the education and practice of osteopathy, but professional identity formation generally.