UCO Glossary

There is a lot to take in during your first few weeks at uni and it can take a while to familiarise yourself with some of the terminology we use for life at the UCO. Here's our starter guide to help you find your feet...

N.B. This list doesn’t include all the medical acronyms, of which there are many. These will all be explained to you during your studies and by the end of it you’ll know your METs, TMJs, HVTs and DMJs by heart!
 

BHS: Not the now-defunct high street store, BHS is used as shorthand for our Borough High Street site.

SBR: Like BHS above, SBR refers to our Southwark Bridge Road site, formerly – and soon to be again – home to the UCO Clinic.

VLE: This stands for virtual learning environment, more commonly referred to as Moodle. This is where you’ll access your online learning resources.

BONE: A hangover from our British School of Osteopathy days, BONE stands for BSO Online Environment, and is another term used for Moodle (see above).

M.Ost: Hopefully not a surprise to anyone taking the course, but M.Ost is shorthand for our Master of Osteopathy degree. M.Ost FT and M.Ost PT simply refer to whether it’s full or part time study.

Pre-Reg: Shorthand for our MSc in Osteopathy (pre-registration) course, for qualified healthcare professionals.

SPOP: Shorthand for our Postgraduate Certificate in Specialist Paediatric Osteopathic Practice (try saying that quickly and you’ll understand why we call it SPOP!).

UL: This stands for Unit Leader. Hopefully no further explanation needed!

BaO: Otherwise known as the Being an Osteopath unit.

PE: Practice Educator. PEs are responsible for the organisation of their clinic team on their day, both from a logistical perspective and from an educational perspective.

SPE: Senior Practice Educator. SPEs are responsible for the overall organisation of the clinic across all teams on their day. This includes operational activities on the day, as well as planning ahead and taking into consideration the wider view of the student, patient and staff experience, along with assessments and support.

OSPE: Objective structured practical exam – one of the ways we monitor your progress on the course.

PPE: One we are all probably more than familiar with as a result of the pandemic, PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. You’ll need to don this for practical and clinical sessions.

GOsC: The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) are the regulatory body for osteopathy in the UK. Once qualified you’ll need to register with them before you can practice.

iO: Short for the Institute of Osteopathy, the professional membership organisation for osteopaths in the UK.