About the OHMA

The Ontario Homeopathic Medical Association (OHMA) is an organization that represents a well educated, professional body of homeopathic practitioners who are passionate about elevating the health of their community and of whom provide a safe, effective and professional healthcare to the public.

As regulated professionals who are a part of the RHPA, our members are governed by high standards of practice. These high standards help to ensure that the public of Ontario receives the highest level of homeopathic care. The public can confidently seek safe and effective homeopathic healthcare from Homeopaths registered with the Ontario Homeopathic Medical Association.

The OHMA is:

The OHMA is a Not-For-Profit organization.
The OHMA has a large and growing membership of professionals and students.
The OHMA continues to be a driving force uniting homeopaths, seeking insurance coverage and promotion of the profession.

The OHMA provides the following for members:

We are a Practitioner referral service – A complete online presence with a full listing of practicing members and their business contact information.
Promotional and business resources (such as standardized receipts, intake forms).
A professional support network.
An office open to members with a friendly administrator available to answer all questions.
Availability of malpractice insurance coverage for members.

Professional Associations vs Regulatory Colleges

There remains a great deal of confusion regarding the difference between professional associations and regulatory colleges. The terms are often used interchangeably, with regulatory colleges in particular simply being seen as a type of professional association. Indeed, while there are similarities between the two, they differ in terms of purpose, structure, and governance.

Purpose

The key difference between professional associations and regulatory colleges lies in their purpose. The main purpose of a regulatory college is to protect the public. This is done by licensing members and ensuring that they adhere to a certain set of professional and ethical standards. Take the example of dentistry: if a patient enters a dentist’s practice, they want to make sure that the person filling their teeth is fully qualified. Therefore, the dentist will have to be registered with their provincial regulatory college.

A professional association, on the other hand, exists to act in the best interest of its members. An association will attempt to promote its profession by lobbying policy makers, offering courses, job boards, and networking opportunities. Membership is also voluntary but encouraged.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Protect the interest of its members
Membership is voluntary
Led by a Board of Directors, which normally does not include lay representation
Provide members with networking and job opportunities to aid them professionally
Lobbies policy makers, but is not normally under the auspices of the government

REGULATORY COLLEGES

Protect the interest of the public
Membership is mandatory
Led by a council, which always includes lay representation
Develop standards of practice their members must adhere to
Regularly liases with the government

OHMA Objectives

To promote the science, art and philosophy of Homeopathy for the benefit of the public and for public health.
To educate physicians, other health care practitioners and the public concerning the benefits derived from Homeopathy.
To unite, for their mutual interest, Homeopaths in the Province of Ontario.
To foster and encourage professional, social and educational activities among the members.
To do all such lawful things as may be deemed to be conducive to the attainment of the foregoing objects or any of them.