Naturopathic Physician Education

After completion of standard premedical undergraduate coursework, a naturopathic doctor (N.D.) attends a four-year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an M.D. or D.O. but also studies holistic and natural approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. The training consists of comprehensive study of the conventional medical sciences including: anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, immunology, clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology, etc. The naturopathic education is unique in that naturopathic doctors complete extensive academic and clinical education in the use of natural medicines and that the training is based on the principles of naturopathic medicine.

In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic doctor is required to complete four years of training in clinical nutrition, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling (to encourage people to make lifestyle changes in support of their personal health). The naturopathic program includes two full years of supervised clinical training. Completion of optional residency is also available to some graduates. A naturopathic doctor takes a rigorous national licensing examination so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a naturopathic physician. Additional information on naturopathic schools can be found at http://www.aanmc.org.

Naturopathic doctors are trained to perform physical exams, laboratory testing, gynecological exams, nutritional and dietary assessments, allergy testing, imaging, and other means of diagnosis. Naturopathic doctors refer patients to other specialists and health care providers for diagnosis and treatment when indicated.

Naturopathic doctors take a national board exam, Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Exam (NPLEX), and attain a state license where it is available. The states that license naturopathic doctors or naturopathic physicians are Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Idaho, Washington and Washington DC.

In licensed states, N.D.’s practice as independent primary care general practitioners, with the ability to diagnose and treat medical conditions, perform physical exams, ad order laboratory testing. In these states many health care consumers specifically choose N.D.’s as their primary care providers.

In unlicensed states, like Virginia, naturopathic doctors are not able to offer all of the services they are trained to provide.

Naturopathic medicine has an independent accrediting agency, the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), which is the only federally recognized authority for establishing and maintaining the educational standards for the naturopathic medicine profession in the United States. The CNME for the N.D. degree is equivalent to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) that is the accrediting authority for medical education programs leading to the M.D. degree and the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP) that is the accrediting authority leading to the D.O. degree. The CNME issues a bulletin twice a year giving the accrediting status of each of the institutions it is engaged with. At this time, there are four accredited institutions:

  Educational Colleges & Organizations

Bastyr University
President: Daniel K. Church, PhD
14500 Juanita Drive, NE
Kenmore, WA 98028
Phone: (425) 823-1300
Fax: (425) 823-6222
Website: www.bastyr.edu
Accredited by the CNME

Bastyr Center for Natural Health
3670 Stone Way N.
Seattle, WA  98103
(206) 834-4100
Fax: (206) 834-4107
Website: www.bastyrcenter.org
Associated with Bastyr University

Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine
President: Patricia Wolfe, BSc, ND
200-668 Carnarvon Street
New Westminster, BC V3M 5Y6
Phone: (604) 777-9981
Fax: (604) 777-9982 fax
Website: http://www.binm.org
Accredited by the CNME

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
Acting President & CEO: Bob Bernhardt, M.Ed., B.Sc, LLM, EdD (cand.)
1255 Sheppard Avenue E,
Toronto, Ontario, M2K 1E2
Phone: (416) 498-1255
Fax: (416) 498-1576
Toll Free: (866) 241-2266
Website: www.ccnm.edu
Accredited by the CNME

Council on Naturopathic Medical Education
President: Rita Bettenburg, ND
Executive Director: Daniel Seitz
P.O. Box 178
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Phone: (413) 528-8877
Fax: (413) 528-8880
Website: www.cnme.org

National College of Naturopathic Medicine
President:  David Schleich, PhD
049 SW Porter St.
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 552-1555
Website: www.ncnm.edu
Accredited by the CNME

NCNM Clinic
3035 SW Corbett Ave.
Portland, OR 97201
(503) 552-1551

National University of Health Sciences
President:  James Winterstein, D.C.
200 East Roosevelt Rd.
Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: (630) 629-2000
Website: www.nuhs.edu
*Granted candidacy status from the CNME in March 2008

Southwest College of Naturopathic Physicians
President: Paul Mittman, ND, DHANP
2140 East Broadway
Tempe, AZ 85282
Phone: (480) 858-9100
Website: www.scnm.edu
Accredited by the CNME

University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine
President: Guru Sandesh Singh Khalsa, ND
Dean: Jennifer E. Brett, ND, Acting Dean
60 Lafayette Street,
Bridgeport, CT 06601
Phone: (203) 576-4109
Website: www.bridgeport.edu
Accredited by the CNME