What is a Naturopathic Physician?

A licensed naturopathic physician - Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (ND) attends a four‑year graduate level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD but also studies holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic physician is required to complete four years of training in clinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling (to encourage people to make lifestyle changes in support of their personal health). Graduates of approved naturopathic colleges take a national board examination called the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination for licensing. Currently, NDs are licensed primary care providers in 14 states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, ID, KS, ME, MN, MT, NH, ND, OR, UT, VT, and WA.

Programs

There are currently five colleges of naturopathic medicine in the U.S.  They are:

• Bastyr University
• University of Bridgeport
• National College of Naturopathic Medicine
• Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine
• National University of Health Sciences

There are also two ND programs in Canada. For further information on all six programs refer to the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) www.aanmc.org

Admissions Requirements

Admissions requirements vary from school to school, but generally ND programs expect a BA or BS with the following undergraduate curriculum:

Further Information

A valuable source of information is the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), and The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC).

AANP
601 Valley Street, Ste #105
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: 206‑298‑0126
Web: www.naturopathic.org/

Additional Information:

Explore Health Careers (Under Complementary and Alternative medicine)

Sources: Most of the information on this page was taken from AANP literature.