Naturopathic medical school in North America

A naturopathic medical school in Canada and the United States is a four year graduate institution which confers the first professional degree

First professional degree

A professional degree prepares the holder for a particular profession by emphasizing competency skills along with theory and analysis. These professions are typically licensed or otherwise regulated by a governmental or government-approved body...

in naturopathic medicine, the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine , in 16 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces refers exclusively to a medical degree granted by an accredited naturopathic medical school...

or ND degree.

Naturopathic doctors in North America practice as primary care

Primary care

Primary care is the term for the health services by providers who act as the principal point of consultation for patients within a health care system...

providers with an emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. Naturopathic medicine is a complementary and alternative medicine which emphasizes the body's intrinsic ability to heal and maintain itself. Naturopaths prefer to use natural remedies such as herbs and foods rather than surgery

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

or synthetic drugs

Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...

. Naturopathic practice includes many different modalities. Practitioners emphasize a holistic

Holistic health

Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole. As defined above, the holistic view on treatment is widely accepted in medicine...

approach to patient care, and may recommend patients use conventional medicine alongside their treatments. Regulation and licensing of naturopathic practice varies greatly among North American jurisdictions.

Admissions

Admission into naturopathic medical school requires a four-year bachelor's degree

Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

from an accredited college or university, and completion of mandatory pre-medical

Pre-medical

Pre-medical is a term used to describe a track an undergraduate student in the United States pursues prior to becoming a medical student...

courses.
Many applicants choose to obtain further education before naturopathic medical school in the form of a master's degree or other degrees. Admissions criteria include overall performance in the undergraduate years, application essays, letters of recommendation, and interviews.

Curriculum

It takes four years to complete a ND or NMD

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine , in 16 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces refers exclusively to a medical degree granted by an accredited naturopathic medical school...

degree program, although some colleges also offer a less intensive five-year track to complete the same coursework and clinical study. Accredited naturopathic schools require minimum of 4,100 total hours of study.

Preclinical study generally comprises the first two years and consists of classroom and laboratory instruction in core subjects such as anatomy

Anatomy

Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...

, biochemistry

Biochemistry

Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...

, physiology

Physiology

Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...

, pharmacology

Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...

, histology

Histology

Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...

, immunology

Immunology

Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders ; the...

, microbiology

Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...

, pathology

Pathology

Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

, pathophysiology

Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology is the study of the changes of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease, or resulting from an abnormal syndrome...

, physical & clinical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, and neurosciences. Once students successfully complete preclinical training, they generally take step one of the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations

Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations

The Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations or NPLEX is a two part professional exam administered by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners or NABNE that clinical level students and graduates of accredited naturopathic medical schools are required to pass before being permitted...

(NPLEX).

The second two years of study generally consist of training in natural medicine modalities such as botanical medicine, clinical nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

, homeopathy

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...

, pharmacology

Pharmacology

, and physical medicine. At the same time they receive training in organ system studies like gastroenterology

Gastroenterology

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...

, cardiology

Cardiology

Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...

and psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

. The upper years incorporate a minimum of 1,200 clinical hours under the supervision of a licensed Naturopathic Doctor.

Core naturopathic modalities

Naturopathic doctors use a wide variety of treatment modalities. The core set of interventions defined by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education and taught at all seven accredited schools in North America includes:

botanical medicine
homeopathy
nutrition
prescription drugs
physical medicine (includes naturopathic, osseous and soft tissue manipulative therapy, physiotherapy, sports medicine, therapeutic exercise and hydrotherapy)
psychological counseling
nature cure
acupuncture and Oriental medicine
emergency medicine
minor surgery—limited to surgical repair and care of superficial lacerations and abrasions, removal of benign superficial lesions(including punch biopsies), the removal of foreign bodies and masses located in the superficial structures, and the use of antiseptics and local anesthetics.

In addition to the above core curriculum, individual schools and practitioners often tailor their curriculum and practice to meet regional community needs and standards. For example, schools located in jurisdictions that permit additional modalities such as venipuncture and intravenous therapy have added these courses to the core curriculum.

Practice and regulation

Before becoming licensed NDs, or being eligible to complete a residency in naturopathic medicine, students must pass step two of the NPLEX. Licensed naturopaths must fulfill state-mandated continuing education requirements annually, and have a specific scope of practice defined by the province or state in which they practice. As of 2008 five Canadian provinces, sixteen US states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands have laws that license graduates of North American naturopathic medical schools to practice. Two US states, South Carolina and Tennessee outlaw all practice of naturopathic medicine.

Accreditation

Schools of Naturopathic medicine in the United States and Canada are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education

Council on Naturopathic Medical Education

The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education is an accrediting agency for naturopathic medical education in the United States. It was first approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1987...

(CNME). The CNME also approves postdoctoral residency programs in naturopathic family practice. Naturopathic curricula may be regionally accredited

Regional accreditation

Regional accreditation is a term used in the United States to refer to educational accreditation conducted by any of several accreditation bodies established to serve six defined geographic areas of the country for accreditation of schools, colleges, and universities...

as well.

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