Your Questions Answered

Choosing to follow a career path as a naturopathic doctor (ND) is an important life decision. Many of our e-newsletter subscribers write us to ask some crucial questions about an ND education, the profession and the lifestyle. Thanks for voicing your thoughts and questions! To share some of my editor replies publicly, I’m devoting this new column to address your curiosities and concerns.

And please – keep sending your questions to me here: editor@aanmc.org.

Q: Once I become a doctor of naturopathic medicine (ND), will my patients have to choose between natural medicine and conventional medicine?
Q: I'm ready to pursue a formal, accredited program; what course of action do you suggest?
Q: Will I have opportunities to apply my naturopathic medical education internationally?
Q: What is common salary for an ND?
Q: How can I serve those who need it the most?
Q: Could you recommend helpful classes or literature?
Q: Can you help me find an ND near me?
Q: What about advanced standing?
Q: What about online degree programs?

Q: Once I become a doctor of naturopathic medicine (ND), will my patients have to choose between natural medicine and conventional medicine?

A: Absolutely not. With the use of natural medicine steadily on the rise, more people are realizing that both natural and conventional approaches together can play a significant and instrumental role in meeting most or all of their health care needs. Patients are therefore seeking integrative approaches to managing their own health. And the medical establishment is adapting.

To learn specifics about how natural and conventional therapies can work together for you and your future patients, and to hear some common misconceptions addressed, read “The facts about natural medicine” by Jane Guiltinan, ND, core faculty member at Bastyr University’s School of Naturopathic Medicine, and immediate past president of the AANP (The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians).

Q: I'm ready to pursue a formal, accredited program; what course of action do you suggest?

I am interested in pursuing a degree in naturopathic medicine. I have taken home study courses for my own knowledge but am now ready to pursue a formal, accredited program. As a massage therapist without a bachelor's degree, what course of action do you suggest? What should I get my undergraduate degree in, and from where ... does it mater?

A: Congratulations on your decision to take the next step beyond your distance learning courses! You ask some very good questions.

To begin, I suggest you investigate more than one of the naturopathic medicine (ND) schools by visiting their campuses if possible. Another very convenient way to get a taste of all the schools is to visit our summer Prospective Student Day or one of our Informational Forums in the fall, found in various cities across the U.S. Find event dates and locations.

The most important consideration for choosing your undergraduate major will be the science component, as most ND admissions advisors look for a strong science background in their incoming students. A pre-med track could be beneficial, though not required.

Entry requirements vary slightly with each ND school, with the undergrad science requirements weighing heavier with some than others. If you have an idea which school(s) you may be interested in attending, I advise you to inquire with an admission advisor at that school. They will be able to give you even more specifics.

To address the 'where' question: your bachelor's degree simply needs to be from an accredited college. Depending on which ND school you choose to attend, you may want to choose an undergrad university that's in or near the same city, or possibly even the same school. Two of the ND schools also offer undergrad degree programs that would well prepare you:

Bastyr University: undergrad degrees in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, health psychology, herbal sciences, and nutrition. View all of Bastyr's academic degree programs.

University of Bridgeport: undergrad degrees in psychology, biology (with a concentration in pre-med or pre-naturopathy). View all of Bridgeport's academic degree programs.

It's quite a benefit that you're already working in the natural health field as a massage therapist! AANMC has profiled one very successful naturopathic doctor who first practiced as a massage therapist, as a means of supporting herself through ND school. You may take an interest in her story. Read the Alumni Career Spotlight interview.

 

I hope this helps you to begin planning your education.

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Q: Will I have opportunities to apply my naturopathic medical education internationally? To take my abilities and training outside of the U.S. remains a goal of mine.

A: There are, without a doubt, many naturopathic students and practicing doctors who share your interest! I've heard of, and met, several NDs who have gone to work overseas. Sometimes it’s for a brief educational or cultural experience. Other times it’s a long-term lifestyle choice, stemming either from a desire to see the world (by staffing a cruise ship spa or clinic), or even more frequently, to help others (by offering their health care services to extremely impoverished communities or villages).

Whatever the motivation or location, the experience of these physicians always becomes one that’s rich and colorful, rewarding, and mutually beneficial. A variety of examples include:

  • Natural Doctors International (NDI) has established its first naturopathic clinic in Nicaragua. Unlike many international medical groups, NDI is a permanently-situated clinic. This allows it to serve the community in a dependable a sustainable way, while simultaneously providing ongoing work-travel opportunities for doctors and students. NDI has plans to open clinics in multiple locations as needed. For more about NDI, read AANMC’s interview with Tabatha Parker, ND, medical director.
     
  • In a shorter-term situation dedicated to immediate crisis relief, Eric Udell, ND, traveled to Sri Lanka with an ND-student group to provide aid following the tsunami. Dr. Udell served as part of the American team of the France-based group, Homeopaths Without Borders. Read more about the experience and the conditions this team treated.
     
  • AANMC has interviewed another ND who practices in the U.S., but travels to Europe every year to learn new European treatment methods and therapies to bring back with her to the U.S. Read Sharon Stills’ Alumni Career Spotlight. (See the section: “Educating herself, educating others.”)
     
  • Some ND students have the opportunity to take a three-credit herbal elective course offered every summer in Tuscany, Italy. The course is a balance of classroom learning, rigorous field studies and cultural events that ultimately serve to increase the students’ understanding of product quality beyond typical U.S. standards and exposure to herbal products. Read more about the course and its benefits.
     
  • One ND school sponsors a Venture Grant program, which gives students a chance to receive financing for self-designed educational ventures abroad. Recent grant recipients include three students who traveled to Ecuador to study the shamanic concepts of health and healing, and another student who traveled to Hawaii to study the native dietary habits and their impact on health. Read more about the students’ learning and traveling experiences.
     
  • Yet another group of students is continuing the humanitarian mission of the late Chris Halperin by founding an HIV/AIDS medical clinic in Kenya in Halperin’s name. Read more about their mission.
     
  • For even more examples, you may reference a past Your Questions Answered column: How can I serve those who need it the most?

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Q: What is common salary for an ND?

I am wondering about the salary of NDs because I don't want to be working just to pay my student loans back. I want to allow myself to help others without finances clouding my mind. Can you tell me what is common salary for an ND?

A: You address a very valid concern – salary. There exists a very wide income range among practicing NDs. (It’s important to note that many NDs are not salaried, but rather are self-employed.) The wide income range is largely due to personal choice and values/priorities; some opt to make financial wealth a higher priority, whereas others do not.)

On average, here’s what we’ve learned from industry data: An established ND who runs or partners in a large, busy practice makes an average estimated net income of $80,000 to $90,000 per year – and may make upwards of $200,000. A beginning ND, just starting up his or her practice, working part-time or building a staff, would generally earn less than these averages for the first years of practice. Early residency positions reflect incomes between $20,000 to $30,000 per year.

Please understand that the dollar figure can and does vary greatly depending on several factors, including the region in which you locate your practice, the type of clientele you attract and serve, your own fee schedule, your business objectives and marketing plan, and your willingness to work with insurance carriers. Other significant factors known to impact an ND's income include:

  • Full-time or part-time? Many NDs are content to work part-time by choice, and many even choose this career path in order to achieve a healthy life/work balance. Naturally, number of hours worked per week is a large contributing factor to one’s annual income. In such cases it makes sense to consider earnings hourly rather than annually. For example, suggested ND rate guideline in Canadian provinces is about $125 to $180 per hour spent with a patient.
     
  • Location. Urban areas tend to have higher demand for naturopathic medicine, but more competition and sometimes higher rental rates for clinic space. Whereas rural areas may have less demand for naturopathic medicine, but also tend to have a shortage of MDs, which an ND can capitalize on.
     
  • Services performed. An ND who also performs acupuncture and parenteral therapy, for example, may see more patient visits than a doctor who relies only on nutrition and lifestyle counseling.
     
  • Type of business. Sole proprietors of solo clinics incur more expense upon start-up, but revenue goes directly back to their clinic or into their pockets. Whereas a starting ND who joins an already existing or interdisciplinary practice as an associate, which is the growing trend for many younger NDs, incurs no start-up or staffing costs, but retains a lower percentage of income per patient.

    The vastly larger pool of NDs in practice today gives recent graduates more opportunities to begin their careers by joining existing practices. Learn more about growth of the profession.
     
  • On-site dispensary. Providing patients with vitamin, supplement and herbal products can be a solid way for many NDs to supplement their patient-income.
     
  • Clinic marketing. A standard ad in the yellow pages is not sufficient to draw a clinic full of patients. This is where practice management becomes key.
     
  • Professional involvement. NDs who teach, conduct research, write books and articles, and give lectures not only supplement their income doing what they love, but also grow their clinic patient population by referral, credibility, and sheer visibility.

The information above has been compiled from these sources:
member survey conducted by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP), and contributed to in part from the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) and some of the AANMC member colleges.

In addition to income statistics, other important career factors to consider, as reported by practicing NDs, are income satisfaction and career satisfaction.

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Q: How can I serve those who need it the most?

 

I've noticed that often people begin training for the medical profession with high aims — but often those aims end up buried under a deluge of financial concerns, the drive for more money, a more lucrative practice, cutting-edge technique at the expense of those people the techniques should be intended to serve. I understand that medical school is expensive, that students have to work to recover the money that they've spent on their education, but I don't want to end up thinking that way, to spend time and money being trained to think that way. I want to become a doctor, but only if I am able to serve the needs of those who need medical care the most but have the least access to it — the poor.

How will obtaining an ND degree allow me to meet this aim? How have other students reached similar goals in the past?

A: You make a good observation and bring up a valid concern. The paths to wealth and/or giving back are different for every ND graduate, depending on their own choices and values. Certainly some of our alumni do go on to operate thriving and financially lucrative practices, charging higher fees by treating wealthy and/or well-insured clientele.

However I've encountered plenty of other alumni who’ve chosen to dedicate themselves to serving those lower-income patients who need it most – either in the U.S. or abroad – as you plan to do.

You’ll find several low-income clinics in both urban and rural areas throughout the U.S. that are staffed by NDs and other practitioners. Some work there full-time; others volunteer there part-time, while earning income from their private practice. Still other NDs volunteer to travel abroad and offer health care services, either permanently or in temporary relief clinics.

Here are just a couple of examples:

With your aim to help and to heal, I wish you long-lasting and deep-reaching success. 

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Q: Could you recommend any classes or literature you feel would be helpful prior to my enrollment in the naturopathic physician program?

My high school is located in rural Oklahoma, and information here is a bit scarce if you aren't interested in agriculture, or more specifically, in livestock. I am a high school senior this year and my future plans include state college for six years with the goal of a physical therapy license or physician assistant certification. Naturopathic Medical school is the destination after that. I have sent for and planned according to the outlined course requirements therein.

Could you recommend any other classes or literature you feel would be helpful prior to my enrollment in the naturopathic physician program? Anything you could suggest would be tremendously helpful. Thank you for your time and consideration!

A: Thanks for your inquiry. You sound like you're off to a smart and early start planning for your future. The academic path you've described, with either of the licenses/certifications you mention, should well prepare you for naturopathic doctor (ND) studies. The courses you take along the way will give you the basic science foundation you'll need. I commend your early thirst for knowledge of the ND profession!

Suggested literature and other resources:

It's remarkable that you've already managed to find out so much about natural medicine and researched the universities as you have so early on. Again, thanks for your interest!

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Q: Can you help me find an ND near me?

Would you be able to assist me in locating a naturopathic doctor in the Rhode Island or Massachusetts area? My sister has had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue for eight years now and needs to get back on her feet. I hope to hear from you soon.

A: Sure, the absolute best place to find a qualified naturopathic doctor in North America is through the profession’s national associations. These associations maintain active and current databases of practicing naturopathic doctors (NDs), searchable by name and location.

You’ll find other ND directories on the Web, but I recommend using these two professional associations to ensure that the doctors you find are accredited and have met rigorous professional standards, regardless of the state or province in which they practice.

Or if you wish to select an ND who graduated from a particular ND school, most of our AANMC-member schools post their own alumni directories on their Web sites. This is another good way to find a practicing and licensed ND.

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Q: What about advanced standing?

I am a licensed doctor of osteopathy (DO), board certified in Family Practice (FP), and living and practicing in Washington state. I am interested in attending an AANMC approved college for a ND degree. How long is the course of study for a degreed medical professional? And what does it entail?

A: Thanks for writing, and you’re not alone! I receive many questions from health care practitioners such as yourself – other osteopaths, chiropractors and medical doctors, as well as acupuncturists and nurse practitioners – seeking to expand their knowledge and their practice with a degree in naturopathic medicine. And many are eligible for advanced standing credit upon entering any of the AANMC-member schools.

The type and amount of advanced standing will depend upon what type of medical degree you have (MD, DO, DC), and on what college you attended. Advanced standing for students who hold one of these medical degrees can vary. You may have as little as 2 1/2 years to as much as 3 1/2 years.

My suggestion is for you to contact the individual schools directly. An admissions advisor will be able to review your qualifications in lieu of their school’s criteria, and let you know just where you stand. Contact:

E-mail Bastyr University admissions.
E-mail Boucher Institute admissions.
E-mail Canadian College admissions.
E-mail National College admissions.
E-mail Southwest College admissions.
E-mail University of Bridgeport admissions.

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Q: What about online degree programs?

I was wondering if there's a significant difference in getting an ND degree from a 4-year school versus an online program that is also accredited? I noticed that the AANMC does not accredit any online programs. Is there a particular reason why? If I were to do an accredited online program, would I have a hard time getting a job as an ND?

A: Good observation. Yes, you are right – AANMC does NOT recognize any online degree programs. And yes, there is a very particular reason why: Physicians carry an awesome responsibility, and must be trained accordingly. Physicians diagnose and treat diseases, and any mistakes that they make can have major repercussions for their patients. A physician’s education and training must adequately qualify them for this role.

AANMC believes that becoming a naturopathic physician is not something that can adequately be accomplished through an online or correspondence course. It is a major undertaking requiring years of academic preparation and hands-on clinical experience. Naturopathic medical students study the same core medical sciences as MD students.

Understand more about the world of naturopathic medicine, as it applies to AANMC school requirements, accreditation, and the implications for your career as a practicing ND.

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More of your questions answered, coming soon.

Learn more about the AANMC member colleges and universities.