Bastyr UniversityBoucher Institute of Naturopathic MedicineCanadian College of Naturopathic MedicineNational College of Natural MedicineNational University of Health SciencesSouthwest College of Naturopathic MedicineUniversity of Bridgeport
Licensure in New York
View the video about New York State ND licensure, featuring commentary by Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Paul Mittman, along with other doctors, patients and medical students:
“Naturopathic Medicine – The Time Is Now.”
Naturopathic medicine is growing in recognition nationally. New York may soon join the list of states and provinces which license naturopathic doctors (NDs).
If you live in New York and wish to support licensure for NDs in your state, then now is the time to write your legislators. Use the NYANP letter-writing form to submit your message to the proper recipients. Write today.
Find out:
- The intent of the proposed legislation.
- What New Yorkers stand to benefit from ND licensure.
- How licensing NDs will improve public safety.
Naturopathic Doctor Licensure
Licensure for naturopathic doctors provides many benefits:
- Allows for better patient healthcare.
- Creates public safety in relation to alternative therapies.
- Reduces healthcare costs via prevention.
- Ultimately has a positive effect on the entire medical community.
In order to be licensed as a primary care, general practice physician by a state or jurisdiction which requires licensing, one must:
- Graduate from a four-year, professional-level program at a federally accredited naturopathic medical school. (See Selecting an ND School.)
- Study a curriculum which includes current medical science and traditional naturopathic theory.
- Take and pass national board exams: Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Exam (NPLEX). This rigorous exam covers basic sciences, diagnostic and therapeutic subjects and clinical sciences.
Candidates for full licensure must also satisfy all licensing requirements for the individual state or province in which they hope to practice. Most of the states and provinces that license naturopathic physicians also have health care systems which allow patients to use naturopathic doctors as their primary care physician.
Licensed States and Provinces
Currently, 15 states, five Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands all have laws regulating naturopathic doctors (NDs). In these states and provinces, naturopathic doctors are required to graduate from a four-year, residential naturopathic medical school and pass an extensive postdoctoral board examination (NPLEX) in order to receive a license.
Licensed naturopathic physicians must fulfill state- or province-mandated continuing education requirements annually, and have a specific scope of practice defined by the law in their state or province.
View map of naturopathic doctor licensure in North America.
States and provinces currently offering licensure to naturopathic physicians include:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- British Columbia
- California (Became law January 1, 2004.)
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (Became law July 1, 2005.)
- Kansas
- Maine
- Manitoba
- Minnesota (Became law May 23, 2008.)
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- Nova Scotia (Became law July 2, 2008.)
- Ontario
- Oregon
- Saskatchewan
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- US Territories: Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands
New York state: ND licensing bill currently pending. Learn more.
Scope of practice regulations vary among licensed states and provinces, as do the parameters and restrictions for practitioners located in as yet unlicensed venues. Legal provisions allow for the practice of naturopathic medicine in several of the yet unlicensed states and provinces.