Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges

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Issue 35 • January 2013

Welcome to AANMC's "Milestones 2012" Issue!

In This Issue…

Editor's Note: Brick Walls
ND School Milestones 2012
Top 10 CAM News Stories 2012
Your Questions Answered: NDs in my area?
For Advisors: What's new in 2013
ND Student Video Contest Winners Announced

Editor's Note: Brick Walls

Major shifts in society rarely happen spontaneously, and rarely without opposition. Yet movements still triumph because of the dedication and vision of the individuals involved.

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

NDs and their supporters encountered their own brick walls in 2012: Both New York and Massachusetts came very close to achieving licensure for NDs, but ultimately fell short. While licensed NDs fill the role of primary care provider in many states and provinces, 240 million Americans and nearly 10 million Canadians are still without access to the safe, preventive quality care that licensed and regulated naturopathic medicine provides. Still, quality of life-altering progress was seen in 2012 through legislation enacted in Alberta, New Hampshire and California.

At the U.S. federal level, the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is just the beginning of several legislative opportunities on the horizon for NDs. These new approaches to health care will, hopefully, allow NDs to bridge the growing gap in patient care caused by the looming primary care physician shortage. Read more about how far we've come in 2012.

Meanwhile at the ND colleges, everyone – from the presidents to the students – continues the work of strengthening the three pillars of naturopathic medical education: clinical training, naturopathic research, and academic/campus facilities. This is how ND schools answer the critical need for safe and effective primary care physicians: by training the doctors of the future to practice preventive and natural health care. With deliberate focus and clarity of purpose, each of our eight campuses has logged a milestone over the past year, traveling the ever-lengthening path that is naturopathic medical education.

I wish you the same clarity of purpose while logging milestones on your own ever-lengthening path – this year, and every year that follows in your quest.

Coquina Deger
Managing Editor, AANMC

Coquina Deger, Managing Editor

ND School Milestones 2012

It's been yet another busy year for the schools of the AANMC. Constantly pursuing ways to expand current and future NDs' horizons, our colleges have reached out to new patients, engaged in important research, and yet again expanded their campuses to keep up with the growing demand for NDs. READ ND SCHOOL MILESTONES 2012 >

Your Questions Answered: Are there NDs in my area?

Q: I am considering a career in naturopathic medicine, but I'd like to talk to some NDs about their experiences first, and I don't know of any in my area. Do you have any NDs practicing in Michigan?

A: Speaking with an ND to help you decide if naturopathic medicine is the right career for you is a wonderful idea. Alumni of the AANMC schools work throughout both Canada and the U.S., and one way to find these alumni in your area is to visit the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND) or the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) websites for localized listings. READ YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED >

And please keep the good questions coming!
E-mail Coquina Deger at editor@aanmc.org

For Advisors: What's new in 2013?

Financial aid. A complicated and sometimes daunting topic, it's one of the foremost subjects on a potential ND student's mind. Advisors are intimately familiar with the numerous questions this topic can inspire: Do the schools offer their own scholarships? Are there work-study options available? What are my alternatives when it comes to loans? These and other questions must be answered with thoughtful and accurate responses. The AANMC's financial aid page is a new resource to which you can direct your students. There, they will find information pertaining to scholarships, loans, work-study and a multitude of other related topics. Be sure to take advantage of this important resource!

ND Student Video Contest Winners Announced

Thanks to all who submitted videos and voted for their favorites! The winners are:

Judge's Pick ($2,500 cash prize): A Better Way by Bastyr University students Adam Silberman & Natiya Guin
Popular Vote ($1,000): Man vs Wild by SCNM student Trevor Sexton
Runner-up ($500): Swagga Coach by Bastyr University student Kevin Kuo and friends

Grand prize winners Silberman and Guin have elected to plant a seed with their winnings: They are making a donation to establish a fund that will provide financial assistance to underserved populations in need of naturopathic care. Thanks to this fund, these individuals will be able to seek treatment at the Bastyr University California teaching clinic. As Silberman and Guin's video amply expresses, they are helping to create "a better way" – a way in which all people have access to naturopathic medical care. Thank you, Adam and Natiya!