How Does a Naturopathic Doctor Spend a Workday?

Arriving at the Office

Assuming the naturopathic doctor works in a group practice or has at least one assistant to handle run-of-the-mill office tasks, such as opening up the building and preparing paperwork, the first thing the naturopathic doctor does when arriving at the office will probably be to look over the charts for the patients with appointments that day. The naturopathic doctor will familiarize himself with the day's case load and follow up on any concerns that need addressing before the patients begin arriving.

Consulting With Patients

A naturopathic doctor typically has a roster of patients to meet throughout the day, often managed by a receptionist or administrative assistant who works in the front office. The patients may have between 15 minutes to an hour or so blocked off for their appointments, and they present their health concerns to the naturopathic doctor, who may respond by ordering diagnostic tests or simply recommending treatments. Naturopathic doctors do not generally prescribe standard pharmaceuticals, but instead recommend specific nutritional supplements, herbs, diet changes, acupuncture, homeopathy or other types of alternative medicines to address the patient's health concerns. In some states, naturopathic physicians are able to prescribe some basic pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics as needed.

Paperwork and Office Maintenance

At the end of the day, or in blocks throughout the day, the naturopathic physician also spends some time maintaining patient records. He must type up or record a summary of what was discussed at the appointment and what the treatment plan was. In addition, he must make the appropriate notes for billing purposes for submission to the billing contractor or the employee responsible for handling patient accounts. In addition, there may be calls to make to collect patients' test results, or he may need to call patients at home to give them information on test results or followup questions. Some naturopathic doctors may also conclude the day by gathering and looking over the charts for the patients who have appointments the following day.