How to Become a Traditional Naturopathic Practitioner
Naturopathic practitioners are doctors who are committed to providing quality health care from a natural and holistic standpoint. A good naturopathic doctor creates a healing environment for patients, which focuses on natural medicine and proactive prevention of illness and disease. A naturopathic physician typically works as a primary care doctor and needs to be well-versed in a myriad of conditions and illnesses. The education to become a naturopathic practitioner is comparable to the education required to be a general physician.
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Instructions
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Graduate high school and college. You want to select courses that are comparable to a premedical major, as if you were studying to become a general physician or doctor of medicine. Choose classes that are complementary to the field of medicine, such as biology, chemistry, psychology, physics and high-level mathematics. Your school may have specific requirements to fulfill for a premed major.
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Decide whether you would like to focus on being a traditional or clinical naturopathic practitioner. This decision is important to your graduate school selection, and is vital to beginning your practice later. Traditional naturopathic practitioners perform treatments like hydrotherapy, so they need to be well-versed in holistic medicine and treatment.
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Find a school that certifies you. As of 2011, only 12 states certify naturopathic doctors, including Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington. Additionally, you can receive certification in several provinces in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Some schools require a master’s degree, while other schools combine medical school with holistic medicine.
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Tips & Warnings
When you receive a certification from a naturopathic school, it is only a certification. Depending on your field of medication, other licensing may be required to practice medicine in a full capacity. Be very diligent when selecting schools.
Do not attempt to receive licensing or certification from online correspondence schools. While they might be exempt from state regulations, they are not nationally recognized and do not give you the proper credentials to practice medicine.
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