Naturopathic Physicians: 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:

1. Graduate from a four-year, professional-level program at a federally accredited naturopathic medical school.
2. Study a curriculum which includes current medical science and traditional naturopathic theory.
3. 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, 14 states, four Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands all have licensing laws for naturopathic doctors.

Currently, 15 states, four Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. 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.

States and provinces currently offering licensure to naturopathic physicians include:

Alaska
Arizona
California (Became law January 1, 2004.)
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Idaho (Became law July 1, 2005.)
Kansas
Maine
Minnesota (Became law May 23, 2008.)
Montana
New Hampshire
Oregon
Utah
Vermont
Washington
US Territories: Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
British Columbia
Manitoba
Ontario
Saskatchewan

New York state: ND licensing bill currently pending.

Scope of practice regulations vary among licensed states, 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.

Source: Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges