A licensed naturopathic physician (N.D.) attends a four-year graduate-level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an M.D., but also studies holistic and nontoxic approaches to therapy with a strong emphasis on disease prevention and optimizing wellness. In addition to a standard medical curriculum, the naturopathic physician is required to complete four years of training in clinical nutrition, acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling (to encourage people to make lifestyle changes in support of their personal health). A naturopathic physician takes rigorous professional board exams so that he or she may be licensed by a state or jurisdiction as a primary care general practice physician. Please see the AANMC’s Professional Competency Profile for more information.

Additional information on naturopathic schools can be found on the American Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges web site.

Organizations

American Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges
The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) was established in Febrary 2001, to propel and foster the naturpathic medical profession by actively supporting the academic efforts of accredited and recognized schools of naturopathic medicine.

AANMC Member Schools:


The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education
P.O. Box 178
Great Barrington, MA 01230
Phone: 413-528-8877
Fax: 413-528-8880
President: Marcia Prenguber, ND
Executive Director: Daniel Seitz, JD, MAT
Email: staff@cnme.org

The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education's mission is quality assurance: serving the public by accrediting naturopathic medical education programs that voluntarily seek recognition that they meet or exceed CNME's standards. Students and graduates of programs accredited or preaccredited (candidacy) by CNME are eligible to apply for the naturopathic licensing examinations administered by the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE), and are generally eligible for state and provincial licensure in the U.S. and Canada.

Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination Board
P.O. Box 69657
Portland, OR 97201
Phone: (503) 250-9141
Phone: (416) 498-4255×227
President: Paul Sanders, PhD, ND
Executive Director: Christa Louise, MS, PhD
Email: christa@nabne.org

The NPLEX (Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations) is the examination graduates of one of the approved naturopathic medical colleges must pass to be eligible for licensure in any of the 16 states or 5 provinces that license/register naturopathic physicians. The North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners is responsible for qualifying applicants to take the NPLEX, administering the NPLEX to examinees, and preparing and sending exam results and transcripts to licensing/regulatory authorities. 

North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE)
President: James Spring, DC, ND 
Executive Director: Christa Louise, MS, PhD
9220 SW Barbur Boulevard, #119
Portland, OR 97219-5434
Phone: (503) 778-7990
Email: info@nabne.org
www.nabne.org

The purpose of NABNE is to determine the qualifications of applicants to take the NPLEX, to administer the NPLEX to examinees, and to prepare and send exam results and transcripts to licensing/regulatory authorities. The institutions that regulate naturopathic medicine grant authority to NABNE to be the examining body for the naturopathic profession through their agreement to use the results of the NPLEX Examinations in their determination of the candidate’s eligibility for licensure (United States) or registration (Canada).