State Licensure for Naturopathic Doctors
Licensure is important for all professions, but even more so for healthcare providers. Licensure protects the public by establishing educational criteria and standards of practice for a profession. It helps the public distinguish whether a practitioner has completed a formal education or not. It also provides a scope of practice for the doctor and allows the doctor to practice to the level of his or her training. Without licensure, naturopathic doctors are limited from practicing to the full scope of their education and thus cannot be primary care providers as they have been trained.
Some people argue against licensure stating that it limits access and choice to healthcare providers. This is simply not true. Licensure for Doctors of Naturopathic Medicine will not limit other practitioners complementary and alternative medicine modalities. Rather it will legally define the educational and practice standards of naturopathic medicine in NYS; standards which have been in place for nearly 200 years. It will limit, however, those who use the title Naturopathic Doctor, Naturopath, or Naturopathic Physician if that person has not attended an accredited school and passed the national board exams.
States which license naturopathic doctors currently include Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington state and Washington, DC. Licensing efforts are taking place in numerous other states. For more information on Naturopathic Medicine or to find an ND in another state you can contact the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians at www.naturopathic.org.
Because Naturopathic Medicine is not yet licensed or regulated in the State of New York, it is important to distinguish those naturopathic doctors who have completed an intensive four-year program at an accredited school from those who have completed a short-term course in naturopathy, most often by correspondence. To support the licensing efforts in New York State, please go to www.nyanp.org and follow the prompts to support legislation. Thank you.
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