A licensed naturopathic physician (ND) attends a four-year, graduate-level naturopathic medical school and is educated in all of the same basic sciences as an MD, 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 also studies clinical nutrition, homeopathic medicine, botanical medicine, psychology, and counseling. 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.

More About Naturopathic Medical Schools

American Association of Naturopathic Medical Colleges
The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC) was established in February 2001 to propel and foster the naturopathic medical profession by actively supporting the academic efforts of accredited and recognized schools of naturopathic medicine. AANMC offers seven accredited naturopathic medical programs and eight campus locations in North America.

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 (CNME) 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
#321 9220 SW Barbur Boulevard, Suite 119
Portland, OR 97219-5434
Phone: (503) 250-9141
Phone: (416) 498-4255×227
President: Paul Sanders, PhD, ND
Executive Director: Christa Louise, MS, PhD
Email: christalouise@nabne.org

The Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination (NPLEX) 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 NABNE 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
President: James Spring, DC, ND 
Executive Director: Christa Louise, MS, PhD
#321 9220 SW Barbur Boulevard, Suite 119
Portland, OR 97219-5434
Phone: (503) 778-7990
Email: info@nabne.org
www.nabne.org

The purpose of North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners 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).