Naturopathic Medicine is a unique and distinct system of health care that emphasizes the use of prevention and natural therapeutics. The doctors who practice naturopathic medicine, called naturopathic doctors (NDs), are trained to serve as primary care general practitioners who are experts in the prevention, diagnosis, management, and treatment of both acute and chronic health conditions.
Naturopathic doctors are trained at accredited, four-year, post-graduate, residential naturopathic medical programs. The training consists of comprehensive study of the conventional medical sciences, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, immunology, clinical and physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, cardiology, gastroenterology, gynecology, etc, as well as detailed study of a wide variety of natural therapies.
Named by The Princeton Review as one of the 168 best medical schools in the country, the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University is committed to developing leaders in the evolving field of natural medicine. Bastyr’s fully accredited naturopathic doctor (ND) program is internationally renowned for its rigorous curriculum, comprehensive clinical training and groundbreaking research. With that in mind, there is no better place to earn a well-respected, nationally recognized degree in natural medicine than Bastyr.
Students come to Bastyr because they seek careers that resonate with their core values, including a belief in natural healing and whole-person medicine. They prepare for success as naturopathic doctors with the support of our state-of-the-art clinical training model, which trains students to formulate effective, personalized treatment plans for patients. This in-depth clinical training, coupled with Bastyr’s robust basic sciences curriculum, is responsible for our graduates consistently earning top scores on the Naturopathic Licensing Examinations (NPLEX). And because our graduates speak the common language of science, they work as peers with other health care providers in integrative settings.
Licensure
Naturopathic Doctors are licensed as primary care doctors in the State of California. NDs practice as independent primary care general practitioners, with the ability to diagnose and treat medical conditions, perform physical exams, and order laboratory testing. In these states, many health care consumers specifically choose NDs as their primary care providers.