Naturopathic medical school in North America

A naturopathic medical school in Canada and the United States is a four year graduate institution which confers the first professional degree in naturopathic medicine, the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine or ND degree.
Naturopathy is a pseudoscientific form of alternative medicine, with ideological underpinnings in vitalism.
Naturopathic doctors in North America practice as primary care providers. Naturopathy favors a holistic approach with non-invasive treatment and generally avoids the use of surgery and drugs. Among naturopaths, complete rejection of biomedicine and modern science is common. Regulation and licensing of naturopathic practice varies greatly among North American jurisdictions.
Admissions
Admission into naturopathic medical school requires a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
Curriculum
It takes four years to complete a ND or NMD degree program, although some colleges also offer a less intensive five-year track to complete the same coursework and clinical study. Accredited naturopathic schools require minimum of 4,100 total hours of study.
Preclinical study generally comprises the first two years and consists of classroom and laboratory instruction in core subjects such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, histology, immunology, microbiology, pathology, pathophysiology, physical & clinical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, and neurosciences. Once students successfully complete preclinical training, they are eligible to take Part I of the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations (NPLEX).
The second two years of study generally consist of training in natural medicine modalities such as botanical medicine, clinical nutrition, homeopathy, pharmacology, and physical medicine. At the same time they receive training in organ system studies like gastroenterology, cardiology and psychology. The upper years incorporate a minimum of 1,200 clinical hours under the supervision of a licensed Naturopathic Doctor. sixteen US states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands have laws that license graduates of North American naturopathic medical schools to practice. Two US states, South Carolina and Tennessee outlaw all practice of naturopathic medicine.
Accreditation
Schools of Naturopathic medicine in the United States and Canada are accredited by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME).<ref name=autogenerated1 /> The CNME also approves postdoctoral residency programs in naturopathic family practice. Naturopathic curricula may be regionally accredited as well.

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