Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (NMD)

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The doctor of naturopathic medicine (NMD) is a rigorous 14-quarter, first professional degree program offered through the College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Mission Statement

To prepare ethical, skilled and caring naturopathic physicians as life-long learners, trained to serve their communities by providing evidence-informed, whole person, individualized health care, in partnership with other health care professionals, for the betterment of patients and society.

Graduation Requirements - NMD

The NMD degree is conferred upon an individual who has fulfilled the following requirements:

• A conferred bachelor’s degree.
• Successful completion, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, of all required coursework.
• Successful completion of all quantitative and qualitative clinic competency requirements.
• Successful completion of clinical observation/preceptorship requirements.
• Successful completion of Case Report document and presentation.

The NMD program must be completed within 7 calendar years of the date on which the student started in the program and includes temporary withdrawals and any other period of non-enrollment. Students who have transferred from another NMD program must earn a minimum of 50% of the total credits required for the NMD program at UWS.

Admission to the NMD

Application Procedure

UWS admits new students into the NMD program in the fall (October) academic term. Prospective applicants are encouraged to begin the formal application process up to 12 months in advance of their anticipated entry date. It is not necessary for candidates to have completed all prerequisites prior to application. Please refer to the NMD program admissions page for detailed information. The application includes a list of materials that must be submitted for official consideration of an applicant’s file. Applicants should carefully review the program’s selection criteria to ensure they are making the best possible presentation of their qualifications. The application for admission is available on the UWS website.

In addition to the general entry requirements, students must also meet specific entry requirements listed below for the doctor of naturopathic medicine (NMD) program.

• Complete online admissions application.
• Official transcripts from all prior colleges and universities attended.
  • Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree (preferred), with a 3.0 GPA or higher OR
  • Successful completion of 90 semester/135 quarter credits with a 3.0 GPA or higher
• Prerequisite coursework required:
  • Biology (2 semester/3 quarter courses with lab)
  • Chemistry (2 semester/3 quarter courses with lab)
  • Physics (1 course)
  • Psychology (1 course)

Prerequisite sciences courses must be passed with a 2.75 GPA (24 semester/36 quarter credits). Science courses must be completed in the seven years prior to enrollment in the NMD program.

• Two letters of recommendation.
• Two essays (250-500 words each).
• Current resume or curriculum vitae.
• A personal interview is required of all applicants.
• Application fee.

International applicants must fulfill the International Student Admission Requirements.

Technical Standards

UWS requires students to demonstrate the physical, cognitive, emotional, professional and social capacity to be competent practitioners in a respective course of study. Applicants should review Policy 1206 Technical Standards to determine whether they are able to meet the standards of the program in which they intend to enroll with or without reasonable accommodations.

If students demonstrate documented need for accommodation in any of these areas, the university will determine the extent to which it can reasonably accommodate the student’s needs. Contact [email protected] for information about requesting accommodations. Regardless of disability status or accommodation, all students must successfully complete the requirements of their program to earn the degree.

Screenings

Screening tests for TB are required for students enrolled in the UWS NMD program, to be completed during quarter 6, before starting Clinical Rotations.

International Students Studying in the U.S.

International students accepted into the NMD program must meet U.S. Department of Homeland Security guidelines for studying in the U.S. prior to crossing the border to enroll at UWS. Students should initiate this process with plenty of lead time, preferably several months before leaving home. Questions about enrolling as an international student should be directed to the Office of Admissions.

Prerequisites

NMD admission requirements are guided by the admissions standards established by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), and reflect the UWS institutional expectations of candidates. Applicants are expected to have undergraduate preparation similar to other first professional healthcare professions. Applicants should also be aware that individual state and provincial licensing boards may have different educational requirements for licensure. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure understanding of and ability to meet eventual requirements for licensure. In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education, University of Western States (UWS) provides information pertaining to professional licensure and certification for all relevant programs.

If more than one course is taken to fulfill the requirement, the course content must be unduplicated.

Students entering the doctor of naturopathic medicine program are required to have 90 semester credits / 135 quarter credits of undergraduate coursework. A completed undergraduate degree is preferred at admission and required prior to conferral of the doctor of naturopathic medicine degree.

The biology and chemistry prerequisite credits must be completed within the last seven years prior to enrollment. The seven-year requirement may be waived for applicants, on a case-by-case basis, who have job-related experiences in biology or organic chemistry, as determined by the dean of the College of Naturopathic Medicine. All courses must be completed with a “C” grade or higher.

For domestic students, all undergraduate courses must be taken at an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and must be transferable at the baccalaureate level.

Total Credits and GPA

All NMD matriculates must have completed the equivalent of three academic years of undergraduate study (90 semester or 135 quarter hours) of appropriate pre-professional education courses at an institution(s) accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent foreign agency. Matriculates must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the 90 semester or 135 quarter hours. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 but above 2.75 may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Credit by Examination

The UWS NMD program recognizes credit by examination for biology and chemistry prerequisite courses on a case by case basis as approved by the dean. Testing programs include, but are not limited to, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).

Transfer Credit and Course Association

UWS considers all applicants for admission desiring transfer from other naturopathic or health profession programs. Credits must be earned within the past five years to be eligible for transfer. Credit earned in the UWS doctor of chiropractic program is considered for course association. A student must complete the final 50% of credits and all clinical rotation courses in the UWS doctor of naturopathic medicine program. Courses used to meet specific UWS admission requirements are not eligible for transfer credit. Additionally, some courses must be completed at UWS and are not eligible for transfer. See Policy 2007 Transfer Credit for additional conditions related to credit transfer.

Program of Study for NMD Transfer Students

Applicants are required to complete an application for admission prior to a transfer evaluation request. Applicants must identify those courses they wish to transfer and the potential match to the UWS naturopathic medicine course and provide additional information as detailed in Policy 2007 Transfer Credit, prior to enrollment.

Graduation requirements are set by UWS in adherence with the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) and stipulate specific numbers of both credit, instructional, and clinical hours.

The College of Naturopathic Medicine dean’s office, in consultation with the appropriate faculty members, will assess individual courses for transfer credit. The registrar enters all accepted transfer credit onto the student record and provides a degree audit which identified coursework remaining for program completion. The dean’s office and the registrar’s office work together to create a specific enrollment plan to meet the transfer student’s outstanding requirements.

Normal Course Load and Progress - NMD

The NMD program is highly structured, by design, to ensure logical and effective accomplishment of required abilities and competencies. Under Policy 1226 Normal Course Load and Modified Schedules, students are expected to enroll in a full course load every term, until all requirements for graduation have been completed. In some instances, courses must be taken in sequence, including any courses where patient care is delivered. Deviation from the prescribed sequence of academic progress is achieved only through approval of the dean.

Background Checks

To help create a safe campus community for patients, students, employees, guests and others, University of Western States requires background investigation and verification reports for all doctor of naturopathic students. See Policy 1009 Student Background Investigation and Verification Reporting Requirement for additional information.

Identification Requirement

Students accepted into any program with a start date on or after January 1, 2025, must provide identification as part of the admissions process. A student accepted into a program who does not provide approved identification prior to the start of the term is not permitted to start the program until identification is received. Acceptable forms of ID can be found at Policy 2001 Admission Requirements.

International Students

International students often receive government-funded loans and grants from their countries of origin and may also utilize educational lines of credit and other alternative sources of loans to cover their educational expenses at UWS. For assistance in determining what types of federal aid are available from a specified home country, please contact the country’s education department. For information about lines of credit or alternative loans, students should research the available options at banks and other financial institutions of their country. For proof of enrollment, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Licensure

Professional Responsibilities of Students

Naturopathic medicine is a licensed profession in many states and in many of the Canadian provinces. When a profession is licensed in Oregon, as in most states, only those individuals who have a valid license or are operating under the direct supervision of a licensed UWS faculty member are allowed to practice. An individual is likewise forbidden to make it appear that they are licensed, if they are not in fact licensed, or to mislead the public in any way regarding the issue of licensure or competence to practice the licensed profession.

Students need to be acutely aware of this legal boundary and conduct themselves accordingly, both on and off campus. It is illegal for students to diagnose or engage in any form of treatment of individuals unless they are being supervised under the authority of the university or a duly designated agent of the university. This usually means that evaluation and care are being pursued in university facilities or under the direct supervision of a licensed naturopathic physician who is a faculty member at UWS.

Naturopathic Medicine Licensure

The doctor of naturopathic medicine program is designed to offer students naturopathic medical education sufficient to apply for licensure in all states and jurisdictions with naturopathic licensure or registration. Licensure regulations vary from one jurisdiction to another and are subject to change. Students should contact individual licensing boards and consult the Federation of Naturopathic Medicine Regulatory Authorities (FNMRA) website for current information regarding licensure requirements in each state and province.

Students applying to the naturopathic degree program are responsible for contacting the naturopathic examining boards for the states or provinces in which they are interested in practicing to become aware of the licensure requirements in those states or provinces. More information can be found on the Professional Licensure Disclosure webpage.

The North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners

The North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE) is an independent organization that serves the naturopathic profession and the agencies that license / register naturopathic physicians throughout the United States and Canada. NABNE qualifies applicants to take the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations (NPLEX), administers examinations, and sends the exam results to regulatory authorities. The purpose is to evaluate the entry-level competencies of applicants for naturopathic licensure. NMD graduates must pass NPLEX Parts I and II to become eligible to take the state or provincial naturopathic licensing exams. If a graduate is seeking licensure in the province of Ontario, Canada, they must pass the CONO exam instead of NPLEX exams. UWS does not require students to take the NPLEX exams. However, failure to do so will make a student ineligible for licensure. NPLEX scores cannot be used to replace grades earned in courses at UWS. Additional details regarding the NPLEX examinations are available in the university library, or directly from the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners.

Program Learning Outcomes - NMD

As a result of success in the program, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of core concepts across the fields of biology, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and the clinical sciences.
2. Formulate a diagnosis based on a complete and accurate history, physical exam and objective assessment.
3. Evaluate the impact of personal and institutional biases and stereotypes on health care and clinical decision-making.
4. Apply the philosophy and core principles of naturopathic medicine in the practice of naturopathic medicine.
5. Apply the tools and strategies of functional medicine in the clinical setting.
6. Use the various naturopathic modalities, to manage health and promote disease prevention.
7. Provide personalized, compassionate, ethical, holistic patient care.
8. Critically summarize existing information regarding immunization and vaccine preventable diseases.
9. Effectively communicate, consulting and collaborating with other health professionals.
10. Exhibits ethical professional behavior, including limitations in expertise.
11. Operate within the jurisdictional scope of practice, referring patients when appropriate.
12. Develop a viable career plan, with an ethical business model, with the requisite skills.
13. Advocate for the developing role of naturopathic medicine within health care systems.
14. Critically evaluate current health-related evidence-informed research.