I am in school for my ASN, can I become a Naturopathic Practitioner?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 3, 2014

I know two nurses who left nursing and obtained their ND degrees. Both are practicing as naturopaths. You can do that.

ceebeejay · Jan 5, 2014

This was my original goal when I started on my RN journey. I wanted to become an RN and practice as a naturopath, but in my state it would be outside of my scope of pratice as an RN. Perhaps as a nurse practitioner, but you should check with your BON and your insurance company. MD's do not widely endorse naturopathic medicine because insurance companies will not cover them if they prescribe therapies not approved by the FDA.

SU2013 · Jul 22, 2014

The route I plan on taking is getting my certification in Health/ Wellness coaching. With a RN license u will qualify for this certification. From there I would call my self a Health Coach/ Nurse specializing in addiction and internal body cleansing.

Surg-OncRN · Jul 29, 2014

This is a topic that has been on my mind for a few years now and every day I work in the hospital I want to do it more and more. To get an accurate answer on this question myself, I have emailed some RN/ND's who were practicing. From my research, I have decided to become a nurse practitioner and then obtain my alternative medical training through self-study and certification programs. There are some great programs out there, by the way, such as the Arizona Institute of Integrative Medicine.

Reasons I am not going the ND route include it is very expensive in comparison to becoming a nurse practitioner. About 125K compared to 50K. You will not be able to work during the program, and it is only offered in six different Univ. around the country. So likely you would have to move. NP, on the other hand, is offered all over and also ONLINE for the most part. NPs are also more recognized by insurance, and you will still be able to practice conventional medicine if the patient needs medicine. This is huge when someone walks into your office for the first time on fifteen different medications. How are you going to help them come off the majority of those medications if you have no conventional training? Currently, there are about 20 states that give you full practice rights as an NP and more are being added all the time. In other words, you practice as a family physician but make sure you know what you are doing.

When I emailed nurses who are NPs or NDs and using a lot of alternative therapies in their practice, they recommended the NP route. Also, I almost forgot to mention sometimes the hospital you are working for will help pay for NP schooling. I know that seems weird, but mine is. I am sure there are something’s I forgot to mention, but to me the benefits of becoming an NP are clear if you want to practice outside the scope of conventional medicine.

Just my 2 cents.