In my previous life as a Registered Nurse, my title was protected. Meaning, when I met another lady or gent who introduced themselves as a Registered Nurse, I was confident in the training they had gone through and the licensing exams they had completed in order to get their designation. There were standards and there were regulatory bodies working to protect those standards.
As a Naturopathic Doctor in New Brunswick, I currently do not have the same name and title protection (we are currently working towards this, yay!) There are all sorts of natural health practitioners out there working with titles such as “Doctor of Natural Medicine,” “Naturopathic Practitioners,”Naturotherapists,” and so on. This doesn’t mean that these people aren’t helping you and making you feel better, but what it also doesn’t mean is that they are a licensed Naturopathic Doctor. There is a great difference in education, evaluations and standards between these natural practitioners and seeing a licensed Naturopathic Doctor.
This is why I have taken the time to do Myth Busting Video #1: Licensed Naturopathic Doctors are the same as “Doctors of Natural Medicine,” or other natural health practitioners; so that you can be fully informed when making a decision as to who you want to be part of your health care team.
Note: These videos were done as part of Naturopathic Medicine Week. It is a week designated to helping educate other health care providers and the public about what we do and who we are as licensed Naturopathic Doctors.