Course Descriptions

ND Clinical Education

Students gain practical clinical skills as they work under the close supervision of licensed naturopathic physicians in NUNM’s many healthcare facilities, on campus and throughout the city of Portland. Students begin learning through observation and gradually gain more responsibility for patient care. All patient care is under the direct supervision of licensed physicians.

Requirements for the completion of the clinical practicum include 1,264 clock hours of direct patient contact with a minimum of 500 patient contacts and 225 primary contacts. Under the guidance and assessment of the clinical faculty, students must demonstrate competence in specific areas, including medical knowledge, clinical skills, judgment, professional and ethical behavior, and communication skills.

Clinical experience begins during winter term of the first year. The first year and a half of clinical experience is chiefly observational and technical—with students observing various clinical rotations and performing hydrotherapy treatments (and massage if qualified) on clinic patients. Students enter the clinic as secondary interns after their second year is completed, and as primary interns after their third year. As interns, students become part of the treatment teams that deliver naturopathic care in the university health centers.

Each student has a required summer clinic rotation as a primary intern. Summer rotations prior to the summer before a student’s last year are available at the request of the student and are not required.

ND Clinical Sciences

All courses within the clinical sciences curriculum begin with a brief overview of structure, function, anatomy, physiology and whole-system wellness. The bulk of the courses are devoted to diagnosis, assessment and treatment of pathology. Within the context appropriate to that discipline, clinical science courses address criteria for referral to specialists and integration of naturopathic medicine with conventional medicine. Courses also integrate cultural competency, ethics, evidence-informed practice, interprofessional practice, jurisprudence and practitioner cultivation. These courses place a strong emphasis on case-based learning and practical clinical skills.