Conventional vs. Alternative Medical School Programs

What is the difference between a conventional medical school and an alternative health school?

As an alternative health school, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine educates students to become Naturopathic physicians. The degree of Naturopathic Physician (ND) is earned after graduating from our four-year post-graduate alternative medical school program and passing national board exams. Though our College focuses on students becoming doctors of alternative healthcare, there are numerous conventional medical similarities in the curriculum offered. SCNM students are taught the same comprehensive basic science courses as in conventional medical schools, such as anatomy and biochemistry. As graduates of Arizona’s only alternative medical school, our students will also be proficient in standard Western diagnostic and laboratory medicine. In addition, students are taught the philosophy of alternative medicine and how to treat diseases by removing obstacles to cure and helping the body to heal. Although licensed to prescribe drugs, naturopathic medical college creates physicians who primarily use nutrition, nutritional supplements, botanical medicine, Chinese medicine, mind-body medicine, homeopathy, naturopathic manipulation, minor surgery, and IV therapeutics. Southwest College is recognized as the innovative and technological leader among the naturopathic medical schools in North America. Becoming a doctor of alternative medicine through our college ensures a wonderful career of healing people naturally and effectively.

How do graduates practice medicine?

Unlike many other natural medical schools, Southwest Naturopathic Medical School is an alternative healthcare school that gives students a legally valid medical education. After successfully graduating from the college, students take national board exams. After they pass the board exams, they are doctors who can set up practice as naturopathic physicians specializing in alternative medicine. Career opportunities for our graduates are excellent. Southwest College is renown for its business career department that helps new graduates set up a practice right away. Many physicians from our naturopathic medical school set up their own private practice, join a clinic with other doctors, including MDs, work for laboratories, or do research or medical writing. Although all states do not license doctors who graduate from naturopathic medical schools, there are naturopathic physicians flourishing throughout the country. See also, American Eastern Institute Alternative Health Education and Training

AmericanEasternInstitute

American Alternative Health Distance Learning Integrative Health Care solutions and professional training through American Eastern Institute

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American Eastern Institute Alternative Health Education and Training

AmericanEasternInstitute

American Alternative Health Distance Learning Integrative Health Care solutions and professional training through American Eastern Institute

AmericanAlternativeHealth.com

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CarolAnn Bailey-Lloyd

If you've ever thought about becoming a natural healthcare practitioner, then you may wish to review some of the many alternative health schools, which offer a number of fast-growing career-training programs.

In addition to specialized natural healthcare training options, alternative health schools provide practical instruction in healing arts like refloxology, holistic nutrition, herbal medicine, reflexology, naturopathy, homeopathy, or acupuncture, among others.

Depending on which healthcare discipline you choose to pursue, you might be surprised at the comprehensive training and skills that you will attain. For example, alternative health schools that extend academic programs in naturopathy are course-intensive, and generally require some degree of formal education prior to applying. In addition to health sciences like anatomy, microbiology, and biomedical sciences; typical studies in naturopathic alternative health schools include botanical medicine, holistic nutrition, massage, Oriental medicine; naturopathic history, philosophies and applications; homeopathy, and clinical ecology, and other associated studies.

If you find herbology appealing, then a great number of alternative health schools provide varying levels of herbal medicine courses. In a typical herbalism program, students are taught about Materia Medica, wildcrafting, physiology and anatomy in relation to plant medicine, botanical medicine history and philosophy, aromatherapy, herbal gardening and cultivation, and basic medicine making, in addition to other relative studies.

The eyes have it if you're drawn to iridology. Numerous alternative health schools provide training and education to aspiring iridologists, who gain in-depth knowledge about the iris; learning how to identify certain markers and colorations of the eye, which correspond to specific organ systems in the human body. Aside from learning how to map the eye using an iris chart, students in these alternative health schools learn how to use specialty tools like magnifying glass, microscopes and cameras to examine the iris. Most often, this course of study is complementary to training in a specialized field of natural healing like herbal medicine, naturopathy or homeopathy.

Massage therapy programs seem to be a core training option at alternative health schools as well. For the future massage therapist, it is critical to receive appropriate instruction in the field; and this is why many States currently regulate education and the practice, itself. Typical courses average between 300 and 500 hours, with some massage programs exceeding 1,000 training hours. General curriculum in these alternative health schools is comprised of anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, Swedish massage, and deep tissue massage, among other associated coursework.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding healing arts programs, let professional training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore alternative health schools near you.

Top Programs at Alternative Health Schools

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American Eastern Institute Alternative Health Education and Training

AmericanEasternInstitute

American Alternative Health Distance Learning Integrative Health Care solutions and professional training through American Eastern Institute

AmericanAlternativeHealth.com