Licensing of Naturopathic Doctors in New York State

Currently 17 states, the District of Colombia, the US territory of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have licensing laws for naturopathic doctors (NDs) where they serve as primary care physicians, have prescription rights, provide IV therapy and perform minor surgery.  To qualify for a license in these states candidates must complete a 4 year post-graduate degree in naturopathic medicine from an accredited institution (see link above for list of schools) and pass two extensive board examinations (NPLEX) administered the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners (NABNE). Dr. McCoy graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and is licensed as an ND in the state of Vermont.
 Unfortunately New York State does not yet have licensing laws in place for this profession. The New York Association of Naturopathic Physicians (NYANP) is actively pursuing licensure of NDs in NY. If you would like to assist in this effort please click the useful links tab above and visit the link for the NYANP. NDs practicing in NY hold licenses in other states and can still provide excellent naturopathic care in NY, but must observe the following restrictions:

NDs in NY cannot currently diagnose or treat any disease.

NDs in NY cannot currently order or interpret any bloodwork or other diagnostic reports.

NDs in NY cannot currently perform physical examinations.

NDs in NY cannot currently replace medical care.

It is important to recognize that lack of licensure in NY allows some individuals to practice under the title of ND who have inferior training and do not qualify for licensure as an ND in any state. These individuals have been educated through online or correspondence courses that do not require the same depth of study and do not provide any clinical training. Please be aware of this discrepancy and fully investigate the education of an ND before pursuing treatment.