Congratulations Wisconsin! Governor Tony Evers signed the Wisconsin bill into law (Act 130) allowing licensing for naturopathic doctors in the state. This makes Wisconsin the 26th regulated U.S. state/territory to allow licensing of naturopathic doctors. The Institute for Natural Medicine (INM) is grateful for the hard work of the Wisconsin Naturopathic Doctor Association (WNDA) and the legislative team of Allison Becker, ND; Aaron Henkel, ND; Dawn Ley, ND; Jill Crista, ND; and Jenn Havens, ND for their tireless efforts.
“This marks a very exciting day in history for Wisconsin and for the naturopathic profession as a whole. The WNDA’s success today comes from over twenty years of many dedicated NDs who held on to the vision of Wisconsin licensing Naturopathic Doctors. Licensure ensures Wisconsin is a state where NDs can practice with confidence as primary care providers and their patients can be assured their ND is medically trained and safe. This vision is realized today!,” said Dr. Allison Becker.
What Does Licensing for Naturopathic Doctors Mean for Wisconsin?
For patients in Wisconsin, the new law means the state recognizes that the four years of medical training from accredited medical schools and three years of supervised clinical training that naturopathic doctors receive is safe, appropriate and effective. From here, a Naturopathic Examination Board will establish the process for necessary requirements of licensing, such as continuing education guidelines and pharmacy and licensing exams. This process will likely take up to 24 months.
“Once the licensing regulatory process is complete, Wisconsin’s naturopathic doctors will be able to confidently practice. Patients will have greater access to licensed NDs and all health and cost benefits of naturopathic medicine,” said Michelle Simon, PhD, ND, president and CEO of INM. “Naturopathic doctors are such an important part of primary care and give patients the kind of whole-person care they want from their health provider.”
On behalf of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP) and WNDA, our organization would like to thank the following organizations for their financial support of the naturopathic medicine and state grant licensing efforts, which allowed for this recent approval.
To learn more about how naturopathic doctors can be used in clinical, hospital and academic settings to provide and educate other doctors about whole-person care, please see the white paper, Discover How Naturopathic Medicine Focuses On Whole Person Health.
