Licensed States
Currently, 19 states, the District of Columbia, and the US territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have licensing laws for naturopathic doctors. In these states, naturopathic doctors are required to graduate from a four-year, residential naturopathic medical school and pass an extensive postdoctoral board examination (NPLEX) in order to receive a license.
Licensed naturopathic physicians must fulfill state-mandated continuing education requirements annually, and will have a specific scope of practice defined by their state’s law. The states that currently have licensing laws for naturopathic physicians are:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Massachusetts
- Pennsylvania
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands