We’re thrilled with our new clinic. We’ve been able to offer better (and more) services because of the extra space, and the goldfish effect really seems to be kicking in.
One of the small drawbacks, though, is that our patients have to pay for parking - ouch. It was one of those little things that didn’t sit well with me, and it didn’t seem to fit our vision for the clinic.
The Integrator Blog references two recent surveys that point to significant increases in the number of licensed naturopaths and in consumer use of masssage therapy.
I’d be interested to see stats on the growth of naturopathic usage. This study shows the number of licensed ND’s nearly doubling - comparing that against consumer use would be revealing. If anyone has recent data, let me know.
Mind Body Spirit Journal has an open call for distinct titling for medically trained naturopaths. Interesting article. CAMLAW has some excellent commentary on it, too.
Even if you’re not a naturopath, it should give you some food for thought in your own practice. There will always be more competent and less competent practitioners in every profession, and legislation and titles will shift over time. While I applaud efforts to clarify the health care market for consumers, I’m not a fan of waiting around for things to happen. How do you distinguish yourself in the market without relying on legislative and regulatory bodies that can take years to change?
NDUnion is a new website for Naturopathic students and alumni, with a mission to provide “open and secure communciation within the Naturopathic community.”
If you’re a grad or current student of a four-year graduate level Naturopathic medical school, you can post ads and events, network with other ND’s, and even get a free one page personal website from NDAccess. Registration is free.
The AANMC has a series of interviews with Naturopaths that’s pretty interesting. One of the ND’s featured actually has an income in the top 1% of ND’s, DC’s, and acupucturists, and once held the record for the most money borrowed to attend Bastyr University…
If you’ve ever wondered about volunteer/international opportunities for naturopaths and the like, Natural Doctors International is worth a look. Most of their work is in Nicaragua at the moment, but they’ve come a long way for a young organization.
Interesting editorial in the Integrative Medicine Journal (found through The Integrator Blog, thank-you John) on the conflict of interest in selling supplements in your practice.
This is one of those conversations where I feel the need to switch hats fairly frequently. Be forewarned.
A little follow-up to the post on valuing a practice.
It’s surprisingly difficult to get CAM practitioners to consider buying patient or client files. To me, it’s a no-brainer.
