Overview
Tempe, Arizona, the Sunny Home of Healing Nature, Is the Perfect Setting to Begin a Future in the Healing Arts
Tempe, Arizona, has evolved from roots in Native American and Hispanic culture into a modern city, the seventh largest in the state. Its diverse economy is based on tourism, technology, and the arts, with the Tempe Historical Society, Arizona Historical Society, and Pueblo Grande Museum presenting world-class art, historical exhibits, and the wonders of the natural world. Graduate students at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) find that the area is a key location for the research and application of alternative healing arts that draw upon traditional medicines from the region as well as around the world.
Life in Tempe is both invigorating and balanced, offering a range of healthful activities that support the SCNM philosophy of natural wellness. College, amateur, and professional sports also play an important role, and Tempe is just a short drive from Arizona's NBA Suns, the pro hockey Coyotes, baseball's Diamondbacks, and the NFL Cardinals. Local residents take center stage, too, during the annual Dragon Boat Festival and two major arts fairs in spring and fall.
With its moderate year-round climate, Tempe offers nearly unlimited recreational opportunities for team sports, family outings, or solo adventures. Hikers, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds find no shortage of places to explore in the Sonoran Desert. The South Mountain Park/Preserve provides both beautiful scenery and challenging trails and, at more than 16,000 acres, it is the largest municipal park in America. Tempe, Arizona, is a magical mix of natural beauty, balanced activity, and healthy living, the perfect setting for an institution dedicated to wellness, balance, and the primacy of nature.
Faculty Members in Traditional and Alternative Disciplines Teach Through Lectures, Research, and Patient Care
The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) faculty comprises scholars, researchers, and practitioners with a diverse array of medical specialties¿naturopathic doctors, chiropractors, and traditional medicine (TM) experts. Invigorated by a sense of discovery, the faculty augments traditional study approaches with fieldwork, visiting scholars, and student/faculty research projects. The faculty-student ratio of 14:1 is among the best of any naturopathic institution.
Students at SCNM participate in leading-edge research activities through the Research Department, which is adding important research facilities at the nearby Biomedical Institute of Arizona State University. The teaching clinic of SCNM is the Southwest Naturopathic Medical Center (SNMC), three miles away in Scottsdale. It is the largest naturopathic treatment center in Arizona. In addition to operating as SCNM's primary care teaching facility, SNMC provides various community healthcare services. Naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, and chiropractors join M.D.'s to bring hands-on experience to students of natural integrative medicine.
The SNMC teaching facility currently has some twenty-five clinicians, including doctors of naturopathic medicine, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of osteopathic medicine, medical doctors, Ph.D.'s, and licensed acupuncturists, serving up to 1,200 patients monthly. The center has sixteen examination/treatment rooms specifically designed and equipped to offer a full range of complementary and alternative treatment modalities. Research and patient care come together here as students join faculty members and other practitioners in employing acupuncture, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, and minor surgery to treat patients in a teaching environment. SCNM's Clinic Laboratory supports the medical center as well as the college's research facilities with medical technologists and lab-experienced nurses providing various services geared to the training and research that is a core part of a naturopathic doctor's education.
Naturopathic Medical Degree Program and Herbal Medicine/Acupuncture Studies Present a Cutting Edge of Health Care
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine's (SCNM) naturopathic medical degree program confers an Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.) degree following a four-year, graduate-level program predicated on the same basic science curriculum as taught at a mainstream medical school. Graduates work as primary care physicians with a focus on preventative medicine as well as natural therapeutics. With concentrated study in holistic, nontoxic therapies and primary attention given to disease prevention and optimum wellness, the SCNM naturopathic medical degree program can be completed after four years on a year-round schedule.
When all graduation requirements have been met, the graduate is awarded the N.D. degree and is prepared to take the professional board exams required for licensure as a general practice, naturopathic doctor in various states and jurisdictions. The graduate of the naturopathic medical degree program is prepared to embark on a fulfilling career promoting natural remedies, teaching and supporting patient wellness, offering nutritional guidance, and treating "the whole person" with the latest advances in natural, integrative medicine.
A Master of Science in Herbal Medicine or Acupuncture is offered through a joint program of SCNM and the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture (PIHMA). This dual-degree program is available to students enrolled at both institutions and results in the awarding of the N.D. degree and a Master of Science in Herbal Medicine or Acupuncture. These challenging dual-degree programs are the pinnacle of achievement in naturopathic medicine today, offering students the most comprehensive and wide-ranging expertise in this evolving field.
