A naturopathic residency allows clinicians a mentored and supportive environment to achieve their professional goals. Naturopathic residencies give providers an opportunity to gain clinical experience and confidence from working under the guidance of experienced physicians. Although not required to practice in all states, a residency is a perfect way to take your medical knowledge and clinical experience into practice in a mentored environment and to learn other aspects of being a practicing doctor. Residencies are overseen by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME) who require strict guidelines for sponsoring sites. All sponsored residencies must adhere to the same guidelines to assure a beneficial program. Through Sonoran University sponsored residencies, you have the opportunity to work with and learn from highly skilled, seasoned physicians. Those residencies within the Sonoran University Medical Center and the Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine are given the opportunity to see a high volume of patient cases. Last year, Sonoran’s residents saw more than 3,500 patient visits as part of the program.
Currently, we offer five one-year residencies in general medicine for post-graduate year one candidates, two first-year residencies in regenerative therapies as well as three second-year residencies in general medicine, a second-year homeopathy residency and one third-year chief resident position. We strive to add on additional positions each year as we have identified the values in such programs.
All graduating naturopathic medicine students and recent graduates of any accredited naturopathic program or granted candidate status by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education are welcome to apply.
Below, please find some of our most frequently asked questions about residencies. If you need further information, please contact us.
There is one universal application that needs to be completed regarding the clinic and the other regarding the supervising doctor. The applications need to be returned to Sonoran, along with a signed Affiliation Agreement Once the application is complete it is reviewed by the Committee of Postdoctoral Programs (COPP). If approved a site visit is scheduled and then a final approval is needed by the Residency Director.
A distant site means that while the site is not directly affiliated with Sonoran, Sonoran takes on the supervisory role of the resident site and ensures CNME requirements are met.
Aside from ensuring CNME compliance, Sonoran takes on the responsibility of advertising for the position on our residency website, via graduate email, etc. Sonoran has a standardized application used to screen all applicants. It is highly important to applicants to complete a CNME certified residency, especially those wanting to practice in Utah, that require a residency. It can also be important for future job opportunities that may require a residency or if the resident wants to sit for specialty boards.
Aside from the opportunity to mentor a new doctor and help improve the naturopathic profession, clinics usually bring in increased revenue with the added resources of a resident. Residency advertising may also bring increased awareness of your clinic to the community and other practitioners. Newly graduated students are often the most educated on the newest research and up to date treatment options for your patients.
The initial approval can happen in as little as a few weeks to a month. Final CNME approval which requires a site visit can take up to one year depending on the timing of the application. Before a new site can be CNME approved all the appropriate paperwork must be submitted, a site visit completed and approval from the Residency Director must be granted. New residencies begin twice a year, in October and April. It is advised that sites start to advertise and recruit for residents before the school year ends (in June for Sonoran) because it is much more difficult to find people once students have graduated.
Graduates aren’t notified about board results until the middle to end of Sept, or mid-end of March, which is why residencies are slated to begin in October and April. A resident must have passed their boards before beginning a position. If the resident does not pass the boards exam, then they forfeit their residency. They may reapply after successfully passing the board exams.
Sonoran University along with the AANMC will advertise for the position. If a residency position is sponsored through Sonoran, the candidate must fill out our application and complete the screening process.
Sonoran University does not select applicants for your site. We will do the initial screening of applicants then you will be notified of all qualified applicants for your site. You will then coordinate an interview time with the applicants, interview them, and select the candidate that is the best fit for your practice.
Our goal is to eventually have a residency position for every graduate. We hope that after having a resident, you will want to continue to sponsor a resident and we can help you fill a position the following year with another graduate. Most of our distant sites operate under this succession of residents. Some decide to keep their first year resident on for a second year. There is no permanent agreement and there is no obligation to take on another resident.
For the 2019-20 year, Sonoran University asks that residents make a minimum or 34K per year. While a modest salary, this is the minimum that we require distant sites pay their residents and some of our sites choose to pay the resident more. The distant site is also responsible to provide 10 days paid time off in addition to established holidays. We strongly recommend that a site provide medical insurance benefits for their residents. We estimate that the total cost to the clinic is approximately 50K per year for a resident, but the resident should not be responsible for finding their own revenue stream to cover their salary. The clinic must be financially stable and able to support this cost.