TEMPE, Ariz. (Oct. 2, 2014): With ongoing projections that the U.S. healthcare system will face a dramatic shortage of primary care providers – up to 52,000 short by 2025 by some estimates – more future naturopathic physicians than ever before have enrolled for fall classes at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM).
Ninety-seven students from 26 states, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Puerto Rico begin classes this month at the campus at 2140 E. Broadway Road in Tempe. Forty-one of the students are from Arizona.
In July, a record 82 students received their degrees as naturopathic physicians, bringing the total number of graduates to 1,171 since SCNM opened in 1993.
SCNM will accommodate its continuing growth when the new 47,000 square-foot mixed-use building opens in early 2015. The new building will include an expanded medical center and pain clinic, expanded library and additional classrooms, more group and individual study spaces and a café, among other features.
“If we simply measure the growth we’re seeing by the interest in naturopathic medicine from potential students, the numbers are significant. We received more than 8,000 inquiries last year from students considering naturopathic medicine as a career,” said SCNM President Dr. Paul Mittman. “That also coincides with the growing interest in incorporating complementary and alternative medicine in overall healthcare and wellness programs.”
SCNM is one of only five accredited schools of naturopathic medicine in the U.S. and the first in the Phoenix metro area offering a four-year professional-level doctor of naturopathic medicine program. The Tempe Chamber of Commerce awarded SCNM its 2014 Business Excellence Award recognizing the college’s quality, value leadership, passion for the community and actively pursuing innovative services and products.
For more information about the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Center, visit www.scnm.edu.
About SCNM:
The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine trains future physicians to focus on prevention, wellness and lifestyle changes, which addresses the root cause of the majority of the problems plaguing Americans. Located in Tempe, and founded in 1993, SCNM is an accredited higher-learning institution offering a four-year medical program. In 2014, SCNM received the Tempe Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Award.
Adjacent to the college, the SCNM Medical Center is the largest naturopathic medical center in the Southwest and offers family and primary care using integrative modalities such as acupuncture, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine, manipulation, and pharmacology.
For more information, visit www.scnm.edu
