I would recommend getting a nursing degree

One can get a nursing degree in 3 or 4 years. If you go to a community college you can get dirt-cheap tuition. The nursing degree will take care of most of the pre-reqs for naturopathic school except organic chemistry and possibly physics (it depends on the school).

The nursing degree will give you a great paying job that you can work in while trying to save money up for naturopathic school or going to naturopathic school. The nursing degree will give you real world health experience that you will never get in naturopathic school unless you are lucky enough to get a hospital residency as a naturopath.

Also, as some have posted here before, new naturopaths struggle when they graduate. If you had a nursing degree to hold you down you would be in an infinitely better financial position as well as having tons of contacts with doctors that would be useful for building a future business.

Nursing also gives you the option of becoming a nurse practitioner. This would be VERY useful and give you much more credibility as a naturopath. It would also allow you to be licensed in an unlicensed naturopathic state.

Realize this: Naturopathic school is at least 4 years long. The minimum tuition alone is going to be at least $20,000 a year. When you add in all the other fees, costs, interest, room and board, board fees, seminars, ect. you are looking at racking up about $150,000 in naturopathic school. Think long and hard about how you are going to pay that off and look at all the naturopathic job listings on all the naturopathic college web sites. There aren't nearly enough residencies for naturopathic graduates and finding a good-paying entry-level naturopathic job is very difficult.

Devise a back-up plan. Nursing is the perfect choice because the only decent health-care degree that can still be earned in an associates or bachelors degree. A few years ago you could have gotten PT or pharmacy as a bachelors, but they have moved on to doctorate level programs. PA is only available for college graduates with pre-existing health care experience. The only other choices are other health care associates such as X-ray tech, respiratory therapist, etc.

Whatever you do, don't go into naturopathic school blindly. If you already have health-care experience going into naturopathic school (such as being a nurse) you will be infinitely more prepared to learn without being overwhelmed.

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