The ND schools are four years total. Bastyr let\'s students stretch it to five or six years, but it\'s the same amount of coursework as the four year program. Some web sites say that all NDs do one year residency--But this is NOT true. There are few residencie for naturopaths in North America, and most grads will never have the opportunity to do one.

Primary care training requires hands-on experience that really can\'t be taught by distance learning. Medical residencies in the US must be accredited. A graduate can\'t just pick any doctor who will agree to precept them.

I have no problem with distance learning per se. I think it\'s a great method for self enrichment. But, for hands-on patient care, a distance course just won\'t cut it. For that matter, having attended an on-campus naturopath school, I don\'t feel that they offer sufficient training for a primary care practitioner either.