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Local naturopathic center approved for residency program
By SUZANNE KYDLAND ADY
Of The Gazette Staff
Each naturopath has taken a
different road to the residency program at Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic.
Dr. Deborah Angersbach was a
chiropractor in private practice in Santa
Barbara, Calif.,
but really hoped for additional mentorship after going into naturopathic
medicine.
Her career as a naturopathic
physician is a far cry from her 20-year stint in business management, but
Dr. Colleen Jo Gagliardi, from Buffalo, N.Y.,
said, "If naturopathic medicine calls you, you won't be happy until
you go do it."
Dr. Rachel Roberts Oppitz was once headed for "regular" medical
school before opting for the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore. Oppitz now recognizes that the experience she has
obtained during her residency has exceeded setting up her own clinic in her
home state of Minnesota.
Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic
was founded by Dr. Margaret Beeson in the early 1990s, but its fledgling
residency program - in collaboration with Bastyr University - just began in March after
a months-long process of paperwork and onsite visits.
Bastyr,
in Kenmore, Wash., an accredited institution, was
founded in 1978 and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the study
of natural healing.
"We've had an informal
residency here for a couple of years," Beeson said. "But we found
out a lot of things we needed for the program to be certified, we already
had in place."
Dr. Gary Garcia, director of
Graduate and Community Medicine at Bastyr, said
one of the school's goals is to find affiliate programs for its graduates.
"We were looking for a site
outside of the state of Washington,"
he said. "Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic fits some very specific
criteria. It's well-established, well-networked and has a solid patient
base."
YNC and Bastyr
ended up approaching each other almost simultaneously, Garcia said.
"Dr. Beeson's name was on
our list of potential sites," he explained. "She's respected by
her colleagues and peers, and she has trained people
before, which is a big plus."
Between 110 and 120
undergraduates receive degrees from Bastyr each
year, Garcia said. Programs include nutrition, herbal sciences, health
psychology, exercise science and wellness and acupuncture and Oriental
medicine. Along with YNC, Bastyr now has
residency sites in Illinois, Oklahoma, Indiana,
and is looking at potential locations in Utah
and Oregon.
YNC will take a total of three
residents annually, Beeson said, two first-year residents and one
second-year resident. Students will be interviewed through Bastyr University, but can be a graduate of any of the
nationally accredited naturopathic medical schools in the United States or Canada.
"Since we're an official
residency, we have a creditability that isn't there with
an unofficial residencies," Beeson said.
YNC has developed several
clinical rotations with specialty physicians around Billings. Each resident is able to spend
time studying hemotology/oncology,
obstetrics/gynecology, pulmonary care, gastroenterology, perinatology, otolaryngology, dermatological, physical
therapy and family practice.
Copyright © The Billings
Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises
Yellowstone Naturopathic
Clinic
720 N. 30th St.
Billings, MT 59101
PHONE 406·259·5096/FAX 406·248·5655
ync@180com.net
Dispensary
406·254·9682
dispensary@yncnaturally.com
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