NCNM Department of Professional Formation and Career Services
2013 Resource Guide
Section 1: General Information
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National Licensing Exams (Board Exams)
Study Resources
State and Provincial Licensing
3 Examples of State Licenses, their Costs and Application Due Dates
Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance
Recommendation to Reduce your Liability and Increase your Defensibility
Un-Official ND Malpractice Insurance Comparison Chart
Un-Official CCM Malpractice Insurance Comparison Chart
Professional Associations, Networks and Alliances
Section 2: Focus on Finding Employment
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Resumes and CVs
Prepare for an Interview
Create an Effective Elevator Speech
Finding the Right Opportunity
Negotiating Contracts and Terms of Employment
Section 3: Starting and Running a Business
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Business Guides
Business Registration Sites
Mentors and Coaches
Business Classes, Lectures and Webinars
Business References, Articles and Guides
Office and Practice Supply Resources
Business Office Needs
Professional Services and Contract Work
Marketing, Networking and Publishing Needs
Financial Assistance
In-Office Labs
Lists of Possible Practice Supply Needs
Produced by the NCNM Office of Professional Formation and Career Services
*All information in this guide must be verified and may change without notice
2|Page
Section 1: General Information
4 National Licensing Exams (Board Exams)
6 Study Resources
8 State and Provincial Licensing
9 3 Examples of State Licenses, their Costs and Application Due Dates
12 Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance
13 Recommendation to Reduce your Liability and Increase your Defensibility
14 Un-Official ND Malpractice Insurance Comparison Chart
16 Un-Official CCM Malpractice Insurance Comparison Chart
17 Professional Associations, Networks and Alliances
3|Page
National Licensing Exams (Board Exams)
Naturopathic Medicine
Administered by NABNE* http://www.nabne.org
*All dates, policies and charges listed here may change and must be confirmed with the organization
IMPORTANT DATES:
Application dates: May 1-31, 2013* to take the August 2013 NPLEX Examinations.
Testing dates are offered twice annually, in August and in February.
Test Dates:
o August 6, 2013* (NPLEX Part I , Biomedical science),
o August 7,8,9* (NPLEX Part II, Clinical science)
IMPORTANT FEES:
There are both Application and Exam fees
nd
NPLEX Part I – Biomedical Science Exams. Eligible after completing 2 of 4 year ND program*
Part I – Biomedical Science Application and Exam Administration Fee
$150*
(paid with every application to take the Part I – Biomedical Science Examination)
Part I – Biomedical Science Exam Fee
(paid with every application to take the Part I – Biomedical Science Examination)
$300*
Total for Part I
$450*
NPLEX Part II – Clinical Science Exams. Eligible after completing an accredited ND program*
Part II – Clinical Science Application and Exam Administration Fee
$175*
(paid with every application to take an NPLEX Part II -Clinical Science
Examination)
Part II – Core Clinical Science Exam Fee
$550*
(paid with every application to take the Part II – Core Clinical Science
Examination)
Optional Part II – Clinical Elective Acupuncture Exam Fee
$100*
(For graduates whose naturopathic curriculum included instruction in
acupuncture (CCNM, SCNM, Boucher)
Optional Part II – Clinical Elective Minor Surgery Exam Fee
$100*
(The Minor Surgery Examination is an elective. The jurisdictions that require it
are: AZ, BC, HI, ME, MT, NH, OR, UT, and WA. Alberta requires it if the ND plans
to practice minor surgery.)
Transcript Fee
$25*
(Test results will be sent to a specific jurisdiction)
$750 - $950*
Total for Part II
Applying for a state license (which may include additional testing
such as jurisprudence) is a separate process.
4|Page
Chinese Medicine
Administered by NCCAOM* http://www.nccaom.org/applicants
*All dates, policies and charges listed here may change and must be confirmed with the organization
IMPORTANT DATES:
Flexible: Applications can be submitted after the hour requirement has been met, generally after
the completion of the third year. (Please check with the registrar for additional information
regarding when to apply).
IMPORTANT FEES:
There are both Application and Exam fees
Application Fees
The fee to review an applicant’s eligibility for certification is due when the Application for
NCCAOM® Certification or the Application for Conversion to Oriental Medicine Certification is
submitted to NCCAOM. All application fees are payable in United States ($) dollars and are
non-refundable.
Oriental Medicine (OM) Application
$595*
Acupuncture (AC) Application
$475*
Chinese Herbology (CH) Application
$425*
Examination Fees
Examination fees are paid directly to Pearson VUE upon registration. These rates are for
English language, exams. Exams in other languages are available at a greater cost.
Acupuncture with Point Location
$300*
Chinese Herbology Module
$300*
Foundations of Oriental Medicine
$300*
Biomedicine Exam Module
$300*
Applying for a state license (which may include additional testing)
is a separate process.
5|Page
Study Resources*
*This is a collection of some available resources. This list is not officially endorsed by NCNM, NPLEX or NCCAOM.
General Resources:
The Khan Academy great for getting the big picture, easy and entertaining to watch physiology, immunology,
genetics, immunology, biochemistry videos also available on YouTube most topics under healthcare and medicine,
but some resources in different categories (biology) you can search for topics (ex: “immunology”) quizzes available
– under the tab “practice this topic”
medicalstudent.com - links to many helpful websites
medical study guides – links to many helpful websites
USMLE consult – some free resources, some paid reviews and question banks
Hand Written Tutorials – anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, physiology (videos also on YouTube)
Resources from around the globe on this resource page
Medicalmnemonics.com a free resource for mnemonics
Anatomy Resources:
Virtual 3D Body models:
BioDigital Human – their basic plan is available for free
Google Body - free
Eskeletons – free
MEDtropolis – free. Virtual Body: pretty basic, interactive, audio tutorials
Other Anatomy resources:
University of Wisconsin – dissection videos by body region
UW-L - dissection pictures
University Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – links to anatomy, histology, physiology resources
University of Minnesota – games and quizzes
The Anatomy Room – head and neck videos with good detail
Dartmouth – dissection pictures, some quizzes, a few dissection videos
University of Texas – skeletal anatomy, shows origins and insertions of muscles (doesn’t name specifics on bone)
Get Body Smart – animations and quizzes
YouTube vasculature videos:
Anatomy Vascular Model: veins and arteries
Arteries & Veins of Man Model
Blood Vessel Man
The Anatomy Room
Physiology Resources:
The Visible Embryo – embryology by week
Interactive Physiology – very basic tutorials and quizzes
Adam Education – free 10 day trial,
Tortora, Derrickson textbook companion site – activities and quizzes
Biochemistry Resources:
overview of metabolic pathways
Biochemistry Online: textbookish, a little weird to navigate
The Medical Biochemistry Page: also textbookish, better organized
MIT open courseware Graduate Biochemistry
The Biology Project – Biochemistry: good general info and carbohydrate metabolism
6|Page
YouTube and other videos for biochemistry:
http://www.youtube.com/user/aaronsbiochemvideos/videos
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/cellular-respiration/v/glycolysis
Microbiology Resources:
bug table
Lippincott’s Microcards ($40 amazon)
Immunology Resources:
MIT open courseware Cellular and Molecular Immunology
Pathology Resources:
Robbins on MD consult
MIT open courseware Principle and Practice of Human Pathology
ND NPLEX Board Review Resources:
Dr. Paul Anderson Board Review Class
board review flyer – 2013 class meets July 14-16, 2013 from 8 a.m. – 5 pm (room 107) $175 cost for the course
registration: pay business office and turn in an Add/Drop Form to the registrar’s office. There are also free DVD
recordings of past classes are available in the library
Biochemistry Review Class July 26-28, 2013, NCNM room 201, $60 contact megan.e.tayor@gmail.com
ND Board Study Manuals:
Healing Mountain Publishing study manual, review study questions, flash cards study manual: by system (same as
the test), paragraph form, relatively concise, sample exams by subject in the back, costs $120 review study
questions: also by system, questions are on one half of the page with answers on the other half, $63 flash cards:
anatomy, microbiology, and pathology books available in the library on the reserve shelf
Flashcard Exchange has several sets for different NPLEX board tests
CCM NCCAOM Board Review Resources:
NCCAOM official study review materials (about $40 each): http://www.nccaom.org/applicants/exam-content
Flashcard Exchange has many NCCAOM options
Blue Poppy allows you to order Books, flash cards, charts
Acupuncture study guides – for-profit resource
USMLE Step 1 Review Resources:
United States Medical Licensing Exam, similar to our Basic Science Boards (except Pharmacology) – is highly
recommended – First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 purchase books on amazon ($45) or available in the library or free
download- tutorial and practice test items for multiple choice questions
7|Page
State and Provincial Licensing
LICENSING AUTHORITIES:
It is your responsibility to keep current with the rules, regulations, fees, policies and
procedures for the state or province in which you’d like to practice. These details may
change at any time.
The eligibility requirements, scope of practice, application process, licensing fees and
required hours of continuing education for practitioners of Chinese medicine and
naturopathic medicine vary greatly from state to state, province to province.
If you are moving to an unlicensed state or province, you may decide to maintain a
license in a different state or province that is licensed, even if you don’t plan to live or
practice there. People do this for several reasons:
 Historically, when states become newly licensed, practitioners who had been
carrying a license in a different state have in some cases been able to avoid
complications of qualifying for licensure such as having to make up missed CE
for all the years practicing without a license and having to take a qualifying
exam.
 If the practitioner moves from the unlicensed state to a licensed state, it may
be easier to transfer a license than to apply for a license after practicing
without one.
 The political process of becoming a licensed state may be aided when the
practitioners lobbying for change are carrying licenses in other licensed states.
This can demonstrate how they are willing to pay the fees and complete the
necessary CE in order to keep their licenses current.
How do you find the licensing authority you need?
Find your specific licensing authority by using the following links
Naturopathic medicine Licensing Authorities:
ND Licensing authorities for the US and Canada can be found here at the AANP website or here
at the Oregon Licensing Board site.
Chinese Medicine Licensing Authorities:
US CCM state licensing authorities can be found here at the NCCAOM site which has a link to this
table.
Canadian Chinese medicine licensing authorities for foreign trained practitioners of Chinese
medicine can be found here.
8|Page
3 Examples of State Licenses, their Costs and Application Due Dates
Example: Oregon
License for Naturopathic Medicine – Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine
Dates:


Licensing exam is offered 4 times a year (Twice a year, the licensing exam is
offered immediately after the NPLEX exam, in the same testing location)*
Summer exam date deadline not yet specified. Usually around July 19*
Renewal date: December 15 of every calendar year*


$150* fee to apply to take the jurisprudence and formulary exam
$50* fee for criminal background check

Fees:
Application
Fee for an initial license is prorated depending on date of application
$300* if the application for initial licensure is received January 1 – March 31
• $225* if the application for initial licensure is received April 1 – June 30
• $150* if the application for initial licensure is received July 1 – September 30
• $75* if the application for initial licensure is received October 1 – Dec. 31
•
License (Initial)
Prorated Rates
Annual
renewal

$300* for the annual license renewal fee
Natural
Childbirth


$60* for an initial certificate of special competency in natural childbirth
$30* annual renewal fee for an Inactive Certificate in Natural Childbirth
License for Acupuncture – Oregon Medical Board
Dates:



Applications can be submitted at any time*
10 business days for the Board to respond to the receipt of an application in
writing
6 weeks (approximate, from date the Board receives the application) for
graduates of accredited programs) to complete the process and become licensed
Fees:
Application


License
$245* for Licensure Application Processing Fee
Initial licensing fee depends on the date of application
• $296* if licensed in any part of the first year of the biennium
• $148* if licensed any part of the second year of the biennium
9|Page
Example: Washington
License for Naturopathic Medicine – Washington State Department of Health
Dates:


Applications can be submitted at any time*
Renewal date: every year on the practitioner’s birthday
Application



License (Initial)

$116* fee to apply to take the jurisprudence and formulary exam
$100* fee for jurisprudence examination
$16* fee for UW online access (HEAL-WA) assessed with initial application
$100 fee for an initial license
Annual
renewal

$341* for the annual license renewal fee
Natural
Childbirth


$60* for an initial certificate of special competency in natural childbirth
$30* annual renewal fee for an Inactive Certificate in Natural Childbirth
Fees:
License for Acupuncture – Washington State Department of Health
Dates:



Applications are accepted year-round*
10 business days for the Board to respond to the receipt of an application in
writing*
6 weeks (approximate, from date the Board receives the application) for
graduates of accredited programs) to complete the process and become
licensed*
Fees:
Application


License
$245* for Licensure Application Processing Fee
Initial licensing fee depends on the date of application
• $296* if licensed in any part of the first year of the biennium
• $148* if licensed any part of the second year of the biennium
10 | P a g e
Example: California
License for Naturopathic Medicine – California Dept. of Consumer Affairs: Naturopathic Medicine
Committee
Dates:


Applications can be submitted at any time. Applicants will get a response
regarding the status of their application anywhere between 60-100 days from the
date of receipt.*
Renewal date: every year on the practitioner’s birthday
Naturopathic childbirth attendance rules for practice can be found here.


$400* fee to apply
$51* fingerprint card processing fee for out of state residents


$800 two-year licensing fee (prorated for the first licensing period)
To see the prorated amount that would apply to you, look at this page (scroll
down until you see the big table)

$800 license renewal fee

Fees:
Application
License (Initial)
Biennial
renewal
License for Acupuncture – California Dept. of Consumer Affairs: Acupuncture Board

Licensure requires passing the California Acupuncture Licensing Examination.
There are two annual licensure examination dates – in February* and August*.
The deadlines for submitting an application have historically been in midOctober* and mid-April* respectively. Check the website for updated
information.
Application


$75* fee for initial application
$550* examination fee
License

$325* fee for initial certification (prorated)
Biennial Renewal

$325* fee for biennial renewal
Dates:
Fees:
11 | P a g e
Professional Liability (Malpractice) Insurance:
Even great practitioners can be sued.
Complaints can come from patients, family and friends of patients, pharmacists, hospitals,
and other health care providers so even if your patient may be happy with your care, a
complaint may originate from another source. The biggest complaint drivers in the past
have been boundary issues in doctor/patient relationships, and also for NDs, prescribing
pain medication.
How do you pick the right insurance?
A better question is, “How do you pick the right insurance for your practice?” Whether or not a
company is right for you really depends on your situation. Consider these following questions before
you start to shop for insurance:
 Where will you be practicing? Licensed state, unlicensed state?
 Will you be practicing by yourself or with other practitioners? If with others – what is your
professional relationship? Employee? Independent contractor?
 Are you going to be practicing full or part time (under 20 hours a week)?
 What types of modalities will you utilize in your practice? Nutrition, botanical medicine,
acupuncture, minor surgery, injection therapy, physical therapy, pharmaceutical medication.
 What type of office visits will you be conducting? General health, gynecology, pediatric
 How soon after you graduate will you be starting your insurance policy? Most companies
consider “new grad” to be within 6 months of graduation date.
Resources and articles about liability (malpractice) insurance:
Insurance
terminology;
•
•
What to consider
when choosing
•
•
Managing medical
errors
If you’ve received a
complaint
•
•
Medical Malpractice Insurance Glossary
Malpractice Insurance: What You Need to
Know
Malpractice Insurance or Not? By Honora
Wolfe LAc.
Disclosing Medical Error: A Professional
Standard.
MEIC Acupuncture Claims Prevention.
This proprietary booklet has handy
information and prototype letters of
consent, sample letters of introduction to
other practitioners, etc.
How to Respond to a Formal Patient
Complaint.
12 | P a g e
Recommendations to reduce your liability risks and increase your defensibility
Adapted from the MEIC Acupuncture Claims Prevention
1. Know the laws of your profession.
2. Accurately represent yourself and the scope of your licensure and training.
3. Establish, maintain and advance your professional credentials, knowledge, training and
competence.
4. Know and maintain professional ethics for your profession. Professional organizations may
vary in their description of professional ethics, but the following represent some of the most
basic ethical guidelines:
• Always serve the best interest of the patient. Do no harm.
• Maintain patient confidentiality.
• Maintain appropriate relationship boundaries.
• Do not discriminate in patient selection or provision of services because of religion,
age, race, color, gender, ethnicity, nationality, or sexual preference.
• Remain within the scope of your practice, your licensure and your competence.
• Perform only necessary services and bill fairly for the services rendered.
• Invite the patient to participate in his/her own care, including decision-making.
5. Communicate clearly with your patients.
6. Maintain appropriate documentation for every aspect of the patient interaction, including
correspondence and reporting of test results. Never alter a medical record.
7. Appropriately obtain informed consent for invasive treatment or treatment that involves
some risk; document that you have done so. Remember that obtaining consent is a process,
not a form.
8. Make appropriate and timely referrals to medical doctors for conditions outside of your scope
of practice; consider making referrals for patients who do not respond to the treatment you
provide.
9. Implement a quality improvement program in your practice to ensure that you establish,
meet, and maintain the standard of care for your profession.
10. Follow treatment procedures and dispose of used biohazard and sharps as mandated by your
municipality.
11. Store drugs, herbs and supplements properly; rotate inventory for quality control.
12. Know when and how to properly withdraw from care.
13. Train your staff to know how to recognize potential liability and how to prevent it.
14. Know how and when to properly release medical records.
15. Maintain an ongoing premises safety program.
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It took one work study student
one school year and
dozens of phone calls and emails
to create the…
KEY: = yes,
At-a-glance
NCMIC
SIG
NCC



Additional cost for LAc coverage
+ 15% of policy cost
No extra cost
“Part-time” discount



Coverage for LAc available
Discount for new graduates
Other discounts available
= no, = limited
+ $25 a year



Remains the same over time.
Cost depends practice details.
$2,300-$5,500/year range.
$3400/year average
Increases over 5 years:
3 classes of coverage.
Class 1: $930 - $2913.
Class 2: $1554 - $3465.
Coverage for midwifery available
Cost range
Increases over 5 years. Averages
span from $1503 (without first year
discount) - $4293/year.

Coverage in unlicensed states?
Coverage available in
unlicensed states except: NJ,
WI, NY, KA, DE
Limited coverage available
in some unlicensed states.
Form(s) of malpractice policy provided:
Claims made
Claims made
Claims made, occurrence
Are tail or retroactive coverage
available?
Tail and retroactive available
Tail and retroactive available
Retroactive coverage available
Highlights
Offers discounts, including to newer
graduates.
Designed for the full scope of an
NDs practice such as minor
surgery, trigger point, prolo
therapy, non FDA medications.
Offers discounts.
Expanded but still Unofficial ND Malpractice Comparison Chart
NCMIC
SIG
NCC
Form(s) of malpractice policy provided:
claims made or occurrence. Are tail or
retroactive coverage available?
Claims made. Tail and
retroactive available.
Claims made. Tail and
retroactive available.
Claims made, occurrence.
Retroactive coverage available
“Part-time” discount
Receive a discount of 50%. To
qualify, there is a limit on the
amount of time worked/week
None
$1,200 - $2,100/yr depending on
coverage level, class of coverage,
program, # days, # hours, # patients
Discount for new graduates
Can’t be combined with P/T
discount. Based on licensure and
grad dates and policy issued
within 6 months of grad date.
50% for 1st yr, 30% discount for
2nd year, 25% for 3rd
None
None
An endorsement can be added
to the policy that will reduce
the premium for those
requiring a medical leave of
absence from their practice.
Discount #1- 20% as an American
Specialty Health Provider (ASH, it is
free to join).
Discount #2- 20% being a member
of CNDA (California Naturopathic
Doctors Assoc).
No discounts can be combined.
None
None
Any discount other discounts?
Coverage for natural
childbirth/midwifery available
Claims-free for 3 years. Discount
can reach maximum of 15% after
5 years in CA. 10% after 8 years in
OR and WA.
Discount of 10% only for CA
practitioners that are members of
AANP. Cannot combine with any
other discount.
None
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Coverage for LAc available
Yes, as long as LAc is in your
state’s scope of practice, LAc
coverage costs an additional 15%
of premium.
Yes, at no extra cost.
Coverage in unlicensed states
None
Yes
Yes, as long as LAc is in your state’s
scope, cost is an additional $25/yr to
add Lac coverage to ND coverage.
NCC affiliate ACC insures over 90 %
of stand-alone acupuncture
practitioners in the US.
Limited, will only cover what is legal,
not if what you did is proven illegal.
Homeopathy and herbalist policies
(which may cover supplements)
available (currently in $400-$425
range)
Cost range
1st year average is $1,503
(without first year discount),
increasing to 5th year where the
average is $4,293.
$2,300-$5,500 per year. At
time of policy renewal, if scope
of work and business model
remain the same, the rate is
likely to remain the same.
Class 1 –include herbs, homeopathy,
nutrition, dietary supplement
advice, etc. Class I Claims-Made
policy first step rate of $930,
increases each year until a fifth step
mature occurrence rate of $2,913.
Class 2 –include gynecology,
prescribing drugs, surgery. A Class II
Claims-Made policy first step rate of
$1,554 increases each year until a
fifth step mature occurrence rate
$3,465
Class 3- coverage for high risk
modalities. Examples include
surgery, prescribing
antidepressants, midwifery,
anesthesiology.
Cost avg.
Depends on year – see answer
above
$3,400/yr
$2,000/yr
These are not official tables. Please Call and get your own quote.
Cost avg. for recent graduate (this takes
into account how many people are
using discounts, etc)
see above (cost range)
Duties as a Medical Director
If doctor works at hospital then
hospital should have their own
insurance to cover this.
Otherwise it depends on who is
specifically listed on the policy.
Communicable disease transmission
None, excluded
Vicarious Liability
If company name is on insurance
policy and company is sued, then
yes. Depends on who is insured
on the policy.
$2400/yr
Can be covered under a
malpractice policy.
Malpractice policies are
essentially E&O (errors &
omissions) policies. Thus if the
policy wording is broad
enough, the medical director
can be covered for their work
even if it does not involve
direct patient care.
A loss resulting from a
communicable disease
obtained from a doctor’s office
is most likely unrelated to
practitioner negligence in
direct patient care. Example:
Patient with strep throat
infects everyone in the waiting
room. This is not covered
Policy is written as the “clinic”
or “business” being insured, so
employees are included.
Independent contractors might
not be covered though. Ind.
Contractors might want to
have their own policy.
$2,000/yr
There is coverage offered for
procedures that must be overseen
by an MD. But usually their
insurance policy will cover you.
However NDs are expensive to add,
so the MD will add to the ND’s
policy instead because NCC covers
this at NO EXTRA COST.
Usually involves needles. No policy
for this.
Yes, included in the coverage.
15 | P a g e
Coverage for prescribing nutritionals or
botanicals not FDA approved
Company representatives
It is a case by case basis.
Yes. Prescriptions are not
excluded under our policy. This
is coverage specifically for
negligence when prescribing.
None
Ashlie Wernli: 800-769-2000: ext
4200, 800-952-9935,
awernli@ncmic.com
Robert Flajole: 206-957-7053,
rflajole@siginsures.com
Cameron Mummery: 800-8608330,
cmummery@chiropracticcouncil.co
m
These are not official tables. Please Call and get your own quote.
The following chart has been adapted from the CCM business instructor’s handouts:
Agency or
Broker
Annual
Price*,
Discounts
Deductible
Exclusions**
Policy Type
Financing
Options
AAC
ESR
$850 >3+ year LAc.w/Pref
$1000-$1400; AAOM,
program;
CAOM, AOM Alliance
arbitration
discount
form option
None
$1000/claim
Wood
MIEC
$864 Claims made, 1st year: $234, 2nd year:
full-time; $463 24 $722, 3rd year: $1093,
hr/week
after 4th year, dividend
sharing program may
give you 20%-65%
credit back. This is
based on their annual
profits
None
None
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes (direct moxa,
labor and delivery,
anesthesia not, (but
inducing and turning
breech are covered)
Claims Made Policy only
Claims Made Policy
only
Claims Made or
Occurrence Policy
Claims Made
Quarterly/Annual
(6% finance charge,
no down payment)
30%down,
remainder over
9months
Special
Notes
25% down, then paid Quarterly payments
over 9 months
available after the first
year
California Hawaii,
Alaska and Idaho
practitioners only
Helpful guide with
sample documents
*Based on a 1 million: 3 million dollar policy coverage amount
**What kinds of exclusions might apply to your coverage? From Malpractice Insurance or Not? by
Honora Wolfe, “Exclusions may include acupuncture anesthesia, specific medical conditions such as
AIDS, cancer, epilepsy, or fractures. It is also not uncommon to have full or partial exclusions for treating
pregnant women or assisting with women during labor. Procedures that may be excluded or require
special rider coverage include direct moxibustion, cosmetic acupuncture, laser or injection therapy, and
veterinary acupuncture.”
16 | P a g e
Professional Associations, Networks and Alliances
American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine
American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (AAAOM)
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
American Medical Writers Association
American Osteopathic Association of Prolotherapy
Regenerative Medicine
Integrative Medicine Holistic Health Association
Dedicated to teaching physicians who have a scientific and
clinical interest in exploring the aesthetic medical facet of their
practice.
National association and business support for member Chinese
medicine practitioners and students
National association and business support for member ND
practitioners
Promote excellence in medical communication through an
extensive educational program, various publications, and
unparalleled opportunities for networking
Dedicated toward improving the practice of, and disseminating
knowledge about Sclerotherapy,
now known as Prolotherapy.
Our vision is to completely transform the current diseasecentered model of healthcare in the U.S. into a proactive,
integrative & holistic medicine paradigm of healthcare.
International Association of Medical Science
Educators
“All who teach the sciences fundamental to medical practice
should have access to the most current information and skills
needed to excel as educators.”
Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
Inexpensive student membership, lots of information about
medical office management for those who plan to own their
own practice or manage a practice.
National Association for the Self Employed
NCNM Alumni Association
Northwest Naturopathic Physicians Convention
Gold membership provides many benefits, including ability to
sign up for health insurance policy that has been negotiated as a
group rather than as an individual.
Keep in touch with your supportive NCNM community. NCNM’s
Alumni Association offers a growing assortment of benefits,
resources and services, including many events with free CE.
The oldest running naturopathic medical continuing education
conference.
Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs
Support and opportunities for ethnic minorities and women in
business.
Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Professional association representing Oregon’s licensed
Naturopathic Doctors
Oregon Association of Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine
Professional association representing AOM providers in Oregon
Oregon Entrepreneur’s Network
A non-profit organization for our entrepreneurial community to
accelerate business growth and employment opportunities in
OR and SW WA.
Portland Business Alliance
Portland Chamber of Commerce. Great networking and
business marketing.
17 | P a g e
Section 2: Focus on Finding Employment
19 Resumes and CVs
26 Prepare for an Interview
26 Create and Effective Elevator Speech
27 Finding the Right Opportunity
29 Negotiating Contracts and Terms of Employment
18 | P a g e
Resumes and CVs: Create an Effective Curriculum Vitae


Realize and acknowledge your skills:
Recognize the role you played in your most enjoyable, most successful jobs in the past
Write your CV/Resume in a way that focuses on this role you’ve played within the different jobs you’ve had
Make your best impression:
Your goal is to present yourself in the best light possible. Here are some topics or tips to consider:
 Are you a good fit for the job and is the job a good fit for you?
 If applying for a job – tailor your CV to fit each job
 Present yourself as professional and genuine
 Have realistic expectations and NOT a sense of entitlement
 Recognize your value and high level of training
 If applying for a job – research the company. How would the company benefit from having you as part of the team?
What value would you add to the organization or practice?
 Editing is essential. Have several others look over the final version of your CV
Focus on your strengths:
 Problem solving
 Critical Thinking
 Leadership
 Conflict management
 Writing
 Patient care






Decision making
Technology
Team work
Taking initiative
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Flexibility and resilience
Think of all of your previous jobs, projects, committee positions, and volunteer positions all utilize many important career
skills, which you can emphasize for your CV and interview. Below are some examples to get you started:
Experience:
Tutoring
Event formation with a group
Research
Presentations (even in class)
Creating a website
Organizing a fundraiser
Promoting programs or services
Leadership of peer organization
Transferable skills:
Teaching, working with diverse educational background
Teamwork, event planning, multi-tasking, scheduling
Planning, facilitating, coordinating, presenting
Public speaking, teaching
Media utilization, technology skills
Sales, organization, public relations, outreach
Marketing, PR, writing
Supervising, delegating, evaluating, prioritizing
Helpful interview, CV and Resume Resources:
•
www.quintcareers.com/interview_question_database
•
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers
•
http://msn.careerbuilder.com
•
•
Enelow, W and Kursmark, L. Expert Resumes for Health Care Careers. (2004) Indianapolis, IN:
JIST Publishing, Inc.
Wendleton, K, Packaging Yourself: The Targeted Resume (2006) Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning
19 | P a g e
The following information is presented by Integrated Connections, www.integratedconnects.com
•
•
•
•
•
TIPS FOR A CURRICULUM VITAE
A Curriculum Vitae “CV” is a vital personal marketing tool. It provides a potential employer with
their first impression of you so you want to hook their attention with their first glance.
A CV will summarize your background, while focusing on your qualifications which match the
requirements of the position and organization. A snapshot summarizing your credentials.
There are differences between a curriculum vitae and a resume. A CV includes a summary of your
academic background as well as research experience, publications, presentations, awards and is
typically longer than a resume.
Employers make snap judgments when glancing at your CV because of the limited time they have to
review a stack of them. Some positions receive hundreds of CVs so an easy to read format is
critical.
A CV must be easy to read and identify key credentials so the reviewer can decide at first glance if
you have the qualifications for the position and if the CV is worth taking a closer look at.
FORMAT
• The format of the CV should highlight the most important information about your credentials,
especially as they relate to the position for which you are applying.
• Including an Objective can be helpful in headlining why you are the person for the job. An objective
should be a short concise description specific to position for which you are applying. Do not include
an objective if a personal summary statement is required as part of the application process.
• Each section should be clearly labeled with a heading so the reviewer can easily identify your
credentials and how they match up to the position and organization. (i.e. Education, Publications,
Professional Experience, etc)
• Use bold/italics/capitalization/indentation to separate and highlight key sections of your CV and list
in order of importance.
• At first glance this information forms the image that employers have of your education, skills,
experience and abilities.
• Less is more. You need to write as concisely as possible and stick to what’s important and objective.
• Do not include subjective statements (i.e. excellent patient rapport, hard worker). Include
information that can be supported with examples (i.e. increased supplement and vitamin sales by
50% in one quarter through educational seminars). Keep it objective.
• CV design should get attention but it’s really the content of your CV, the descriptions you include of
your education, skills and experience that determine how many interviews you produce.
KEYWORDS
• Keywords are specific words used to describe a role, skill or experience. They are words that are
attention- grabbing to the CV reviewer.
• It is critical to use words that are relevant to the role being filled. The best way to find relevant
keywords is to inspect the job ad or position description for the skills, experiences and qualifications
described.
• It is good to reflect the language found in the job description to show you’re a good match and to
use keywords throughout the CV, especially in the Objective.
• While your basic CV template will remain the same, you should tailor your CV, and the keywords you
use in it, for every different job you apply for, according to the job’s specific requirements.
20 | P a g e
ACTION WORDS
• Another strategy that is important in creating the image that employers develop about you is to use
action words that match the position. A strong statement which uses action words and quantifies
will empower every statement under it.
• Using action words and quantifying results enable you to be a prime candidate for an interview.
• Once you have created an original CV, it will only take minutes to adjust skill descriptions to fit the
role being filled. This adjusting is important in obtaining more interviews because it allows you to
apply for, and demonstrate your qualifications for a wider range of jobs.
COVER LETTER
It is important to use keywords in your cover letter too. While cover letters aren’t necessarily searched
for keywords, it’s still important to reflect the qualifications as described in the job description so the
reviewer can see you’re a perfect match. It also shows that you’ve read the job ad closely and did not
just send out a generic application. The employer will notice you have taken the time and effort and
really want the job.
PROOFREAD
• Make sure your CV and cover letter are typed without error. Proofread several times and ask others
to review them. And finally, your CV is a living document that should be updated and proofread
regularly.
Copies of the following templates can be found in Word document form on the www.ncnm.edu website.
21 | P a g e
CV Samples and Guides
By NCNM PFCS: The following is an example of a CV format that highlights your professional skills and focus areas.
Stu Dent
th
1234 SE 99 Ave.
Portland, OR, 97206
Phone: (123)123-4567
Email: stulastname@gmail.com
PROFILE
(or for professionals, can say CHINESE MEDICINE PRACTITIONER, NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN or RESEARCHER)
Naturopathic medical student looking for a clinical practice opportunity in the San Francisco area starting October
2014. Strong communicator with management experience. Clinical focus in primary care, cardiology, nutrition and
mental illness. Looking for a collaborative, integrative setting that allows for efficient co-management of patients.
• Primary care
• Mental Health
• Botanical medicine
• Nutrition
• Women’s Medicine
• Physical medicine
• Minor surgery
• Pharmacology
• IV Therapy
• Cardiology
• Homeopathy
• Public speaking
EDUCATION
National College of Natural Medicine, 2009-2013
Naturopathic Medicine Doctoral Program, Class of 2013
Cardiology mentor shift with Dr. Martin Milner, 2012
Teaching assistant: Pathology, Cardiology Lab
Tutor: Pathology, Anatomy, Cardiology
Portland, OR
Western State University, 2005
Bachelor of Science, Psychology
Town, WA
Certifications:
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Basic Life Support (BLS)
EHR Proficiency:
OCHIN/Epic Systems
Practice Fusion
License:
(include state license information here when applicable, for example, Oregon
Naturopathic Physician License, Active, #1100 )
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
NCNM Natural Health Clinic, 2010-2013
Portland, OR
Naturopathic student intern and hydrotherapy technician working under the direct supervision of licensed
naturopathic clinical supervisors and residents in an urban, primary care, integrative medicine setting. Served a
diverse population of patients presenting with a wide variety of clinical presentations.
Under supervision:
• Diagnosed disease, including ordering on and off-site laboratory and diagnostic imaging services.
• Performed screening exams such as women’s and men’s annual exams, sports physicals.
• Formulated naturopathic evidence-informed individualized treatment plans including custom botanical
formulations, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, therapeutic dietary recommendations, nutritional supplements
prescription medication and lifestyle changes.
• Provided in-office care including physical medicine, counseling, minor surgery, hydrotherapy.
• Performed phlebotomy when needed.
22 | P a g e
NCNM Network of Community Clinics, 2011-2013
Portland Metro, Oregon
Naturopathic student intern working under the direct supervision of licensed naturopathic clinical supervisors and
residents in a mix of urban and suburban settings that provide focused care to underserved patient populations,
many of whom experience severe financial hardship.
• Outside In: Under supervision, provided primary care to homeless and transitional youth as well as the
general public. The clinic offers naturopathic, Chinese and conventional medical treatment to address
acute and chronic conditions.
• Hollywood Senior Center: Under supervision, provided primary health care with an emphasis on family
and senior health as well as other community members.
• Volunteers of America/ In Act Clinic: Under supervision, provided care via a comprehensive outpatient
program for first time offenders with drug and/or alcohol addictions as well as primary health care to the
community as a whole.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
The Something Company, 2012-present
Portland, OR
Special Projects Assistant
• Assisted project planner with communications, planning, estimating and procurement.
• Worked with high-profile projects central to the corporate marketing strategy.
• Redesigned the workflow management system to incorporate new project planning software.
Western State University, 2009-2011
Town, WA
Outreach liaison, Admissions Department
• Created engaging, informative promotional material for the Department of Social Science programs.
• Maintained recruitment relationships with thirteen different school districts throughout the state.
• Designed interactive event booths and attended college fairs at over 50 events a year.
Outreach, Inc., 2005-2008
Town, WA
Communications Manager
• Complied quarterly comprehensive reports based on information from multiple sources.
• Created and distributed weekly communications between central organizing office and 13 member
groups.
• Maintained and updated corporate website.
RECENT CONTINUING EDUCATION AND SEMINARS
•
•
•
Hypertension: Natural therapies and common cross reactions. June 2013, Portland, OR
International Convention on Nutritional Medicine and Heart Disease. November 2012, Seattle, WA
Herbal Strategies for Management of Bipolar Disorder. October 2012, Portland, OR
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Professional Memberships:
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, 2010 - active
Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians, 2010 - active
Naturopathic Medical Student Associations (NMSA) 2010 – active
Also consider the following headings if they apply: PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH, PRESENTATIONS, CLINICAL
PRECEPTORSHIPS, BOARD MEMBERSHIPS, VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE, AWARDS
23 | P a g e
The following is an example provided by Integrative Connections www.integratedconnects.com of a more
conventional, chronological format
JANE DOE, N.D.
1111 Lake Lane Drive, Moon Bay, Colorado 55555 • C: (555) 555-5555 • janedoe@comcast.net
OBJECTIVE
To obtain a staff position at the Center for Cancer Care in which I can utilize my Naturopathic Medical
Doctor Degree and Internship experience at Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
EDUCATION
National College of Natural Medicine
Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine
Portland, OR
May 2004
Colorado State University
Bachelor of Science in Biology, Magna Cum Laude
Honors: Golden Key National Society
Fort Collins, CO
May 2000
INTERNSHIP
Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Zion, IL
Naturopathic Intern
June 2004-June
2005
Worked directly with hospital management team to achieve operational objectives and treated patients
under supervision of Naturopathic Physician.
PUBLICATIONS
Johnson, Kate. “Your Body After Cancer.” Oncology Journal. 2005 June; 107(8): 5-17.
Jones JM, White JA. “Natural Options for Colds and Flu.” Pediatric Journal. 2004 May; 232(8): 280-284.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
National College of Natural Medicine
Portland, OR
Medicinary Assistant
2002-2004
Provided administration and customer service support for the Medical Center by filling and labeling orders
such as botanical tinctures, homeopathic remedies and Chinese herbs, and answering customer questions
about products. Filled physicians’ IV orders per IV policy and procedures guidelines.
Real Health
Portland, OR
Sales Assistant
2001-2002
Presented informational meetings to customers on nutritional supplements increasing sales by 150% in one
quarter. Advised customers on products, including extensive range of vitamins and nutritional
supplements. Managed inventory and placed orders to ensure continual replenishment of stock with
minimal waste.
MEDICAL VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine
Tempe, AZ
Naturopaths Without Borders
May 2003 –July
2003
Provided naturopathic medicine for orphanage while temporarily residing in Dominican Republic.
24 | P a g e
Poudre Valley Hospital
Fort Collins, CO
Emergency Department Volunteer
1998-2000
Responsibilities included assisting patient families, stocking emergency room cabinets and transporting
patients.
PROFESSIONAL LICENSES
Naturopathic Physician License 00-000, Oregon 2010 - Present
American Board of Naturopathic Oncology, Fellow 2004- Present
AWARDS
Awarded the Rose Garden Honor for medical student excellence in Naturopathic Oncology by the National
College of Natural Medicine, May 2003.
PRESENATIONS
Delivered educational seminar “Cancer Support with Herbs and Supplements” to cancer support groups at
five Portland hospitals, June 2002.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
AANP, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
OANP, Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians
OncANP, Oncology Association of Naturopathic Physicians
LANGUAGES
English – native language
Spanish– speak, read, and write with basic competence
25 | P a g e
Prepare for an Interview
Types of interviews:
1. Phone Interview:
•
Many times these are “pre” or “screening” interviews
•
Have your resume, cover letter, questions, and any other quick resources available and ready to go.
•
Consider standing, even though you are on the phone, to add more strength and confidence to your voice.
•
Be careful to not talk-over anyone (very easy to do on the phone).
2. Job fair Interview:
•
Many times these are “pre” or “screening” interviews
•
Have your resume ready to go!
•
Be prepared to present yourself well in a short amount of time (elevator speech).
3. On-site Interview:
•
Face-to-face interview
•
There will often be multiple people interviewing you.
•
Depending on the position, you may need to give a presentation and/or take skill assessment tests.
•
Have examples of your work/portfolio ready.
Interview Questions to Consider:
 What is a difficult situation you have encountered and how did you overcome it?
 What do you find interesting about this job and this practice/company? (do your research)
 What will you contribute to our practice/company?
 Why should we consider hiring you?
 What makes you stand out from the other applicants we have?
 What are your long-term plans? (They may not want to hire someone who is transient if they wanted someone longterm)
 What questions do you have for us?
Create an Effective “Elevator Speech”
From: http://www.polarisadvisorygroup.com/documents/The_Elevator_Pitch.pdf
1. Specify your target market
2. Write down the problems or issues your target market is facing that are solvable by your
product or service
3. Describe how your target market “feels” about these problems or issues.
4. State the results or outcomes your customers get from using your product/service.
5. Refining Your Lists:
• What are the most appropriate, relevant problems/issues you solve?
• What words best describe how your targeted customer feels about the problems?
• What are the most appropriate, compelling benefits you provide?
6. Write a Problem-Centered Elevator Speech
To begin, write out a number of different versions. See which get the best reactions from
colleagues and friends. I/we work with (insert target market) who are (insert feeling word) with
(insert problem/issue you solve).
7. Write a Benefit-Centered Elevator Speech
To begin, write out a number of different versions. See which get the best reactions from
colleagues and friends. I/we work with /help (target market) who want to (describe what your
customers want).
26 | P a g e
Finding the Right Opportunity
Career Moves: Look Before you Leap
This worksheet was created by the PFCS department and is based on the article Physician Career Moves: Look
Before you Leap by Sue Ter Maat
http://www.amednews.com/article/20130603/business/130609985
1.
List what is important to you in a career/job in each of the following categories: Community, Practice,
Income, Region, Lifestyle. (Add additional categories as needed) Write down what these things mean
to you. Consider:
• Community: population, safety, educational opportunities for children, shopping and amenities,
access to professional sports, restaurants, arts and entertainment.
• Practice: do you want to handle business management or other administrative duties? on-call
coverage, scheduling, how many patients per hour, method for scheduling patients, envision
your ideal working day – what kind of patients and conditions do you want to treat.
• Income: living expenses, practice expenses, retirement funds, license fees, continuing education
fees, etc
• Region: climate, proximity to recreation, proximity to friends and family, ability for significant
other to find work, dating environment, predominant health attitudes in the region, national
rates for reimbursement (averages can be found at ONET for Naturopathic physicians and for
Acupuncturists and for Clinical Research Coordinators)
• Lifestyle: what you want your daily life to include, hours you’d like to work, proximity of home to
office, frequency of being on-call, work/life balance, frequency of vacations, type of home
• How will these choices affect the other people in your life? How much does this affect the chance
that these choices will be successful for your life?
2.
*Most important step: Explain why each factor is important to you.
• This may help you find that some aren’t as important as others.
• You may also find conflicting priorities (for example, you may think you’d like living in an urban
center for access to culture and restaurants. However, you may then find that the cost of living
and clinical expenses are higher in these areas and would mean you would have to work more
hours, leaving you little time to enjoy the city. You could compromise by living in a lower cost,
more rural setting and traveling to the city more frequently.).
3.
Of the things you’ve written down so far, rank your job priorities. Look for a job opportunity that fits
80% - 90% of your priorities. Look to strike a balance between all your needs.
• As the article says, “It’s foolish to choose money the first year,” and “No single priority should be
the reason a physician takes a particular job. Physicians who do that usually end up moving after
two or three years.”
1. Top priority:
2. Second priority:
3. Third priority:
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
27 | P a g e
Other tips and resources:
 Use your personal and professional contacts to help connect you with opportunities.
 NCNM has a Careers and Classifieds page: http://www.ncnm.edu/online-classifieds/
 Income averages can be found at ONET for Naturopathic physicians and for Acupuncturists and for Clinical
Research Coordinators). Our own alumni surveys (published on our website) shows that the range is vast,
so your income may differ considerably from the published averages.
Major job search engines (or other places to find jobs): These sites help you to find openings all over the web. See
“How to use a search engine” below for more tips.
http://www.indeed.com/
http://www.simplyhired.com/
http://www.linkup.com/
http://www.usajobs.gov/ Working for the US Government
o For example, Army bases have been making a big push to hire civilian acupuncturists to work
with members of the armed forces
 http://us.jobs/index.asp
 http://portland.craigslist.org/




Jobs through local health centers/hospitals:
 OHSU: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/about/services/human-resources/
 Legacy (also Meridian Park): http://www.legacyhealth.org/jobs
 Providence: http://www.providenceiscalling.jobs/
 Kaiser Permanente: http://www.kaiserpermanentejobs.org/jobs.aspx
How to use a search engine:
 Meta search engines like indeed.com and simplyhired.com post job listings from many sources across the
internet, which saves you the time and energy of hunting them down.
 You can use these sites to get daily updates on jobs with particular key words and in specific geographical
regions. Use more than one search engine as they don’t always locate the same job openings.
 It is recommended that you start a new email address that you create just for these updates – otherwise
they can flood your inbox within a matter of days.
 Use the “advanced search” option. Be specific about the kind of job/field you are seeking but try multiple
searches using different phrasing.
Medical Placement/Temp Agencies: Medical temp agencies can help organizations and offices find permanent
employees or can help fill the gap for offices that are short workers for 1 day to several months. Some local
examples include:




http://www.pdxstaffing.com/
http://www.maximstaffing.com/Oregon/Portland/97223-healthcare-staffing-agency-382.aspx
http://www.favoritestaffing.com/
http://www.interimhealthcare.com/
If you are looking for work in the medical field before you finish school, there are several positions that you may be
able to fill, depending on how far you’ve advance through your program. Please see the NCNM website, Career
Services webpages for information on “gap jobs” that you can fill before you graduate, such as phlebotomist,
caregiver, medical assistant, lab technician and others.
28 | P a g e
Negotiating Contracts and Terms of Employment
1.
Have a contract, whether you are working for someone, sharing space or taking over a practice.
Contracts help to clarify everyone’s intentions.
2. Have this contract reviewed by an attorney before you sign it
3. The Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law Blog by attorney Michael H. Cohen, Esq. has many
helpful posts about different topics in this area.
4. Helpful sites and articles: Build a Contract that Suits You, “Women Don’t Ask” (based on the book)
Be aware of these potential issues:
• Are you an Independent Contractor or an Employee? This can have major tax implications and if you are
misclassified, can result in fines and penalties as this issue has been under greater scrutiny by a number of
federal and state agencies during the last few years. Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industry has a great
resource page on Independent Contractors vs. Employee status. Each state has different regulations, but
most tend to share similar main points.
o whether the worker in question is free from direction and control;
o whether the worker is, as a matter of economic reality, independent of the business to which
services are being provided.
• Fee splitting, though common, is considered to be unethical and unacceptable in the medical profession
because it “represents a conflict of interest which may adversely affect patient care and well-being, since
patients will not necessarily be referred to the most appropriate doctor to provide their on-going care...”
Naturopathic physicians and acupuncturists are sometimes exempt from the laws governing this practice
in different states, but nonetheless, great care should be taken when entering into an agreement that
includes fee splitting. The CAM Law Blog published some interesting posts on this topic. Some clinics
calculate shared responsibility of overhead based on the volume of patients visits that each practitioner
sees. Otherwise, one of the more commonly practiced physician compensation models may be more
appropriate.
• Compensation models: These are examples of compensation models in mainstream medicine, including
how they are calculated, and some pros and cons of each:
o http://www.uhlaw.com/basic_models/ Gives examples of computation for the following four models:
 Fixed Compensation Model
 Base Plus Percentage of Revenue Compensation Model
 Base Plus Performance Factors Compensation Model
 Relative Value Unit Performance Compensation Model
o http://www.nejmcareercenter.org/article/2184/physician-compensation-models-the-basics-the-prosand-the-cons/ Scroll to the bottom of the article to see the descriptions of the different models and
their pros and cons. The different models include:
 Straight salary/minimum-income guarantee or salary plus bonus/incentive
 Equality/equal shares.
 Production- or productivity-based compensation.
 Capitation or productivity plus capitation.(I don’t think this necessarily applies to most NDs or
LAcs)
• Who owns the intellectual property that you develop? Many professionals make additional income by
writing and presenting material. If you wish to do this, make sure you own what you create.
29 | P a g e
Section 3: Starting and Running a Business
31 Business Guides
31 Business Registration Sites
32 Mentors and Coaches
32 Business Classes , Lectures and Webinars
33 Business References, Articles and Guides
34 Office and Practice Supply Resources
34 Business Office Needs
35 Professional Services and Contract Work
35 Marketing, Networking and Publishing Needs
36 Financial Assistance
37 In-Office Labs
38 Lists of Possible Practice Supply Needs
30 | P a g e
BUSINESS GUIDES
Start-Up Basics: An Overview to Starting Your Own
Business:
A 25 page guide with many helpful worksheets,
questionnaires and tables. Produced by the Georgia
SBDC Network in partnership with the SBA.
Starting and Managing a Business
A webpage with multiple resources from the Small
Business Association (SBA)
“Startup Basics” resources from Entrepreneur.com
A webpage with articles, videos and other helpful
resources
Starting a Business in Oregon
A webpage that contains information such as this
helpful Oregon Business Guide booklet: How to Start a
Business in Oregon
Concepts in Health Care Entrepreneurship,
A series of books by our own Jensen Hagen, CPA.
There are several books in this series, including a full
text book, a book of checklists and a summary guide.
The website also has some free resources for
entrepreneurs.
Start-Up Checklist for New Acupuncture Practices
This blog post by Honora Wolfe Dipl.Ac. is one of many
helpful business articles on the Blue Poppy
Enterprises, Inc. website. Much of this information is
helpful for any type of practitioner.
Starting a Free Health Clinic
A guide booklet produced by Volunteers in Health
Care that includes checklists, tables and three
different field reports from community clinic models.
BUSINESS REGISTRATION SITES
rd
 NPI Provider number
(individual or clinic)
Must have a state license; no cost; used by 3 parties to identify
practitioners
 EIN
(if you will have employees, are a
corporation or a partnership)
Companies with employees, corporations and partnerships, nonprofit companies need this. Do you need one? See this page.
 Register Business Name
(Oregon, as example)
New registration: $50* annual fee; Also known as DBA name (“Do
Business As”) *check source for current price rate
 DEA number (for NDs)
(Rx for controlled substances)
Required to prescribe controlled substances. $731* fee/3 years.
*check source for current price rate
 City and/or County Business License
(Portland, as example)
Business licenses are usually managed by the city and/or business
offices. Some unincorporated towns, like Aloha, OR, do not have
offices to manage this. Everyone doing business in PDX must
register within 60 days, exempt businesses do not have to pay
(example: <$50k annual income*).
*check current rules and exemptions
31 | P a g e
 Business Registry
State of Oregon Central Business Registry Register your business,
your DBA name, get legal structure info, more
 ADA compatibility
Corners, railings in bathrooms, etc. May be necessary for
insurance credentialing.
 CLIA Waived License
$150 biennial fee. The first link explains when a CLIA waived
license is needed. This link will take you to the application form.
This is needed to perform urinalysis, pregnancy tests, and other
common tests in-office. *See more on this topic in the special
section below
Regulates what you must do to protect your patients/customer’s
private information and what you must do if there is a security
breech.
 Identity Theft Protection Act of
Oregon
 Medicinary Management rules: FDA
Small Entity Compliance Guide
(referring to supplements and other
medicinary aspects, such as creating
tinctures or selling products).
All offices that use or sell supplements will be especially interested
in Subpart M, which defines requirements related to any business
that holds and distributes supplements.
 Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA)
Link to the Healthcare Quick Start Compliance Assistance Guide
SCORE (mentoring and other business
education, tools)
MENTORS AND COACHES
Free business mentoring. Business resources, podcasts, quizzes,
templates, classes, loan guarantor program, so much more. Many
nd
resources available online and in the local SCORE PDX office at 2
and Morrison
Carolyn Campbell, The Core Source
Coaching
Carolyn has worked with our own Leaders By Choice students. She
has been working for years within the natural medicine
community, helping doctors and practitioners to build their dream
practices. She helps practitioners organize and focus their goals
make the most of the professional community around them.
Mark Silver, The Heart of Business
(Coaching)
His motto: “When you want to make a difference but need to make
a profit.” He has heart-centered marketing approach that appeals
to many practitioners.
American Family Small Business
Accelerator Program
BUSINESS CLASSES, LECTURES AND WEBINARS
Free resource including webinars and email tips. Contest available
with prizes.
EM University: Clinically driven E/M coding
training
Free training module is excellent and gives basics of coding.
Weekly practice cases allow you to keep sharp on your skills.
HBBH: Health of Business, Business of
Health
Our own Dr. Dick Thom HBBH teaches business strategy and
business planning to the health practitioners seeking medical and
business support to grow and enhance their practices
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Laura Roeder
Offers online programs for small businesses (downloadable
webinars) with community integration
Marie Forleo
Offers online programs for small businesses (downloadable
webinars) with community integration
MercyCorps NW
Classes, other business resources. Business start-up money
matching program (IDA program); IDA (Individual Development
Account) for low income Oregon residents
NCNM Continuing Education
Presenting a host of business and practice enhancement seminars
in person and on-line.
Non-Profit Marketing Guide
Training and tips for do-it-yourself non-profit marketers
Oregon Business Center
General information, financing info, tax info, hiring guide, more
Portland State University – Professional
Development Center
Classes and certificate programs in several areas, including project
management, etc.
Secretary of State Office
Example, Oregon Secretary of State Office: “How to start a
business in Oregon” at
http://www.filinginoregon.com/pages/forms/business/guides/201
1_Starting_Guide.pdf has a great chart that explains business
structure.
US Bank Small Business Advisor
Webinars, instructional videos, other online tools for virtual
business advising
White Hot Truth
Focuses on how marketing is about speaking your truth.
BUSINESS REFERENCES, ARTICLES AND GUIDES
CDC’s Health Communicator’s Social Media Great info on all the different social media avenues, demographics,
Toolkit
general cost and effort tables.
Financial Aid Repayment
NCNM’s financial aid department has helpful links at the bottom of
their resource page.
Greenbranch Publishing
Harvard Business Review
Resource for books and journals on medical practice management
General business articles, especially applicable for business owners
and managers
The Natural Medicine Network
Started by NCNM grad Leah Olsen, ND the Natural Medicine
Network provides a community forum for ND and CCM
practitioners.
Physicians Practice
Free online website for physicians about practice management and
other aspects of healthcare. Good info on coding and billing.
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Playing the Game: Helping Acupuncturists
to Bill Insurance
A fabulous blog resource with practical information about
insurance billing from the perspective of a clinician and a business
manager for a multi-disciplinary office. This resource is helpful for
both acupuncturists and NDs. Not into blogs? They have also
published this book on the same subject.
Portland Development Commission
We work with Portland businesses to identify business needs and
eligibility for PDC assistance, and then help you find the program
that fits best.
Samueli Institute
Their goal is to transform healing through research, their authors
produce a number of helpful articles that illustrate how integrative
medicine is being used and practiced.
Integrated Connections
Integrated Connections is a unique firm that specializes in
connecting integrative medical professionals. We connect this
specialized group of healthcare professionals to the community
through career and speaker placements
Blue Poppy:
OFFICE & PRACTICE SUPPLY RESOURCES
Chinese medicine office supplies
City Liquidators:
New and used office furniture and supplies
Moore Medical:
Medical supplies and medical equipment, sundry items (table paper, tongue
depressors, etc) Moore offers many discounts. Ask for items that are
equivalent to the ones you’d like to order but are less expensive (may be by
different manufacturer).
Medical Arts Press:
Patient forms, prescription pads, stationary Medical Arts Press: offers
standardized forms and Rx pads, etc. Also shop around for good prices or
consider designing your own and having them printed at best price.
Banking: Capital Pacific Bank
BUSINESS OFFICE NEEDS
Capital Pacific Bank – this is NCNM’s bank and they focus on the needs of
medical practices. Ask about their secure options to help your office keep
patient payment info on track for future billing needs. Emily Leach –
eleach@cpbank.net 503 542-8531
Biohazard Disposal Services
For $5 they will provide you with a 1 gallon container that you can return
for disposal at no additional charge. This site has links to other biohazard
disposal services.
Practice Management Software
and Services including Electronic
Health Records: NaturaeSoft
Created by our own Dr. Tucker Meager, Chart pro is free! - EHR
Office Pro is practice management (scheduling, inventory management,
insurance billing, etc) – there are discounts for graduates. They also have a
patient portal – Patient Pro. Bill Pro – electronic billing solution
Up to 25 providers – oriented toward integrated medicine on the whole.
Practice Fusion for Electronic
Health Records (EHR)
Free service (currently) used by many in the community. Also includes
electronic scheduling calendar accessible from wireless devices.
Fax via Internet
Look for secure, HIPPA compliant internet fax services that will help support
a paperless practice
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Broad River, Invest, protect,
inspire Insurance, Financial
Advising
Offers assistance to business owners, new practitioners setting up offices,
as individuals. Assistance with professional contacts, financial planning,
business owners insurance, disability insurance, investing and many other
business needs. Justin Breen, Justin.breen@broadriver.us, 503.207.4519
Bryan Briand Bryan.briand@broadriver.us
**Free Business Classes and Consultation on Campus for NCNM Students
and Grads**
Medisoft: Medical Billing
Software
Medisoft basic version: ~$300
Costco: Merchant Services (ability
to accept credit card payments)
Costco executive members get good deal on this, good rates. Watch for
hidden fees with other companies. Compare credit card/debit card
processing fees and %
Square: Merchant Services
Very low cost merchant services with free software and free device that will
fit on a smart phone (both iphone and android) to allow mobile credit card
acceptance. Started by one of the same guys who started Twitter.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICS, CONTRACT WORK
Cosgrave Vergeer Kester LLP, providing legal services for businesses.
Especially well versed in setting up legal contracts for business partners.
Familiar with the NCNM community. Contacts:
Jill D. Laney: jlaney@cvk-law.com
Jason M. Pistacchio, attny. jpistacchio@cvk-law.com
Legal: Cosgrave Vergeer Kester
LLP
Legal: Phillip S. Griffin
Philip S. Griffin, Attorney at Law, private attorney who is a fan of natural
medicine. Phil has been a very helpful attny. to several people in our
community. psgriffinlaw@comcast.net 503 244-3264
Linguava: Medical Interpretation
Services
Note, it is not ethical to have family member translate for patient visit; cost
of interpretation is not passed on to the patient; wireless phone on speaker
can be low cost alternative for short appointments (not for paperwork)
Assorted services at $5 per
service
MARKETING, NETWORKING & PUBLISHING NEEDS
Fiverr.com A hub for people providing a whole spectrum of services for $5.
Includes graphic design, volumes of “likes” on your FB page, and all sorts of
other services. *Use at your own risk – these are all independent vendors.
Business card printing
Club Fliers: Low cost for high volume printing
Business card printing
Vista Print: low cost and prints additional marketing material and products.
Be cautious of choosing a stock design as these may be the same cards as
many of your colleagues.
Class participant
registration/volunteer
organization program
Sign Up Genius: Free centralized, virtual site that allows you to organize
volunteer positions or spaces in classes. Volunteers/participants can sign
up for available spaces without having to register with the site.
Copies, printing and other
printing (logo coffee mugs, pens,
etc)
Clean Copy does a lot of printing for NCNM and is willing to create special
packages of business card, stationary, and other printing needs for new
practitioners.
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Design Services - graphic design,
web design, etc.
Pilcher Media: Amplify your Visibility
SPECIAL DEAL FOR NCNM STUDENTS AND NEW GRADS
$75 Logo design (3 versions with 3 revisions)
$50 - $100 Design for Printed Materials (business cards, postcards, posters,
tri-fold brochures)
$500 - $800 Website Design and Development
e-publishing app for ipad
iBooks Author: Free publishing app for ebooks
e-publishing and self-publishing
services
Book Baby: For self-publishers. E-book formatting and distribution. Also,
custom book printing.
Graphic Design
Heather Schiffke is the designer responsible for many of the beautiful
Helfgott materials.
Publishing: database for authors
to find publications
Writers Market: Searchable database for public, private and trade
publications that would or may accept your submissions, including their
publication submission policies. Also includes contests, info on agents and
other info for writers.
Presentation program
Prezi: Presentation program to make your presentations zoom. Basic level
of membership is free.
Professional Photography
Justin Tunis, Photographer. Be sure you have the right to use your
photograph as you see fit.
Stock Images
iStock Photo: Stock images (photos, illustrations, etc.) to purchase for use in
your marketing materials and on your website. High quality, low cost.
Web Marketing Strategy
Findable Designs: Building websites that attract the right people. Marsha
Lindsay is one of NCNM’s Health Biz Expo speakers. She offers Individual
Coaching, Group Workshops, Web & Graphic Design, Branding, Illustration,
Consulting Marsha Lindsey findabledesign@gmail.com
Web Page Design and Support
SquareSpace Web hosting and design that allows you to customize and
design it yourself. Free two week trial without needing to enter a credit
card number
Web page design and support
Wordpress: Popular, free and low cost blogs and web design you do yourself
Web page design and support
Watermelon Web Works: NCNM’s web hosting company
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
With MercyCorps NW - Earn a Matching Business Grant with an Individual Development Account (IDA)!
This matching program from MercyCorps NW helps qualified entrepreneurs planning to start a business in the
Portland Metro Area to earn money in one of two ways:
 Option 1: Participants save $1,000, get matched with $3,000 (with a min. savings period of six months)
 Option 2: Participants save $2,000, get matched with $6,000 (with a minimum savings period of one year)
They can then use the total to purchase fixed business assets.
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CAPITAL ASSISTANCE FUNDING: A RURAL HEALTH RESOURCE GUIDE – This resource lists a number of different
funding options available to rural health care centers. These may or may not be geared to natural or integrative
medicine, but with the increasing pressure to get healthcare into rural areas, this may change.
IN-OFFICE LABS
Beyond CLIA-Waived - Tips on In-Office Labs

Know which tests require a CLIA-waived lab license. Without one, you can’t bill for these services or use
the results for clinical decision-making.

Different insurance companies have different “preferred labs” and will only cover labs done at specific
laboratories. If you see patients who are covered by different insurance companies, find out which labs
are associated with their insurance companies and only send the patients to these labs. If not, they will
be responsible for the charges and paying out of pocket for a test from a non-covered lab.

Call the labs associated with area hospitals as well as the independent clinical labs, such as Quest
Diagnostics labs. Create a relationship with them as an area physician. They will provide you with many
things that may include: lab order forms or site login info, drawing tubes, sterile urine cups, and secure
lab boxes to place outside your clinic door for after-hours pick-up. They may also provide other drawing
supplies, such as needles and syringes, etc.

Call and get a cash-paying rate for common tests that your non-insurance patients will likely need (CBC,
thyroid panel, CMP, fasting glucose, etc.). There will likely be a very big difference depending on the lab
that does it. NCNM’s lab tends to be one of the most affordable labs in the Portland area.

Order lab kits from companies that do saliva testing, stool, etc. These have an expiration date, so only
order the test kits you will likely use in the near future. If they require a blood draw and if you don’t do
draws in-office, one of the area labs will likely do it for an added processing charge (usually around $12$15). The kit will include order info. Fill out the paperwork completely before sending the patient to the
lab to be drawn, inform the patient of the proper procedures prior to the draw (fasting, etc.).

Labs that supply in-office lab kits often have a stratified fee structure, and the price is different if the
patient pays the lab directly, if your office pays the lab directly or if their insurance company will be billed
(this is usually a much higher rate than the other two ways). Depending on how the patients’ insurance
policy works, the remaining patient’s portion after the insurance pays is sometimes higher than if the
patient just paid the lab directly at the patient-pay rate. The lowest rate is often the physician office rate.
Your office pays the lab directly and in turn, bills the patient. When billing the patient, you can charge the
physician-office price, the patient-pay price or at least add a processing fee in addition to what you paid
to accommodate the work it will take you to process the payment to the insurance company and then bill
the patient.

If you are going to do in-office lab draws, you will likely need a centrifuge (many draws require this to be
done and there is no guarantee that the courier will get the sample back to the lab in time to be spun.)

Call the lab courier for pick-up immediately after you collect and label your samples.

Have a system for keeping sterile urine samples cold if you are intending them to be cultured. The lab
courier pick-up times are extremely variable – a portable cooler and ice pack used only for this purpose
may work. Be mindful that refrigerated medicines cannot be kept in the same place as refrigerated lab
samples.
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LISTS OF POSSIBLE PRACTICE SUPPLY NEEDS
Treatment supplies*:
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Sanitary products
Speculums, lubricant, PAP equipment
Patient gowns
Gloves (have latex free options available even if you
aren’t allergic – you may have patients who are)
Syringes
Cotton balls
H2O2 and kidney basin for ear irrigation
Scopettes
Urine cups and urinalysis test strips (CLIA-waived
license necessary)
Alcohol swabs/gauze
Cavi wipes
Salves
CCM needles and cups
Towels for hydrotherapy
First-aid supplies
Several cotton sheets
Towels
Basins for foot baths
Heating pad
Blankets
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Large Equipment*:
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Lockable records storage
Refrigerator for supplements (no food, no lab
samples)
Ice pack and a cooler dedicated to lab samples
Fire extinguisher with annual inspection tag
Sanitizer for room/table
Autoclave if using metal instruments
Medicinary storage
Handouts storage
CE certificate tracking system (keep this in ONE
PLACE) Scan or keep in one folder
License posted on the wall
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Paperwork/forms*:
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HIPPA form
Consent to treat form
Service Summary
New patient info (be mindful to create a culturally
neutral form)
Records release
Payment agreement/Insurance form (including name
of guarantor)
Lab forms (establish relationship with local labs)
Imaging forms (establish relationship with local
imaging centers)
Patient handouts
Safety paperwork/MSDS sheets
Rx pads
Treatment plans
Letterhead
Referral paperwork
Thank you cards
Envelopes
Business cards, marketing cards
Brochure
Receipts
Tickler (reminder) postcards, tracking system
annual/periodic testing
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Possible other equipment needed*:
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Desk with lockable cabinet
Credit card machine (be sure is compatible with
service chosen)
Chairs for reception room, exam room
Side table for magazines, etc.
Bookcase for medicinary, books
Hand soap or sanitizer
Hand towels (paper)
Trash can
Tray for equipment
Containers for cotton/scopettes/tongue depressors
Art for walls and ceilings
Tissues – soft ones. Patients may cry in your office.
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Medical Equipment to Consider*:
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Exam table
Patient gowns (paper or cloth, must be laundered)
Lamp (floor or headlamp for gyn)
Heat lamp for CCM
Otoscope/ophthalmoscope
Table paper (price varies: smooth vs. crepe, width,
length, printed or plain)
Pen light
Scale/height measurements
Pulse oximeter
Blood pressure cuff
Thermometers (Tempadot-type or have disposable
covers)
Sharps container
Order lab kits to have on hand (only ones you will
need in near future)
Metal bowl for moxabustion
Air purifier or fan
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Electronics*:
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Computer – if laptop, be sure all patient info is
SECURE if stolen
Quickbooks or other bookkeeping software
Other medical software (Medisoft, other)
Fax software or virtual fax acct. if no paper fax
Copier/scanner/printer
Optional - audio recording software
Optional - camera
Flashlight for emergencies
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Medicinary*:
(Be aware of FDA regulations regarding how you handle
your in-office medicinary items, making tinctures.)
Medicinary storage/shelving
 Log book or database to track expiration dates,
other information as needed (see FDA regulations)
 Watch for good deals from supplement companies
for new grads
 Thank NCNM Partner companies for their support
 If dispersing from mother bottles, record all bottles
when received, including lot number, expiration date,
company. Write down all Rx info that comes out of
that mother bottle and keep this information
accessible.
 Depending on the type of patient you plan to see,
carry products that you would need on an acute basis
(tx for urinary infection, other infection, acute pain).
Don’t over-order medicinary items that may expire
before you have a chance to use them.
 Inquire with the supplement companies whether or not
they will replace products that you bought that are
unsold and close to expiration date (some will do
this).
Your additional supply list:
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