Can Naturopathic physicians prescribe pharmaceuticals?
On April 9th, 2009 the BC government granted a new and expanded scope of practice for Naturopathic Physicians in British Columbia. The new scope of practice includes pharmaceutical prescription rights and access to publicly funded laboratories. The prescription rights will officially be implemented over the next few months in 2010 and include access to most prescriptions medications general practitioner medical doctors have access to. Naturopathic physicians and conventional medical doctors receive equivalent training in pharmaceutical prescription writing throughout medical school. In British Columbia, Naturopathic physicians are licensed as primary health care practitioners. The BC government has in part expanded the naturopathic scope of practice due to the shortage of medical doctors in the province and the high demand for alternative and complimentary medicine.
