Most naturopath jobs are the alternative medicine equivalent of general medical doctors. Many naturopaths work in private practices or small clinics. Some find employment in traditional medical facilities. Occasionally, naturopath jobs may be very specific, relating to a single facet of natural healing such as nutrition or acupuncture, but these jobs are somewhat rare because naturopaths usually focus on broad health on a philosophical level. In some cases, a naturopath may find employment writing on the subject of natural healing or even teaching others skills in the field.
A person who has a degree in naturopathy may find employment working in a private practice and building up a group of patients who support the clinic. These kinds of naturopath jobs are often essentially self-employment and thus involve significant entrepreneurial skills. There are also small clinics that hire naturopaths to service a client base that has already been established. In either setting, the naturopath is generally expected to have a wide range of skills and the capacity to handle and diagnose basic health problems.
Naturopaths usually make suggestions for herbal remedies or other alternative treatments, but they may also provide these treatments themselves. A naturopath who also practices acupuncture, for example, may be more successful in terms of income. Some naturopath jobs are related to only one aspect of alternative medicine, but these are rare, as there are other non-naturopaths who specialize only in these areas. A person with a naturopath degree has a broader specialty, and most people choose to work using the entirety of their training.
Some basic traditional medical work may be performed by a person with a naturopath degree. There are occasionally jobs at hospitals and other medical facilities for which a naturopath will be qualified. The highest degree a naturopath can achieve is a traditional medical degree, and a person with this qualification will have a much wider variety of jobs available. It is even possible to find naturopath jobs that involve an alternative medicine approach backed by traditional medical expertise.
There are many naturopath schools available, and these require instructors. Usually, a significant amount of experience and prestige is required to teach naturopathy to others, but a degree is not necessarily one of those qualifications. Some people with qualifications in alternative medicine find employment writing about naturopathy and related subjects in magazines and books. Research in naturopathy is not as well defined as in other disciplines, but it is sometimes possible to find employment doing scientific research in naturopathic fields. There are a wide variety of positions directly related to alternative medicine that do not involve practicing on patients that can provide full-time employment.
