Tim's Blog

Hi, everyone! All of us here at NUHS are back from break and getting into the rhythm of classes or clinic schedules. In my case, I have finally started the final lap here at NUHS and have entered Student Clinic. 

But first a little about this past break and my trip back home to the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. I've included a pic from one of my favorite hilltops behind the "homestead" back in WNC. 

During my trip back home I was able to catch up with my family and friends, spend some quality time together and relax just a bit. I hiked a few miles on the Appalachian Trail that is very near my home at Sam's Gap in North Carolina and the views were spectacular! I caught a few odd looks from those who had been on the trail for awhile (guess they were wondering where my gear was), but all in all had a nice chat with one hiker as they descended from the trail to get a few supplies at a little store nearby the trail. Amazing how we traipsed all over the woods as kids never worrying about supplies, hiking poles, packs, etc., yet as an adult, I was concerned about hiking a few ridges that I had covered many times as a kid. All in all, a great trip and I'm thankful for my family and friends back home, catching up while seemingly not missing a beat, and leaving with a sense of love and fulfillment.

Now, back to school. I'm entering Student Clinic this trimester as an intern who will be working with students currently attending NUHS and their families. The cohort entering Student Clinic this trimester is, I believe, the largest cohort yet for our naturopathic medical school and the groups following are even larger! This first week is going to kick off with a bang, as my appointment schedule is booked for the week with students completing their "freshmen physicals." A freshman physical is a complete head-to-toe physical and naturopathic intake that typically takes about two hours, after some practice. I believe most of us will take somewhere between two and three hours for our first couple of intakes until we get our time management skills improved. :)

Well, with that I suppose it's time to get the shirts pressed, the slacks creased, the intern's white coat spotless, and step into the role of the student healer. A big welcome to all of our first trimester students in the professional programs and our undergraduate students! Until I graduate, I'll do my best to share life in the clinic over the coming year--stories of my time there as well as insight into other interns' journeys here at NUHS! 

Talk to you next week!

Hi Everyone!

Just a quick note this week to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! I'll share a bit of what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my family. My parents, each with no more than an eighth grade education, ensured that I was reading before I entered kindergarten and I'll always have fond memories of sitting with Mom or Dad reading Little Golden Books. Both instilled a lifelong love of reading and my library is backlogged with books to read after my fill of medical school books over the past three years. I am thankful for my three sisters who put up with my antics as we grew up and moved away from home. I am thankful for all of my nieces and nephews, who carry on the family name and tradition of gathering on Thanksgiving at my folks' home. That's a lot of people in a 900-square-foot home, but the love expands the walls immeasurably when everyone is present!

The Gathering Banquet Table: (L-R) Tim, Danielle, Jenna, and Fatemeh

I am thankful for each of my classmates. I have said that before and I reiterate again today. The group of classmates I have are individually wonderfully people. They are some of the finest, most cooperative over-achievers one could meet. Regardless of the challenge, this group comes together for each other, charitable causes and communication. I am proud to be a part of the class of December 2013 and have made life-long friendships during my times at NUHS.

I am thankful for my friends back home. We have been through "thick and thin" together. Births, deaths, layoffs, downsizing, promotions, marriage and divorce; each of my little group back home is ever present to lend a hand, an ear, a shoulder or a back when work needs to be done. These are the folks who didn't say I was crazy for leaving a good job to become a naturopathic doc at 40 years old. These are the folks who ask every four months, "Are you coming home Ammons?" Friends who want to catch up and are eager to keep in touch are truly a thing to be thankful for.

I hope you are with the ones you care about this holiday. That you have experienced a year of abundance in health, love and happiness and that your dreams, plans and experiences have contributed to your betterment and the betterment of all!

See you next week!

What a week everyone! 

I thought the highlight of this week's story would be the Trimester Games (or Tri Games). Instead we received word on Saturday that NUHS has just earned full accreditation with the CNME (Council on Naturopathic Medical Education)!

But first, I will share a bit about Tri Games as this was the first appearance of 'Cyggy the Cygnet' (our school mascot is a baby swan), who will be representing our school along with our students at Chiro Games. (Chiro Games is an annual Olympics-style competition among all the chiropractic schools. NUHS' naturopathic students are invited to compete for our school alongside our chiropractic student colleagues. Yet another reason why I love this school is the camaraderie between our programs and sense of inclusion of all students on our campus!

Pictured (L-R) are Janet, Cyggy 'Joseph Vazquez', me (kneeling) Megan and Lauren.

Now for the big news!

Since NUHS re-started the naturopathic program in 2006, we have been working with the CNME to attain full accreditation. What do I mean by re-started? Well, National was the last of the old naturopathic schools to close its doors (so to speak) by removing the naturopathic medicine program in the early 1950s. Just about every doctor who graduated from National prior to that time was considered an ND and DC by earning both a naturopathic and a chiropractic degree. 

A bit about the current program and how we achieved this incredible milestone in only a few years! Our university president, James Winterstein, DC, worked tirelessly for a number of years to convince the NUHS' board of directors, alumni and faculty that restarting the naturopathic medicine program was the proper direction to take given the increasing demand for natural medicine. Once the program was given the green light, Dr. Winterstein recruited Fraser Smith, ND, as assistant dean of naturopathic medicine, to establish, build and lead the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Program at NUHS. Dr. Smith then proceeded to recruit faculty, build the curriculum, gather up the first small group of students, and start on the accreditation process.

Dr. Smith insisted upon including a strong philosophical basis for the naturopathic medicine program at NUHS. The philosophy would focus on the history (or roots) of naturopathic medicine, the determinants of health, the naturopathic principles, and how all fit into the practice model and method of cure for our medicine.

As someone who has been in the business world, been a part of huge projects that could 'make or break' a career, I have tremendous respect for the courage that Dr. Winterstein displayed in convincing board members of a chiropractic college and a host of chiropractic alumni that evolving into a health sciences university and allocating resources to a new naturopathic medicine program (as well as an acupuncture and oriental medicine program) was the right course for our school. Along the same lines, Dr. Smith's acceptance of the challenge to come to Lombard, Illinois, while already successfully practicing and leading at CCNM (Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine) is an example of courage that few, in my experience, would attempt. I think both of these men knew that failure was not an option for the new naturopathic program here. Failure would most likely have been a huge career setback for both. In spite of the challenges, through the leadership of these two men and countless efforts from many members of the administration and faculty at NUHS, we stand as an accredited school a mere SIX YEARS from the inception of our program!

I remember reading Rachel's and Miravone's blogs (the first ND Bloggers for NUHS) when I was deciding upon a naturopathic school. Their open and fair assessment of the program's infancy, the strides being made despite the lessons learned, and growing pains of a new enterprise helped me to see that all persons concerned were fully committed to the success of our program! Now, a few years later, I am honored to share with each of you that our school, NUHS, has met and passed a significant milestone! I wish I could express the joy that was shared within and without our student and faculty family here! Facebook was lit up like the Griswold's at Christmastime ("Christmas Vacation")! 

With joy for our school, our students and our faculty, this week I'm grateful for the sacrifice, efforts and persistence of our leadership to help NUHS' Naturopathic Medicine Program reach accreditation!