New internship experiences for ND students at NUHS

December 21, 2011 — National University of Health Sciences continues to expand internship opportunities for its naturopathic medicine students in new integrative medicine environments.

Recently, the university announced the opening of its seventh clinic, the new NUHS Whole Health Center in Naperville, Ill. The new clinic will welcome naturopathic interns studying under the clinical expertise of Dr. Jennifer Ma who holds degrees in chiropractic, naturopathic medicine, and advanced clinical practice.

Naperville, although often considered a suburb within the Chicago metropolitan area, is actually a large, multi-cultural and prosperous city in its own right. It has a population of 141,000 and offers the potential for a diverse patient base.

The new clinic also has a strong relationship of consultation and inter-referral with the adjacent private practice of Sean Rardin, MD. Rardin also serves as a faculty clinician at National University’s on-campus clinic in Lombard, Ill. This allows ND interns to spend part of their time in the Lombard clinic interning with an MD and collaborating in his patient diagnosis and care.

In addition to taking advantage of these new opportunities, all National ND interns spend several days per week in the Lombard clinic studying with ND clinicians as well as working under licensed primary care DCs.

“What I like most is that we have all these different healing traditions under one roof in Lombard — and now in Naperville — and that we can provide an unusual type and number of solutions to the problems our patients present,” says Rardin. “I think the medicine of the future should involve both more collaboration between different healing traditions and also a broader education for health care providers.”

Dr. Fraser Smith, assistant dean for naturopathic medicine at NUHS, says: “I’m excited to see yet another clinical site and additional learning opportunities emerge for the students in our naturopathic medicine program. We will continue to provide exciting opportunities in the Chicago metropolitan area as our program continues to flourish.”

“Our university is dedicated to integrative medicine, providing an environment where students and faculty from differing medical specialties can work together,” says National President, Dr. James F. Winterstein. “We believe such collegiality leads to better patient outcomes, which is the reason why we are all here. In addition, an integrative medical environment will prepare our naturopathic students for a wider range of opportunities in today’s healthcare landscape, and prepare them to be successful leaders within the naturopathic profession.”

Source: National University of Health Sciences, www.nuhs.edu