All throughout my doctoral training I longed to start a practice of my own – but I didn’t want that to be my first step. My plan was to first work for someone else, maybe do a residency, and then after a few solid years I’d branch off to start my own practice or build a clinic.
Boy did life throw me a curve ball (or two, or three…)
Why residency didn’t work out
Residency just wasn’t in the cards for me. First off, residency training for naturopathic doctorate students is a commodity. They are privately funded (rather than medical residencies, which are funded by the government) which makes them very rare. The other problem is that most residencies are located in close proximity to naturopathic universities, of which there are only 6 in the world. None of those are in Colorado.
Colorado does have a decent number of residencies, but most of those are located in Boulder County, which is quite a commute from Colorado Springs. I recognized this problem early on, and sought to create a residency for myself. I aligned myself with future colleagues in Colorado Springs who I pitched the idea to… it didn’t fly. I even went so far to cold call medical practices and pitch the idea of bringing in a naturopathic doctor to expand their practice scope and serve a wider population… that didn’t fly either.
So despite all of my hard work and determination, I graduated without having a plan of what was next.
Naturopathic pediatric partnerships
Throughout my networking process, I developed a good relationship with some colleagues who offered me a commission split or sublease agreement at their clinics. For several months, I really thought this was the way I’d go. It felt comforting to think about someone else managing all the administrative and business development aspects of a clinic so I could focus on growing my patient base.
This was a rather comforting plan that allowed me to focus on studying for board exams. But once I received my passing grade and was approved for a license in Colorado, I just couldn’t get myself to agree to work for someone else. I knew I had it in me to build something on my own. In fact, I felt pretty strongly that working for someone else was going to hold me back. Why would I do that to myself? After all my hard work.
That was that, I knew I needed to start my own practice.
Creating my own Colorado Springs & Telemedicine Practice
I had purchased the domain name “The Organic Cure” in 2013, when I first decided to leave my day job and return to school. I hadn’t done much with it at that point. I had built it and torn it down a few times over, and had never been satisfied with the way it looked. I had high hopes of building a robust blog page during my school years, which would then create a foundation for me to start a practice. However, the reality of my studies was much more difficult than I expected, so I never had time to dedicate to a blog.
Naturally, I felt I owed it to myself to make The Organic Cure into the brand I had always dreamed of. So I made it the name of my clinic. That would make branding easy across all platforms.
I was also proud of the title because of what it represents to me, which is starting at the root cause and using things from the earth to find true cure.
Becoming a naturopathic pediatrician
This decision was the easiest one of all. Since my first year in school I had a strong tug to work with children. During my 4th year of study, I made this assertion to my professors and they helped me get every opportunity to work with pediatric patients. It filled my soul to work with kids and their parents. Performing physical exams was so much more fun with kids than with adults! I loved how I could laugh and play with them during the process, saying things like, “I’m listening to the frogs in your tummy!” It might sound silly, but honestly it just makes me so happy.
Overall, I love working with kids because of the potential. There’s SO much potential to change a life when you start working with a little person, who still has their whole life ahead of them. Their bodies are so pure that they bounce back quickly when given proper care.
Naturopathic pediatricians in Colorado Springs
There are a few other colleagues of mine who work with children, however, none of them work exclusively with children. It has been such an honor to be the first naturopathic doctor to establish a pediatric wellness center in Colorado Springs. While the beginning is a humble office inside a chiropractic clinic, the future is bright.
If you’re looking for a naturopathic pediatrician, I’d love to meet you!
