Local naturopathic center approved for residency program By SUZANNE KYDLAND ADYOf

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?ts=1&display=rednews/2005/11/09/build/health/30-clinic.inc

The Gazette Staff
Each naturopath has taken a different road to the residency program at Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic.
Dr. Deborah Angersbach was a chiropractor in private practice in Santa Barbara, Calif., but really hoped for additional mentorship after going into naturopathic medicine.
Her career as a naturopathic physician is a far cry from her 20-year stint in business management, but Dr. Colleen Jo Gagliardi, from Buffalo, N.Y., said, "If naturopathic medicine calls you, you won't be happy until you go do it."
Dr. Rachel Roberts Oppitz was once headed for "regular" medical school before opting for the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore. Oppitz now recognizes that the experience she has obtained during her residency has exceeded setting up her own clinic in her home state of Minnesota.
Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic was founded by Dr. Margaret Beeson in the early 1990s, but its fledgling residency program - in collaboration with Bastyr University - just began in March after a months-long process of paperwork and onsite visits.
Bastyr, in Kenmore, Wash., an accredited institution, was founded in 1978 and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the study of natural healing.
"We've had an informal residency here for a couple of years," Beeson said. "But we found out a lot of things we needed for the program to be certified, we already had in place."
Dr. Gary Garcia, director of Graduate and Community Medicine at Bastyr, said one of the school's goals is to find affiliate programs for its graduates.
"We were looking for a site outside of the state of Washington," he said. "Yellowstone Naturopathic Clinic fits some very specific criteria. It's well-established, well-networked and has a solid patient base."
YNC and Bastyr ended up approaching each other almost simultaneously, Garcia said.
"Dr. Beeson's name was on our list of potential sites," he explained. "She's respected by her colleagues and peers, and she has trained people before, which is a big plus."
Between 110 and 120 undergraduates receive degrees from Bastyr each year, Garcia said. Programs include nutrition, herbal sciences, health psychology, exercise science and wellness and acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Along with YNC, Bastyr now has residency sites in Illinois, Oklahoma, Indiana, and is looking at potential locations in Utah and Oregon.
YNC will take a total of three residents annually, Beeson said, two first-year residents and one second-year resident. Students will be interviewed through Bastyr University, but can be a graduate of any of the nationally accredited naturopathic medical schools in the United States or Canada.
"Since we're an official residency, we have a creditability that isn't there with an unofficial residencies," Beeson said.
YNC has developed several clinical rotations with specialty physicians around Billings. Each resident is able to spend time studying hemotology/oncology, obstetrics/gynecology, pulmonary care, gastroenterology, perinatology, otolaryngology, dermatological, physical therapy and family practice.