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Schools
What are the best schools you’d recommend to look into If I wanted to study more on nutrition & alternative/functional medicine? To possibly be certified and be able to do similar work or help someone like you B or a clinic.
Heard about
https://www.naturopathy-uk.com/
pls lmk your thoughts and if you know of any other ones you recommend
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23 Replies
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Hi – ok so this really depends on what you want to be learning/working, how long you want to study for, what you can afford, and where your current nutrition/functional medicine education is at.
Some basic nutrition education is recommended before jumping into functional medicine education.
If you’re just starting out, I recommend you look at basic nutrition programs first. A few B Better members are studying at IIN – it’s the most well known nutrition health coaching program. I personally preferred studying at Nutritional Therapy Association (NTP) and can say it was a turning point for me. No prior nutrition education is needed, which is why it’s a great starting place for many with an interest in getting into this field. I loved the depth of information they taught us. I also did the “functional” track which allowed me to also learn hands-on clinical skills. I had to travel 3 times that year to the US and Canada for hands-on clinical workshops and exams. But if you’re not planning on working with clients 1-1 in person, then this won’t be necessary. A fully online/remote option is available.
From there, you can add functional medicine certifications or programs that help with labwork interpretation. Many NTP graduates continue with Restorative Wellness Solutions (RWS). But some choose Functional Diagnostic Nutrition (FDN).
If you’re looking for a certified title (certified nutritionist) that allows you to register with the health authority and work in clinical settings, then I would encourage you to go the University route. The University of Western States has an online masters program in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. I did consider this program, but opted for the School of Applied Functional Medicine instead because I did not care for the degree/title.
I’m not familiar with the one you suggested above, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. There are so many options today which is great to see. Maybe @Daniel can also suggest a few different FM schools.
But what I highly recommend you do is put together an excel sheet to compare the many different schools and what they offer. Include columns for curriculums, accreditation, pricing, program duration, online/offline, etc. and once you narrow it down based on your needs, contact those schools and ask for student referrals. Speak to other students who have gone through those programs.
I’m also going to ping @Bahareh who recently started stuying functional medicine as well. She is in a similar situation to you in terms of just starting out, so I’m sure she’ll also have some interesting insights to share with you.
I’m excited for you!! Let’s keep the conversation going.
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@Bernadette_Abraham Thank you for this. Super helpful. I did have a 30 min call earlier with someone from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy and apparently since they’re registered under the National Board of Health coaching, you can practice in clinics. Need to confirm that this is the case tho with our without sitting through this board’s specific exam. We’ll have another zoom soon.
The excel sheet is a great idea, so I can see everything and not rush into one without considering and really looking at a few more. NTP also looks great and traveling to the states would not be an issue for me. University route would probably take 3-5 like the school I found in the UK but yes then you get a proper title.
Ahhhh all so exciting and it started with you B. When you gave me all those videos to watch. At the time it overwhelmed me, coming from a junk food daily type of life to all the necessary changes but in hindsight I realize I liked them I can go on for hours listening to Mark Hyman or Huberman and can no longer go through a dinner about fashion (my previous career). Interesting how we change interests, paths and even values
Obviously have a long way to learn and go, that’s exactly why I want to start studying for myself and in depth knowledge, so I reflect what I learn deeply and as fully as possible and then help clients and/or assist Naturopaths and what not.
Thanks again B! Let the research commence!
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I’m so excited for you. It seems like you’ve found your new calling!! Welcome to the #foreverstudent club!! You’ll never stop learning in this field. 😊
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Hi Angela,
Very exited for you to approach this path!
I myself was fascinated by functional medicine when I started working with Bernadette years ago and it might sound funny to some, but it literally makes me happy to learn every day!
Send me a private message and we can have a chat
You go girl-
@Bahareh How kind of you! thanks so much and yes makes me super happy too haha!
I’d love to connect and chat. Will PM you now
Thanks again
x
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Hey ,
I remembered when I wanted to sign up for an education in functional medicine, I was really excited! Back then there wasn’t so much to choose from me. Functional medicine was (and still isn’t) something well-known in my country.
I agree with Bernadette that having a basic understanding of nutrition will help a lot. Since my first education where all Dutch education, I can’t help you there, but with the options Bernadette mentioned I have heard some positive critics. (If you like to know more: the IIN offer a sample class here. The NTA offers something similar here)
Because functional medicine isn’t well known in my country, I didn’t care about the type of certification as well. I just wanted to offer my clients the best possible advice for their health-related questions. I ended up studying at The School of Applied Functional Medicine as well, but I remembered looking at IFM (The Institute for Functional Medicine) as well.
If you can use certificates to increase job opportunities in your country, I would definitely let this take into account in your decision.
I would recommend trying out one of their free classes and seeing if you like how they teach you.
• Here is a free class about constipation offered by the school of applied functional medicine
• Here you can find free classes of IFM.Just like Bernadette said, also talk to their students, preferably in different years as well. They will give you an idea about the pros and the cons and the workload…
… and let us know what you would like to choose!
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@Daniel Thanks! Yes IFM is what I had in mind for a while and they’re who I had a call with earlier.
So I guess looking at
IFM
NTA
AFM
CNMDid I miss any?
Thanks again! I can’t wait to do more research but more importantly get started!
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I think these are already a lot of choices. There are more schools, but I don’t have experience with them.
The Functional Medicine University (FMU – click here) is one for example, although I heard the way they teach is pretty dry. At the Integrative Health Practicioner (IHP – click here) functional medicine is offered as well, but they have other holistic approaches as well, just like CNM.
In the end, the most important thing about the school you choose is the question ‘Do you like the teaching experience?’. If you don’t like the teaching style, it gets less likely to commit to the school.
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Hello this is very helpful information. I am very interested to study functional medicine as well. I am very passionate about it so much after your courses. I have contacted many schools. I will do the excel sheets idea as will. I was searching for fast track programs of health coach certificate. I need it only to join the functional medicine school. They will start September I don’t know if there is less than 6 month. All the one I saw they don’t.
Here is some of the school I have looked at.
• FMCA – functional medicine coaching academy
• ADAPT health coach school
• Dr. Sears wellness institute
• Health coach institute
• INN
• Duke university
• IFN Academy
• CNM college naturopathic medicineThank you so much
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@alswaidyah thanks for sharing your list of prospective schools – I’m sure it will be helpful to other members looking to pursue functional medicine.
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I’m so behind on this research and hope to get to it very soon. x
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Hello!
Just checking in on this topic. Which program did you end up choosing?
I am in a similar boat. I had finished my university 10 years ago with MBA in HR but now I am developing so much interest in Functional medicine. But don’t know where to start from. I am based in the UAE so searching for online options or some university that I can go to locally.
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@Sheetal Ramchandani tagging you in this post thread
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Hi, @Bernadette_Abraham and @Daniel
Sharing a little background so it might be helpful for those who need to get in touch with courses done so far, ( happy to share my experience )
IIN health caching program was a great start point for me and i followed it with completing the GUT, HORMONE , EMOTIONAL EATING AND DETOX PROGRAMS.
I then did the Functional medicine health coaching program from IFM, which was also the next step with more learnings.
However, nutrition being an evolving world and also me being the crazy health nut, I want to take this next step.
I first considered university of western for the Masters in Human nutrition and functional medicine , but since it is a very time consuming and long program ( 2 to 5 years as I also work full time ) i am contemplating about signing up . The plus point is , it does give a deep dive into the field of nutrion and of course the title of a nutrionist.
My preference is to have further knowledge apart from the above courses to better assist my clients and be able to study while not giving up my job, thus i need guidance on which course will further enhance my knowledge ( travelling to USA is not a concern at my end ) The struggle is which course will further build my strenght in this field.
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@sheetalramchandani1 how important is the title and accreditation for you? If you’re looking for a certified title (certified nutritionist) that allows you to register with the health authority and work in clinical settings, then I would encourage you to go the University route.
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@Bernadette_Abraham it’s tempting to have the title but I prefer learning the extra knowledge and continue to work alongside ( university course is intense , needs full time attention )
So I would say have the next step of skill set is important-
Also for the university route , the prerequisite is to finish anatomy n physiology ( which I have started n needs about 20 hours per week ) and next is medical terminology ( yet to start )
These are needed even before I start the masters program , thus anywhere between 3-5 years ,,, thus confused-
@sheetalramchandani1 when I’m confused about something, I write down pros and cons on paper. That’s the intellectual part. Then I leave it for a bit and meditate to hear what my heart wants.
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Thank you @Bernadette_Abraham , the live call was so helpful, I appreciate your patience and time.
A few qustions still lingering in my mind ( I did not want to take up so much time during call thus putting them here )
So after 10 months of NTA – I guess you did the functional diagnostic training , how long did this take ? did it have any prerequistes to take this path ?
What about school of applied functional medicine ? when was this ( before or after NTA and fuctional diagnistic training ) and how long ? any prerequistes for this ?
Also have scheduled a few calls , preparing the pros n cons list and will allow myself time n thought procees.
Again , Thank you so much
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@sheetalramchandani1 my track was the following:
Masters in Exercise Science & Health Promotion. I then certified as an NASM personal trainer and worked as a trainer for 10 years+. I then wanted to deepen my knowledge of nutrition because I realised weight loss was more than just “diet and exercise”. So I joined the NTA. Major turning point for me.
I worked with clients for about 2 years using that knowledge and skill set (LNT). I combined it into my personal training sessions and got amazing results with clients.
But my strong desire to help the masses brought me back to the books. I wanted to be able to work with people globally, so I needed a deeper understanding of functional medicine and labwork interpretation from an FM lense. So I pursued SAFM. That took about 3 years to complete and certify. I had the necessary prerequisites given my background in health. It was a natural and easy next step for me. This allowed me to work with clients virtually, not only locally.
And in between all of these certifications, I’ve also taken many courses here and there. I certified as a mold literate practitioner because I was noticing the pattern with my clients.
I also took a course on rebooting the autonomic nervous system because again, I was seeing that FM was getting clients only so far on their health journey. Chronically ill clients were getting better but still “stuck”.
I took additional OAT, DUTCH & HTMA courses and and workshops, etc to deepen my knowledge of these labs.
My next venture, although it sounds weird, has to do with the non-physical realm. Energy medicine. Quantum medicine. Emotional release. Medical astrology. That sort of stuff…
I’ve always had my eye on pursuing a PhD but the timing isn’t right for me now. It will come.
So you can see, my path wasn’t a straightforward one at all. In fact, I studied computer engineering as my bachelors!! (Go figure right?)
So I am what you call, a forever student with a strong calling to serve.
My best advice as you try to make a decision about your next step is to keep in mind that whatever you choose will be the right decision so don’t stress too much.
One would think I wasted 4 years of my life studying computer engineering but had I not, B Better would not exist right now.
Glad you’re setting up calls. This will bring you more clarity. Be sure to do your pro/con list and then sit and allow your heart decide.
Hope this was helpful ❤️
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Thank you , @Bernadette_Abraham , this was so helpful . I will keep you posted on my next steps , wish me luck.
BTW, I am suprised you moved from comp science to FM while most of the world wants to move towards that field . ( really well done and a big slaute )
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