USA-Scope of Homeopathic Practice and higher education

Dr Mansoor Ali
Professor, Govt Homoeopathy Medical College Calicut, India

As a graduate/ PG holder in Homeopathy, you can take the certification from CHC ie. Council for Homeopathic Certification which is a rigorous exam. Then establish a private practice in USA

Once you pass and with a valid Visa in the US you can start your practice which is unlicensed, have to practice under the code of ethics laid by CHC. CHC Certification is a validation of expertise and standards equate homoeopathy with other certified healthcare professionals.

If you have a thorough knowledge of Homeopathy you can practice safely in the US.

Council for Homeopathic Certification
CHC Exam resources support Applicants during the Examination phase of the certification process.

The CHC Certification Exam is offered twice yearly, Monday-Friday, in April and October. Registration is open for seven weeks prior to the exam month. Exam costs include a $35 application fee and the $500 exam fee ($325 for retake exams). 

CHC Exam Eligibility Requirements
CHC exam applicants must be proficient in oral and written English.

Qualification
500 foundational/classroom hours and 500 clinical training hours in classical homeopathy completed through programs accredited by ACHENA – Assuring educational excellence within the discipline of classical homeopathy

The certification process consists of 4 parts:

• Theoretical exam
• Practical (case analysis) exam
• Case submission
• Oral interview

All applicants trained outside of the US or Canada must meet all CHC exam eligibility requirements. At a minimum, the classical homeopathy curriculum must include 500 hours of study in the foundations of homeopathy (Historical and Theoretical Aspects of Classical Homeopathy, Materia Medica, Repertory, Health Science, Homeopathic Case Taking, Initial Homeopathic Case Analysis, Posology, Follow-up and Case Management) and 500 hours of supervised clinical training completed at a homeopathy school.

(Indian BHMS is 4500 hours Theory+ clinical training, followed by one-year internship)

Each year certificate holders rectify for homeopathy practice in the coming year by completing 15 CEUs, completing attestations, and paying $170 by November 30th.

Website : https://www.homeopathicdirectory.com/

CHC Exam resources
You will get previous question papers, study materials, syllabus and online books
https://www.homeopathicdirectory.com/examresources

Remember
1. Homeopathy is not covered by insurance unless prescribed by a medical doctor with Homoeopathy qualification. But maybe in the near future that could be a possibility to get covered by other homoeopaths also.

2. CHC is a certification and not a license and is valid in all the states in the US. Every year you have a certain number of CEUs to complete for good standing of the certification otherwise they revoke your certification and you have to retake it again. 

3. We cannot use the designation Dr as we are not considered medical doctors. Even medical doctors don’t use the designation and use Dr with their names. The degree is mentioned after their name and they address their speciality.
Eg  : XYZ, MD Nephrology 

4. No need to register in local bodies as in India

Legal status
It is completely legal for medical doctors (MBBS) to practice homeopathy anywhere in the U.S. At present, three states (Connecticut, Arizona, and Nevada) have homeopathic medical boards which license medical doctors who specialize in homeopathy

Homeopathic medicines are included in the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (see SEC. 201. (g)(1) of the Act 21 U.S.C. §321), and therefore fall within the regulatory authority of the FDA,  which recognizes the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) as their official compendium.  The HPUS is also recognized in the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 802).  Approximately 98% of homeopathic medicines are classified as non-prescription drugs.  

Certifying bodies for homeopathic practitioners in the United States:

• American Board of Homeotherapeutics : https://homeopathyusa.org/certification.html
• Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians : https://hanp.net/
• Council for Homeopathic Certification : https://www.homeopathicdirectory.com/

Double-check with the state laws before you practice there.

Useful Resources :

• North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH) : http://www.homeopathy.org/
• National Center for Homeopathy : https://www.homeopathycenter.org/ 
• https://homeopathyusa.org/
• https://homeopathic.com/

For preparing to CHC Exam

• https://homeopathybootcamp.com/
• https://chcprep.com/

ACHENA : https://achena.org/

Homeopathy Schools & Colleges in USA
https://www.homeobook.com/homeopathy-schools-colleges-in-usa/ 

Homeopathy Pharmaceuticals in USA
https://www.homeobook.com/homeopathy-pharmaceuticals-in-united-states/ 

Homoeopathy Journals & Publishers in USA
https://www.homeobook.com/homoeopathy-journals-publishers-in-usa/ 

Homeopathic Associations in USA
https://www.homeobook.com/homeopathic-associations-in-usa/