OAR 850-035-0230: Requirements for Certification to Practice Natural Childbirth

A naturopathic physician maintaining an active license in Oregon, who wishes to practice natural childbirth must apply to and receive from the board a certificate of special competency in natural childbirth. To receive and maintain a certificate, the licensee must fulfill the following requirements: (1) Complete at least 200 hours of course work at an approved naturopathic college or hospital in obstetrics and furnish a signed log showing evidence that (a) and (b) and (c) of this subsection have been completed under the direct supervision of a licensed practitioner with specialty training in obstetrics and/or natural childbirth: (a) Licensee must have attended 150 prenatal visits including care for at least 50 women, as well as attended 100 postpartum visits including care for at least 50 women. The 50 women may be different women or the same; and (b) Licensee must have observed and assisted in the intrapartum care and delivery of 50 childbirths in a hospital or alternative birth setting. (c) A minimum of 5 births must have taken place within 2 years of the date of the application. (d) A minimum of 26 total births must be under the supervision of a naturopathic doctor. No more than 10 of the 50 births may be under the supervision of a medical doctor. No more than 10 of the births may be observation only. A labor and delivery that starts under the care of a naturopathic doctor and includes hospitalization shall count as a birth; and (e) Licensee must hold a current neonatal resuscitation certificate. (2) Licensee must pass a specialty exam in obstetrics given by or approved by the Board, after first completing the 200 hours of coursework as required above, and participating in the care of at least 15 cases each in prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care; one case may qualify for all these areas of care. (3) Review of birth records as required by (1)(b) must be completed and approved by a Board appointed licensee of this Board holding a certificate of special competency in natural childbirth for at least five years. (4) A complete application for a certificate of special competency in natural childbirth must be submitted within three years of passing the specialty examination and must include: (a) A completed application form furnished by the Board; (b) Birth/Prenatal/Postnatal logs, meeting all the requirements of this rule: (c) Verification of passage of an approved specialty examination per subsection (2) of this rule; (d) Current neonatal resuscitation certification; and (e) Appropriate fee(s) per OAR 850-0035. (5) Licensee holding a natural childbirth certification must annually, including initial year of certification, submit 15 hours of Board approved continuing education relevant to natural childbirth, which may be used to satisfy ORS 685.102. (a) Licensee must submit proof of current certification in neonatal resuscitation annually. (b) Licensee will participate in at least 3 hours of case review per year with other out-of-hospital birth providers; ideally other naturopathic physicians with natural childbirth certification. (c) The hours in case review may count towards the continuing education hours required for renewal up to a maximum of 12 hours annually. (6) Licensing action by the Board under ORS 685.100 shall be deemed to have an equal effect upon a certificate of special competency issued the practitioner, unless specifically provided otherwise in the Board action. When the subject of a disciplinary proceeding under 685.100 relates specifically to the practice of natural childbirth by a licensee who possesses a certificate of special competency, the license action may in lieu of effecting the entire scope of the licensee's practice, suspend, revoke, or curtail only the practitioner's authority under a certificate of special competency.