Questions and Answers

What will NAMA's new standards mean for existing Practitioners?

  • Grandfathering opportunities (yet to be defined) into appropriate categories for experienced practitioners, whether they were trained in the US, India, or elsewhere.
  • A national exam for each of the new categories, which current practitioners have the option of taking, along with possible refresher courses to assist those preparing for these exams.
  • Continuing education options both ongoing and to assist those seeking to strengthen particular areas of their knowledge and skills.
  • An inclusive, supportive and respectful approach on NAMA's part

What will NAMA's new standards mean for schools teaching Ayurveda?

  • The opportunity to participate in the development of these new standards by giving input on the draft that will be circulated to all schools for input before they are finalized
  • The opportunity to assure their students that they will be eligible to sit for a national exam that will offer a nationally recognized credential
  • Realistic time-lines will be developed for introducing new standards

What will NAMA's new standards mean for current students?

  • Many schools have been active participants in developing these new standards, and the education they offer is already much more extensive that the current minimum education standards outlined by NAMA.
  • Once national exams are developed, graduates of programs teaching Ayurveda will be eligible to take exams at a level appropriate for their studies, provided they have also done appropriate internships.

What will NAMA's new standards mean for future students?

  • The opportunity to take a national exam (written and oral) that graduates in each category of training Ayurveda can sit for, and to receive a nationally recognized credential.

What will NAMA's new standards mean for Ayurvedic Practitioners trained in India -- B.A.M.S. and M.D. (Ayu)?

  • In collaboration with practitioners of Ayurveda trained in India and practicing long-term in the US, an appropriate and supportive system for becoming recognized in the US within the same framework of 5 categories of practitioner will be developed.
  • This can include recognition of courses on the legal and cultural dimensions of practicing Ayurveda in the US, practicing with limited access to the range of herbs available in India, expectations of clients in the US, etc.
  • An inclusive, supportive and respectful approach on NAMA's part