“I encourage you not to chase after money or fame, but after a respectable reputation. When you provide the best care to your patients, your reward will soon follow.”
Laying the groundwork to become an ND
Born and raised in New Orleans, Dr. Tracy Wooten developed a true passion in naturopathic medicine. “I wanted to help people achieve optimal health using holistic and healthy lifestyle therapies.” Dr. Wooten loves her career in naturopathic medicine and applies the principles to her personal life as well.
Sonoran University as a springboard
Dr. Wooten chose Sonoran University of Health Sciences (Sonoran University) after hearing the passion that the college President had for the school and naturopathic medicine during an open house.
“Sonoran University provided a great foundation for my career and practice. I was supervised by highly educated doctors and was able to work with different demographics of patients,” says Dr. Wooten.
As a student, Dr. Wooten began saving money to help with the start-up cost of opening her own business. Throughout school she worked a couple part-time jobs that provided not only financial gain, but also personal growth. As a personal trainer, she learned how to work one on one with clients to develop and pursue their personalized fitness plan. Dr. Wooten learned how to coach her clients through their successes and struggles on the path to achieving their goals. Additionally, she worked in a bookstore where she learned how to manage customer feedback. Both of these part-time positions contributed to her education and helped her set the stage for opening her own business.
Following graduation, Dr. Wooten looked for advice on deciding to open her own practice or work under another doctor. After an encouraging conversation with Joanna Hagan – Director of Career Services at Sonoran University, she took the leap and opened her own practice – Wooten Naturopathic.
Finding fulfillment as an ND
Dr. Wooten is in her 13th year of practice and is proud of her steadily growing business. A humble spirit, she credits the advice of business experts and mentors who have helped her along her entrepreneurial path. Wooten Naturopathic has recently relocated to a commercial building and has added staff to assist with the workload. Dr. Wooten enjoys the work-life balance of being able to maintain a healthy work environment and being able to spend quality time with her family.
“I love being a naturopathic doctor because I get to help my patients achieve their health goals as well as a healthy mind body lifestyle. I am able to spend time with each patient, cultivating a patient-doctor relationship, getting to know their full story, and providing a comfortable and caring environment for their needs,” says Dr. Wooten.
The naturopathic profession has so many modalities and therapies to offer. Being able to educate patients on the options so they may choose the therapy which resonates with them is a vital component of naturopathic medicine.
Advice for aspiring NDs
Additionally, Dr. Wooten shares, “If you are considering a career in naturopathic medicine, you need to have a true desire and passion for the medicine. You need to believe in the medicine and incorporate it into your life. You choose this career for the benefit of servicing others, not for the fame or money. Success will come. You need to be strong, diligent and humble. You will have to overcome naysayers at times from other medical professions and even patients. You will have put in a lot of work to grow and to sustain your business/career, but it will be well worth it and very fulfilling.
Once you become successful, it’s important to remain true to your purpose and mission. There are many times when success draws people off track and greed and pride sets in. They lose focus on their core principles and destruction soon follows. I encourage you not to chase after money or fame, but after a respectable reputation. When you provide the best care to your patients, your reward will soon follow.”
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