You do not have to get on a call to get answers.
Hi, I am Ava. I founded this school. You filled in our form a little while back and did not book a call, and I want to say plainly that this is fine.
A call is one way to get your questions answered. It is not the only way, and it is not required to enroll. So rather than ask you again to pick a time, I have put the whole conversation on this page. Every question we get asked on those calls is below, answered the same way I would answer it out loud.
Every question, answered plainly.
Most of these come up on our calls. You should not have to book a call to get them answered, so here they are.
Is this a real doctorate?
It is a real private professional doctorate in holistic medicine, awarded by this school, and you earn the title. It is not a state medical license and it is not a university PhD. Those are different things, and we will never blur them for you.
Is it accredited?
Not in the university sense, and I want to say that clearly rather than dress it up. Our certifying bodies are the AANWP and the AADP. They are private professional certifying and membership organizations for natural health practitioners, with practitioner directories you can be listed in. They are not recognized accreditors of the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA. Your certification through them is included in your tuition.
What can I actually call myself?
You carry the doctorate you earned and a professional title in your field. What you may not do is diagnose, treat, prescribe medications, or bill insurance as a physician. The use of Dr. and your exact scope vary by state, which is why we walk each student through it individually rather than publishing a chart that would be wrong somewhere.
What if I choose the wrong one?
You cannot, and this is the thing worth knowing before you pick. Whichever doctorate you choose, your enrollment opens all seven of our course libraries, not just one. You study for the doctorate you chose, and the rest of the school is open to you the whole time. If quietly worrying about picking wrong has been part of what kept you here, you can set that down now.
I already know a lot of this material.
Good. That is not an argument against enrolling, it is the reason this is shorter for you than you expect. You are not being taught from zero. You are getting the structure, the coursework, and the credential placed around knowledge you already carry.
Is it vain to want the title?
No. Wanting to be called what you already are is not vanity, it is accuracy. I have watched too many gifted practitioners get talked over by someone with a title and half the understanding. A title is not a personality. It is a door that opens without you having to explain yourself first.
How long does it take?
Most students finish their first doctorate in six to twelve months, studying around the work they already do. Some move faster, some slower, and neither is a problem, because nothing here is scheduled against anyone else.
What happens right after I pay?
You get an email and you are in. Your orientation opens the same day, so you can begin today if you want to, or simply see what is waiting and come back to it.
What will I earn?
I am not going to answer that, and you should be suspicious of any school that does. What you earn depends on your state, your effort, and whether you actually build a practice.
Earnings vary and are not guaranteed. Income depends on your state, your effort, and how you build your practice. Many graduates earn less, and those who do not build a practice earn nothing.
Who is this not for?
If what you need is a credential a hospital credentialing office will accept, this is not that. This is a credential for your own practice. If that is not the practice you want, please do not enroll, and I would rather tell you now than take your money.
Graduates, by name.
I would rather give you two real names you can look into than fifty you cannot.
Dr. Adrienne Guthrie, functional medicine, was named a top emerging functional medicine practitioner of 2025, with a growing practice.
Dr. Michael Lonardo built a practice that has grown to several offices.
Five doctorates. One tuition each.
Choose the title that fits the practitioner you already are. If more than one calls to you, that is common, and our team can talk you through combining them. Remember that all seven libraries open either way.
Doctor of Functional Medicine
For the practitioner who wants to work at the level of root cause: systems, labs, and the patterns underneath a person's symptoms. This is the path for practitioners who want to build a clinical, cash-pay practice and be the person others come to when nothing else has worked.
Enroll in Functional Medicine →
Doctor of Natural Medicine
The broad foundation of natural healing, for the practitioner who wants range rather than a single specialty. If people already come to you with all kinds of questions and you want a credential wide enough to hold all of it, this is your path.
Enroll in Natural Medicine →
Doctor of Botanical Medicine
For the herbalist and the plant person. If you have been growing, formulating, and recommending for years without a credential behind it, this path puts the title beside the knowledge you already carry.
Enroll in Botanical Medicine →
Doctor of Holistic Nutrition
For the practitioner who knows that food is where most healing quietly begins. If you already coach people on how they eat and want to do it with a doctorate behind your name, this is your path.
Enroll in Holistic Nutrition →
Doctor of Spiritual Medicine
For the healer whose work has always had a spiritual dimension, and who wants that recognized rather than left unspoken. This path is for practitioners who tend to the whole person, body, mind and spirit, and want a credential that honors all three.
Enroll in Spiritual Medicine →One plain thing.
Tuition is not refundable. That is stated plainly in our terms. We say it here, at the moment it matters, rather than further down where it is easier to miss. We would rather you enroll ready than enroll quickly.
What this is, and what it is not
This is a private professional doctorate in holistic medicine with professional certification. It is a real doctorate from our school, and you earn the title. It is not a state medical license and not a university PhD. It does not authorize you to diagnose, treat, prescribe medications, or bill insurance. The use of "Dr." and your exact scope of practice vary by state, and we will walk you through how it works where you practice.
Then talk to one on your terms.
Some questions are easier out loud, and there is nothing wrong with wanting that. You do not need an appointment for it. You can text or call our Office of Admissions at (317) 721-7020, any day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST, and ask one question or twenty. There is no charge and no obligation.
If you would rather have a proper scheduled conversation after all, that is still here too.
Book a discovery callYour questions deserve answers whether or not you ever get on a call with us.
Ava
Founder, Rockwell School of Holistic Medicine
