Health professional requisites refer to the regulations used by countries to control the quality of

health workers A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician ( ...

practicing in their jurisdictions and to control the size of the health labour market. They include

licensure Licensure means a restricted practice or a restriction on the use of an occupational title, requiring a license. A license created under a "practice act" requires a license before performing a certain activity, such as driving a car on public roa ...

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

and proof of minimum

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

for regulated health professions. In the

health care system Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, Mental health, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World H ...

, a

health professional A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...

who offers medical, nursing or other types of health care services is required to meet specific requisites put into effect by laws governing health care practices. The number of professions subject to regulation, the requisites for an individual to receive professional licensure or certification, the

scope of practice Scope of practice describes the procedures, actions, and processes that a healthcare practitioner is permitted to undertake in keeping with the terms of their professional license. The scope of practice is limited to that which the law allows for ...

that is permitted for the individual to perform, and the nature of sanctions that can be imposed for failure to comply vary across jurisdictions. Most countries have credentialing staff in regulatory boards or health departments who document the certification or licensing of health workers and their work history. The processes for professional certification and licensure vary across professions and countries. Certification to practise a profession usually does not need to be renewed, while a licence usually needs to be periodically renewed based on certain criteria such as passing a renewal exam, demonstrating continuing learning, being employed in the field or simply paying a fee. Most health care industry employers publish the specific requisites for persons seeking employment by means of job boards, ads and solicitations for employment. Practicing health care without the appropriate license is generally a crime.

Medical practice requisites

Most countries require individuals to demonstrate proof of graduation from a recognized

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, ...

, such as one meeting the quality assurance standards of the World Federation of Medical Education, as requisite to obtain professional certification for practice as a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

or physician assistant. In the United States, once obtaining the appropriate medical degree, physicians can apply to attain licensure via

Board certification Board certification is the process by which a physician or other professional demonstrates a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills through written, practical, or simulator-based testing. Certification bodies There are more than 25 boards that ...

. In India, practitioners of both modern medicine and

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

are subject to professional regulation. Doctors are regulated by the Medical Council of India, while practitioners of Ayurved, Siddha and Unani medicine are regulated by the

Central Council of Indian Medicine Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) was a statutory body under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India between 1971 and 2021. The CCIM was set up in 1971 under the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, (Act 48) which was passed in 197 ...

Nursing requisites

Registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to o ...

s and

licensed practical nurse A licensed practical nurse (LPN), in much of the United States and Canada, is a nurse who cares for people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled. In the United States, LPNs work under the direction of physicians, mid-level practition ...

s (or the equivalent national titles, e.g. enrolled nurses) must typically complete

nursing school Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

and pass a national examination in order to obtain their license. For example, in the United States, nurses must pass the National Council Licensure EXamination (NCLEX). They must then obtain a

nursing license Nurse licensure is the process by which various regulatory bodies, usually a Board of Nursing, regulate the practice of nursing within its jurisdiction. The primary purpose of nurse licensure is to grant permission to practice as a nurse after veri ...

by applying to appropriate

board of nursing A board of nursing is a regulatory body that oversees the practice of nursing within a defined jurisdiction, typically a state or province. The board typically approves and oversees schools of nursing within its jurisdiction. The board also handl ...

. In Uganda, nurses must complete a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

or other diploma in nursing recognized by the Nurses and Midwives Council and pass national qualifying examinations; several years of work experience in a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...

or other health unit is further required in order to be eligible for a licence to engage in private practice.Uganda Legal Information Institute
''Nurses and Midwives Act 1996 (Ch 274)''
, accessed 18 April 2011. The legal requisites as well as

for nurses (and also midwives and

nurse midwives A nurse midwife is both a nurse (usually a registered nurse) and a midwife, having completed nursing and midwifery education leading to practice as a nurse midwife and sometimes credentialed in the specialty. Nurse midwives provide care of women ...

) vary across countries. For instance, in some countries nurses are trained and authorized to provide emergency

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births glob ...

care, including administration of

oxytocin Oxytocin (Oxt or OT) is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. It plays a role in social bonding, reproduction, childbirth, and the period after childbirth. Oxytoc ...

s and newborn resuscitation, whereas in other countries these clinical functions are only authorized for physicians.

Respiratory Therapy requisites

Respiratory Therapist A respiratory therapist is a specialized healthcare practitioner trained in critical care and cardio-pulmonary medicine in order to work therapeutically with people who have acute critical conditions, cardiac and pulmonary disease. Respirato ...

s or Respiratory Care Practitioners in many countries are required to have graduated from an accredited and recognized college or university and additionally pass a registry exam prior to being eligible for licensure. In the United States, Respiratory Therapists are granted either Registry or Certificate credentials by the National Board for Respiratory Care (NBRC). The credential granted by the NBRC must be maintained to continue to hold a state licence to practice, and a fee must be paid every two years to the NBRC to maintain that credential.

Other professional requisites

Dentists and many other categories of

allied health professions Allied health professions are health care professions distinct from optometry, dentistry, nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. They provide a range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic, and support services in connection with health care. Definit ...

typically also require professional certification or licensure for legal practice. Training and knowledge in

basic life support Basic life support (BLS) is a level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until they can be given full medical care by advanced life support providers (paramedics, nurses, physicians). It can be p ...

is required by regulation for certification for many practicing individuals, including

emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...

s. Requisites and regulations for other professions, such as

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

clinical officer A clinical officer (CO) is a gazetted officer who is qualified and licensed to practice medicine. In Kenya the basic training for clinical officers starts after high school and takes four or five years ending on successful completion of a one-y ...

dietitian A dietitian, medical dietitian, or dietician is an expert in identifying and treating disease-related malnutrition and in conducting medical nutrition therapy, for example designing an enteral tube feeding regimen or mitigating the effects of ...

s, and

homeopaths Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dise ...

, vary across countries. They may also vary over time within countries. For example, previously no academic qualifications were needed to work as a Dental nurse in the United Kingdom; however now, hospitals, community dental services and other employers require all Dental nurses to have obtained recognized qualifications and be registered with the

General Dental Council The General Dental Council (GDC) is an organisation which regulates dental professionals in the United Kingdom. It keeps an up-to-date register of all qualified dentists and other dental care professionals such as: dental hygienists, dental thera ...

Practicing without a license

Practicing without a license is typically illegal. In most jurisdictions, individuals found to be providing medical, nursing or other professional services without the appropriate certification or licence may face sanctions including even criminal charges leading to prison. The number of professions subject to regulation and nature of sanctions that can be imposed for failure to comply vary across jurisdictions. For instance, in the United States, under

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

state laws, an individual is guilty of a felony if he practices or holds himself out as practicing a health profession subject to regulation without a license or registration or under a suspended, revoked, lapsed, void, or fraudulently obtained license or registration, or exceeding what a limited license or registration allows, or who uses the license or registration of another person as his own. The "practice of medicine" may be defined as any diagnosis, treatment, prevention, cure, or relieving of a human disease, ailment, defect, complaint, or other physical or mental condition, by attendance, advice, device, diagnostic test, or other means, or offering, undertaking, attempting to do, or holding oneself out as able to do, any of these acts. According to the MDCH the following professions must be licensed for practice in Michigan: *Acupuncture *Athletic Trainer *Audiologist *Body Art *Chiropractic *Counseling *Dentistry *Dietetics and Nutrition *Marriage & Family Therapy *Massage Therapy *Medicine *Nurse Aide *Nursing *Nursing Home Administrator *Occupational Therapy *Optometry *Osteopathic Medicine & Surgery *Pharmacy *Physical Therapy *Physician Assistant *Podiatric Medicine & Surgery *Psychology *Respiratory Care *Sanitarian *Social Worker *Speech-Language Pathology *Veterinary Medicine In Florida, such crime is classified as a third degree felony,CHAPTER 2004-256 Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 1118
State of Florida, Department of State. which may give imprisonment up to five years.
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612030616/http://www.sodomy.org/laws/florida/penalties.html , date=2011-06-12 United States Sodomy Laws. compilation v1.0 (January 28, 1998) Practicing a health care profession without a license which results in serious bodily injury classifies as a second degree felony, providing up to 15 years' imprisonment. In the United Kingdom, healthcare professionals are regulated by the state; the

Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA) oversees the nine statutory bodies that regulate health professionals in the United Kingdom and social care in England. Where occupations are not subject to statutory regulation ...

oversees the work of various regulatory bodies including the

Nursing and Midwifery Council The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates eligible to pra ...

, the

, and the Health Professions Council (HPC). Each Council protects the 'title' of each profession it regulates. For example, it is illegal for someone to call themself an Occupational Therapist or Radiographer if they are not on the register held by the HPC. Similarly, in South Africa, at least 12 professional titles are protected by law, subject to regulation by the Health Profession Council of South Africa.Health Professions Council of South Africa
/ref> In Uganda, a person who calls themself a "nurse" or "midwife" without having the appropriate licence from the Nurses and Midwives Council can be subject to a fine and/or up to three years of imprisonment.

References

Health care occupations