Licensure
420977
224312172
2008-07-08T08:14:02Z
Skittleys
1292981
preliminary wikification; removed "MD" from examples of "licensed status advertising" because you can have an MD (and use those letters) without certification.
{{Citations missing|article|date=August 2007}}
'''Licensure''' refers to the granting of a [[license]] in the [[United States of America|USA]] and [[Canada]] (the term '''[[register|registration]]''' is used elsewhere), usually to work in a particular [[profession]] or to obtain a privilege such as to drive a car or truck. Many privileges and professions require a license, generally from the [[state]] or [[province|provincial]] government, in order to ensure that the public will not be harmed by the incompetence of the practitioners. [[Engineers]], doctors, nurses, lawyers, [[psychologist]]s, and public accountants are some examples of professions that require licensure. Licensure is similar to [[professional certification]], and sometimes synonymous; however, certification is an employment qualification and not a legal requirement for practicing a profession.
In many cases, an individual must complete certain steps, such as training, acquiring an [[academic degree]] in a particular area of study, and/or passing an [[exam]], before becoming eligible to receive their license. Individuals sometimes advertise their licensed status by appending an acronym to their name, such as CPA ([[Certified Public Accountant]]) or PE ([[Professional Engineer]]).
Licensure may be perpetual, or may need to be renewed periodically. It is very common for renewal to depend in part or whole upon evidence of [[lifelong learning|continual learning]], often referred to as [[continuing education]].
As licenses are generally offered by specific [[jurisdiction]]s (usually states, provinces or [[territories]]), issues may arise when the requirements and standards of licensure differ greatly between two jurisdictions. For some licensees, it is hard or impossible to move a new jurisdiction and obtain licensure there. Questions of legal authority are also raised when advice is given on the Internet. For example, if a doctor provides medical advice over the Internet to an individual in another jurisdiction, he or she may be practicing unlicensed medicine in the patient's jurisdiction.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
==Restricting entry==
Licensure restricts entry into professional careers in [[physician|medicine]] (including [[chiropractic]] and [[nursing]]), [[lawyer|law]], [[teacher|teaching]], and [[architect|architecture]]. Advocates claim that licensure protects the consumer through the application of professional, educational and/or ethical standards of practice. [[Milton Friedman]] opposes this practice, believing that licensure effectively raises professional wages by placing limits on the [[supply]] of specific occupations. "It is hard to regard altruistic concern for their customers as the primary motive behind their determined efforts to get legal power to decide who may be a plumber" (Friedman 1979).
Restrictions to employment without licensure can also prevent people with criminal records or severe mental health issues from working in occupations that require public trust. Occupations in or affected by the [[gambling]] industry, might be restricted by licensure, such as a [[racing secretary]] in [[horseracing]], or people in the [[boxing]] industry. People whose occupations put them in physical contact with the public might also be restricted by licensure, including a [[barber]], [[cosmetologist]], or [[Massage#Regulation|massage therapist]]. Occupations that bring a person into the home might also be screened through licensure, including a [[chauffeur]], [[landscape architect]], or [[arborist]].
==References==
* Friedman, Milton & Rose (1979). ''Free to Choose''. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-133481-1.
* http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/jobseeker/license.htm
==External links==
*[http://www.upjohninst.org/publications/titles/lo.html ''Licensing Occupations: Ensuring Quality or Restricting Competition''] by [[Morris M. Kleiner]]
[[Category:Professional certification]]
[[Category:Occupations]]
[[Category:Sociology]]