Scope of practice
Scope of Practice is a terminology used by national and state/provincial licensing boards for various professions that defines the procedures, actions, and processes that are permitted for the licensed individual. The scope of practice is limited to that which the law allows for specific education and experience, and specific demonstrated competency. Each jurisdiction has laws, licensing bodies, and regulations that describe requirements for education and training, and define scope of practice.
In most jurisdictions, health care professions with defined scope of practice laws and regulations include dietitians, respiratory therapists, nursing, midwifery, emergency medical technicians (EMT), pharmacists, social workers, physicians and surgeons, clinical officers and physician assistants, dentists and dental hygienists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, osteopaths, physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, audiologists, radiographers, podiatry , Biomedical Scientists and nuclear medicine specialists.
Governing, licensing, and law enforcement bodies are often at the sub-national (e.g. state or province) level, but federal guidelines / regulations also often exist. For example, in the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the Department of Transportation has a national Scope of Practice for emergency medical services.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Emergency Medical Services Division, NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[edit] Further reading
- Sherwood, Gwen D., et al. (1997). "Defining Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice: Expanding Primary Care Services", The Internet Journal of Advanced Nursing Practice, 1(20), 1997. (ISSN 1523-6064)
- Scope of Practice, Board of Nursing, State of Colorado
- Final Draft of the National EMS Scope of Practice Model, September 2005.
- AOSW Scope of Practice, Association of Oncology Social Work.
- CA LAc Scope of Practice summary, Acupuncturists & related alternative health fields.
