CLEAR

Study measures licensing "burden" across the U.S., focuses on low and moderate-income occupations

The Institute of Justice, a Virginia-based libertarian law firm, has produced a new report, License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing, which it describes as "the first national study to measure how burdensome occupational licensing laws are for lower-income workers and aspiring entrepreneurs". The report focuses on licensing requirements for more than 100 occupations across the U.S., and concludes "on average, these licenses force aspiring workers to spend nine months in education or training, pass one exam and pay more than $200 in fees.  One third of the licenses take more than a year to earn.  At least one exam is required for 79 of the occupations." The report's executive summary suggests interior design is the most difficult of the occupations studied to enter, that Louisiana licenses the largest percentage of these occupations ,that the average licensing requirements are highest in Hawaii and lowest in Pennsylvania, and that Arizona and California are the "most widely and onerously licensed states."

License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing.

Executive Summary.

Comprehensive global review of dental hygienists published, suggesting wider role appropriate

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has published a wide-ranging literature review of the care provided by dental therapists across 54 countries. A Review of the Global Literature on Dental Therapists: In the Context of the Movement to Add Dental Therapists to the Oral Health Workforce in the United States reviews more than 1,100 reports on the roles dental hygienists play across the world and explores clinical outcomes. In the United States, dental therapists are regulated in Alaska and Minnesota and there have been calls from a variety of organizations for dentistry to consider the use of dental hygienists to widen access. The report is timely given that in 2014, under the Affordable Care Act, 5.3 million additional children will be entitled to dental coverage under Medicaid.

A Review of the Global Literature on Dental Therapists: In the Context of the Movement to Add Dental Therapists to the Oral Health Workforce in the United States

Press release.

U.S. Departments of Treasury and Defense identify best practices in licensing of military spouses

In their jointly-issued report Supporting Our Military Families: Best Practices for Streamlining Occupational Licensing Across State Lines the U.S. Departments of Treasury and Defense highlight the large percentage of military spouses working in regulated occupations, and the high level of interstate mobility within this population. It further identifies Department of Defense initiatives in this area and identifies measures states can adopt to assist military spouses moving across state lines. Three measures in particular are cited: 1) facilitating endorsement of an existing license issued by another state; 2) provision of a temporary or provisional license while fulfilling requirements for endorsement, or while awaiting verification of documentation; and 3) expediting application procedures.

Supporting Our Military Families: Best Practices for Streamlining Occupational Licensing Across State Lines.

UK: extended training for general practitioners recommended

The results of a three-year study commissioned by the Royal College of General Practitioners recommended that the length of general practice training needs to be extended.  A new GP training curriculum was introduced in 2007, and the study concludes that the new curriculum has had a positive impact on trainees' preparation for clinical practice but that extended training is required to train them fully for independent practice.

Read more

Paper explores physician re-entry to clinical practice, compares state policies

The Federation of State Medical Boards has published Physician Reentry into Clinical Practice:
Regulatory Challenges, which includes a comparison of state policies in this area. The abstract follows: Physician reentry to clinical practice is fast becoming recognized as an issue of central importance in discussions about the physician workforce. While there are few empirical studies, existing data show that increasing numbers of physicians take a leave of absence from practice at some point during their careers; this trend is expected to continue. The process of returning to clinical practice is coming under scrutiny due to the public’s increasing demand for transparency regarding physician competence. Criteria for medical licensure often do not include an expectation of ongoing clinical activity. Physicians who maintain a license but do not practice for a period of time, therefore, may be reentering the workforce with unknown competency to practice. This paper: (1) presents survey data on current physician reentry policies of state medical boards; (2) discusses the findings from the survey within the context of regulatory challenges that impact physician-reentry; and (3) offers recommendations to facilitate the development of comprehensive, coordinated regulatory policies on physician reentry.

Consumer watchdog suggests majority of doctors disciplined by hospitals escape discipline by regulatory boards

Consumer watchdog Public Citizen has produced a report using 1990-2009 data drawn from the National Practitioner Data Bank, which suggests that while more than 10,000 physicians in the data bank have restrictions on their clinical privileges, only 45% also have restrictions on their licenses. The report analyses the restrictions on clinical practice for those physicians whose licenses are unencumbered, finding that 35% of this group had at least one of the most serious forms of clinical violations (including being an "Immediate Threat to Health or Safety", having been disciplined for incompetence, negligence or malpractice, or as a result of substandard care).

Report.

Insititute of Medicine report on nursing

The Institute of Medicine has released a report titled "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health."  The report calls for significant changes in nurses' roles, responsibilities and education in order to meet increasing demand for care.  The report suggests residency training for nurses, leadership roles for nurses, and the removal of limits on nurses' scope of practice.

Read more.

Law Society of England and Wales unveils report on regulation of legal services

The Hunt Review of Legal Services published earlier this week makes 88 recommendations concerning the regulation of legal services in England and Wales.  Among these are a call for the regulation of will-writers and claims handlers, robust internal governance processes, and the highest professional standards.

Legal regulation overview.

NCSBN: three new research briefs

The National Council of State Boards of Nusing (NCSBN) has announced the publication of three new briefs: 2008 Knowledge of Newly Licensed Registered Nurses Survey, 2008 RN Practice Analysis: Linking the NCLEX-RN Examination to Practice and 2007 Nurse Licensee Volume and NCLEX Examination Statistics. Read the briefs.

US: 2010 SOC classification system framework

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has published the framework for the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) which contains 840 detailed occupations under 461 broader occupational groupings. Among the changes are the creation of a new category, Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Directors, which replaces the former Funeral Directors entry. The next major review and revision of the SOC is expected to begin in 2013, in preparation for a 2018 edition. Read more.