Anyone even casually considering a career in health care has no doubt realized that it is a highly regulated industry. I personally started to realize the legal weight of human lives while reviewing the pages of the million dollar malpractice policy that as a nurse, I carried for protection.When human lives are an industry’s major commodity, laws, standards of practice and other regulations are necessary to protect the patients as well as the people delivering care.

Here is an introductory glossary of terms related to how health care is regulated.

Certification: Being certified means that after completing a course of study by an accredited training program (see accreditation below), you have passed a national test, proving your proficiency in a specific knowledge and/or skill set.

Board Certified: This refers specifically to physicians who have completed the requirements for a specific medical specialty or field of medicine.

Licensed: Since “certified” and “licensed” are frequently used interchangeably, it is important to understand the difference between the two terms. Certification, as noted above, means that you have studied something and proved to be proficient in it based on an examination. In many health care jobs, certification is optional however it often leads to higher pay and more career opportunities. When someone is a “licensed” health care provider, it means that they are legally allowed to practice their chosen profession. This most frequently (but not exclusively) applies to doctors and nurses. Simply put, a certification is usually either optional or required by an employer. A license is required by the state government and is never optional

Accreditation: This means that a school or training program meets a specific set of standards by one or more health national organization. While going to an accredited school is not a requirement, it dramatically increases your chances of getting a good job upon graduation. If there are no accredited schools in your vicinity, be sure and research accredited online training programs as an alternative.

Although the terminology is fairly universal from state to state, there are still levels of regulation for many health care professions that are unique from state to state. This is because state governments each have their own health department to enforce the health laws for that particular state.

For instance, while the majority of U.S. states regulate the certification of pharmacy technicians, these professionals are not yet regulated in Colorado, Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.

Following, are some internet resources for professional organizations and associations where you can further research current levels of regulation for your chosen health care profession.

Pharmacy Technician: www.ptcb.org

Medical Assistant: www.aama-ntl.org

Medical Billing and Coding: www.aapc.com

Healthcare Administrator: www.hcaa.org

Phlebotomist: www.ascp.org

Medical Transcriptionist: www.ahdionline.org

Dental Assistant: www.dentalassistant.org

Physician Assistant: www.aapa.org

For those just taking their first steps into this industry, I hope this information provides some clarification of terminology as well as some peace of mind that even as ambulance chasers are doing their jobs rounding up potential clients, you will be protected while doing yours.