ABA Family Legal Guide

Health-Care Law

Regulating Health-Care Professionals

Licensing of Doctors, Nurses, and Hospitals

Who licenses health-care professionals and facilities?

Each state government sets its own requirements for how doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other health-care professionals and facilities are licensed. The state does this to protect your health and safety.

Once a doctor is licensed to practice medicine, that doctor is licensed to practice any type of medicine. In theory, a dermatologist can deliver a baby, an obstetrician can perform liposuction, and a plastic surgeon can perform brain surgery. In reality, hospital regulations, fear of malpractice claims, and the threat of disciplinary actions discourage doctors from giving medical care outside their fields of expertise. Many hospitals insist that a doctor be certified in a particular specialty. Specialty boards certify physicians as having met certain published standards. Twenty-four specialty boards are recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA). To become board certified, doctors must undergo more training, receive assessments from their supervisors, and complete written exams. In order to retain certification, specialists must periodically go through an additional process involving continuing education in the specialty, review of credentials, and further examination.