Mid-level practitioners are health care providers who have formal certificate and accreditation through the licensing bodies in their states. Mid-level practitioners are increasingly being used to render services autonomously, particularly in rural and underserved areas, to make up for provider shortages. A practitioner’s scope of practice refers to what a health professional can and cannot do to or for a patient, and is defined by a state’s board of medicine, board of nursing, or board of dental examiners -typically with the guidance or instruction of the state’s legislature.
State legislatures and other state health policymakers consider a broad range of issues related to scope of practice, including health care professionals’ supervision requirements, prescriptive authority, and other requirements for practice. These issues are highlighted here, with information from the states and territories about current legislation affecting scope of practice.
For more information on specific practitioners, please click the links below.