INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY
Part 1 will be published in two sections. Obsolete licenses,
specialty licenses, licenses that grant a limited or temporary right to
practice, branch location licenses, registrations, and licenses that do not
impact the health, safety, or welfare of consumers are not be included in this
study. The licenses excluded are not the board’s primary licenses and account
for less than 2 percent of licensees.
We compiled general license requirements in fifty states and
compared Hawai‘i’s requirements to that of the other states. Rather than
undertaking a detailed cataloging of every license requirement, we took an
overview of each state’s prelicense and license
retention requirements. The requirements were generally categorized in
terms of the following components:
Education – The education component was generally defined as
training obtained in a classroom setting.
In the various professions and vocations, education ranged from
specialized vocational lessons to college and post-graduate training.
Experience – The experience component was generally defined
as practical or other types of training or experience outside of a classroom
setting. Experience included
apprenticeships and clinical observations and training. When experience was an
integral part of the education requirement, they were combined.
Examination – This category included all tests required by
each state for an applicant to obtain a license. Tests that in our analysis were considered
more informational or procedural in nature were not included.
Fees – All fees that a board collected for the processing and
issuance of a license, certificate, or registration, were presented. Fees that were necessary for the licensing
process but not directly collected by a board were not included. Testing fees paid to a third party is an
example of fees not included. Fees
collected for the first renewal after the initial issuing of a license and
included in the initial fee were counted in this study on an annualized basis.
We also included fees for special funds.
Continuing Education – This category includes education that
each licensing board or commission required for the renewal of a license.
Reciprocity – Loosely defined, reciprocity in the licensing
context is the mutual exchange of license privileges between states. We noted that each state defined reciprocity
in its own manner. Anecdotally, we noted
that very few states practiced or recognized an unrestricted or unconditional
reciprocity in the recognition of other states’ licenses. Most states would recognize a partial
academic, experiential, or examination accomplishment of an out-of-state
applicant. This would result in the
state waiving part of its licensing requirement.
This study did not delve into each state’s reciprocity
policy. States recognizing reciprocity
in their literature and documents were credited with having reciprocity. States that either openly stated that they
did not recognize reciprocity or were silent about the issue were not credited
in the study.
Other requirements unique to a license – This includes
significant license requirements that do not fit into the categories above.
Within each category, the states were assigned a rank, then,
giving each category equal weight, an average rank was achieved. In comparing
the states, rank was based on whether a requirement in one state would be more
difficult for an applicant or licensee than in another state. For example,
states with the highest license fees or the most continuing education hours would
be ranked in the first quintile. Comparisons are made only within a license and
not between licenses.
For each state, an average of the scores for each category
was compiled and an overall rank was assigned to the state. The overall rank is not an average of the
scores from each category of the license.
Data were gathered primarily from state agencies’ Web pages, specifically
application forms and instructions, FAQs, and other
informational pages. When necessary, we also consulted administrative rules and
statutes and telephoned the agency. When available, we referred to websites and
publications of professional organizations that cataloged state license
requirements. Using these resources, we made every attempt to assure the
accuracy of the data but recognize that errors are possible. License
requirements are not static, and we did encounter pending changes in
requirements. We used data that we believe will be in effect on publication of
this report.
The pages that follow include a table with summaries of all
the licenses. For each license, a more detailed summary, set of charts, and a
table are provided. The tables contain the data collected; the charts provide a
graphical representation of this data. Use the links in the left border to
navigate between licenses and the links at the top to navigate the charts and
table within a license.
SUMMARY
As this is only the first part of the study, we will reserve
any general conclusions until its completion. For the licenses in this part of
the study, the overall quintile ranks are as follows:
License |
Rank |
Certified
Public Accountant |
3 |
Acupuncture |
4 |
Chiropractor |
4 |
Contractor
|
1 |
Electrician, Journeyman |
1 |
Electrician,
Supervising |
1 |
Optometrist |
3 |
Osteopathic
Physician |
2 |
Pharmacist |
4 |
Pharmacy |
2 |
Physician |
2 |
Physician
Assistant |
2 |
Plumber,
Journeyman |
1 |
Plumber,
Master |
1 |
Podiatrist |
4 |
Veterinarian |
2 |
|
|