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Scope of Practice

Preventing Medical Title Misappropriation

The WSMA advocates for the enforcement of strict regulations and guidelines to prevent the misappropriation of medical titles. (Res B-8, A-23)

The WSMA supports initiatives to raise public awareness about the different health care disciplines and the unique roles and responsibilities of each profession. (Res B-8, A-23)

The WSMA advocates for collaboration among health care professionals, regulatory bodies, and stakeholders to establish a standardized system for verifying and validating medical credentials, ensuring transparency and accuracy in the representation of professional qualifications. (Res B-8, A- 23)

The WSMA calls upon hospitals, health care organizations, and insurance companies to prioritize patient safety and quality of care by ensuring that only appropriately qualified professionals, such as board-certified physicians, can use and are designated with medical titles that reflect their level of training and expertise. (Res B-8, A-23)

The WSMA prioritizes the safety of patients in our state by calling upon hospitals and health care organizations to support transparency of clinical roles and discourage misappropriation of titles such as doctor, physician, and specialty titles associated with board certified physicians and surgeons. (Res B-8, A-23)


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Abbreviations for House of Delegates report origination:

EC – Executive Committee; BT – Board of Trustees; CPA – Council on Professional Affairs; JC – Judicial Council; CHS – Community and Health Services

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