Wherever there is a direct conflict of laws between the federal and the state levels, the issue will most likely be resolved in favor of the national supremacy.
State-licensing boards choose to rely on the examinations and processes used by their respective national bodies. The result is that the license issued by the state is based on national professional standards and therefore similar to the licenses granted by all other states. States can and do exercise their prerogative to expect a bit more or a bit less, sometimes for substantive reasons and sometimes for political ones. Thus, licenses do vary from state to state but within narrow enough parameters that interstate reciprocity allows professionals to cross states lines with minimal red tape.
States relationships with one another is are also governed by the interstate compact clause Article I section 10 which states that “ No state shall, without the consent of congress… enter into any agreement or compact with another state.” Meaning that states may enter into agreements with each other subject to subject to congressional …show more content…
The purpose of licensing health care professionals is to protect the public from incompetent or impaired practitioners. Practicing medicine requires a certificate of licensure from the state in which the practitioner is working and may require licensure in the state where the patient is located. Similar laws cover other practitioners such as nurses, pharmacists, therapists and other professionals dispensing health care services. A practitioner must be licensed, or follow state reciprocity rules, prior to working in a state. In light of telemedicine, licensure requirements can be complicated. Before practicing medicine, the practitioner needs to ensure that his/her activity is legally sanctioned and