Field of Licensure Updates and Report Input Changes

On November 18, 2014, the NPDB implemented occupation/field of licensure updates that align the NPDB's primary field of licensure names with the profession names used by most organizations (and accommodate more "Other" profession categories), allowing reporters to select or enter the most accurate title. Specifically:

• Some occupation titles were retired or merged, and replaced with more accurate titles, shown below:
  
  

  Renamed/Retired Occupation (Code)	Updated or New Occupation (Code)
  Physician Intern/Resident (MD) (015)	Physician Resident (015)
  Osteopathic Physician Intern/Resident (DO) (025)	Osteopathic Physician Resident (025)
  Registered (Professional) Nurse (100)	Registered Nurse (100)
  Doctor of Nursing Practice (134)	Nurse Practitioner (130)
  Certified Nurse Aide/Certified Nursing Assistant (148), Nurses Aide (150)	Nurse Aide/Nursing Assistant (150)
  Professional Counselor, Alcohol (654); Professional Counselor, Substance Abuse (660)	Addictions Counselor (660)
  Professional Counselor, Family/Marriage (657)	Marriage and Family Therapist (661)
  Art/Recreation Therapist (402)	Art Therapist (662), Recreation Therapist (664), Dance Therapist (665), or Music Therapist (667)
  EMT, Cardiac/Critical Care (260); EMT, Intermediate (270)	EMT, Intermediate/Critical Care (270)
  Pharmacist, Nuclear (060)	Pharmacist (050)
  Physician Assistant, Allopathic (642); Physician Assistant, Osteopathic (645)	Physician Assistant (642)
  Medical or Clinical Laboratory Technologist (501), Medical or Clinical Laboratory Technician (502)	Medical or Clinical Lab Technician/Technologist (501)
  Surgical Technologist (503), Surgical Assistant (504)	Surgical Technologist/Assistant (503)
  Radiologic Technologist (530), X-Ray Technician or Operator (540), Limited X-Ray Machine Operator (LXMO) (550)	Radiologic Technician/Technologist (530)
  Adult Care Facility Administrator (752), Hospital Administrator (755), Long-Term Care or Nursing Home Administrator (758), Assisted Living Facility Administrator (759)	Health Care Facility Administrator (758)
  Insurance Agent (810), Insurance Broker (812)	Insurance Agent/Broker (810)

• Users may now specify an "Other Name for Occupation" in more cases. Previously, they could only do this when selecting "Other Health Care Practitioner" or "Other Occupation." For example, a user may select "Social Worker" as the profession, and specify a more detailed description of "Licensed Clinical Social Worker."
• The NPDB also provides more "Other" options to give users more options when they do not see a suitable match. The full list of new occupations is below:
  
  

  Profession Type	Updated Occupations Not Listed Above (Code)
  Chiropractor	Chiropractor Assistant (604) Other Chiropractic Occupation, Not Classified (605)*
  Behavioral Health Occupations	Sex Offender Counselor (652) Pastoral Counselor (653) Other Behavioral Health Occupation, Not Classified (668)*
  Dental Service Practitioner	Other Dental Occupation, Not Classified (613)*
  Nurse Aide, Home Health Aide, and Other Aide	Other Aide Occupation, Not Classified (176)*
  Nurse - Advanced, Registered, Vocational, or Practical	Other Nurse Occupation, Not Classified (142)*
  Dietitian/Nutritionist	Other Dietitian/Nutritionist Occupation, Not Classified (211)*
  Emergency Medical Technician	Other Emergency Medical Technician Occupation, Not Classified (281)*
  Eye and Vision Service Practitioner	Other Eye and Vision Service Occupation, Not Classified (637)*
  Pharmacy Service Practitioner	Other Pharmacy Service Occupation, Not Classified (076)*
  Podiatric Service Practitioner	Other Podiatric Service Occupation, Not Classified (649)*
  Psychologist/Psychological Assistant	Other Psychologist/Psychological Assistant Occupation, Not Classified (374)*
  Rehabilitative, Respiratory and Restorative Service Practitioner	Other Rehabilitative, Respiratory and Restorative Service Occupation, Not Classified (658)*
  Speech, Language and Hearing Service Practitioner	Other Speech, Language and Hearing Service Occupation, Not Classified (471)*
  Technologist/Technician	Other Technologist/Technician, Not Classified (551)*

  *"Other" occupations should be used when the profession does not fit within an existing occupation. Users can type in the exact occupation name when selecting these "Other" occupation types.

In addition to the new and updated occupations, reporters may now use a filter to suggest and select occupations instead of searching through a drop-down list. Users will also see a "Recently Used" option for quick access to their most frequently selected occupations.

Users will also notice the following additional enhancements:

• The primary occupation/field of licensure input and the adverse action classification codes input (Adverse Action Reports only) have moved to the report input form. Formerly, these items were collected before the main input form.
• New adverse action classification codes are available for state licensure reports (Cease and Desist, Prescriptive Authority Action)
• The report input form is now split into 3 tabs to ease navigation.
• Filtering features have been added to the Adverse Action Report Basis for Action, Medical Malpractice Payment Report Specific Allegation, and Judgment or Conviction Report Act/Omission fields.

These enhancements are part of the ongoing effort to enrich and enhance the NPDB's data. When reporters select the appropriate occupation for a practitioner, it will make the submitted reports as accurate as possible for future queriers, as well as for research and statistical purposes.