In the United States, once obtaining the appropriate medical degree, physicians can apply to attain licensure via Board certification.
Dentists and many other categories of allied health professions typically also require professional certification or licensure for legal practice.
Training and knowledge in basic life support is required by regulation for certification for many practicing individuals, including emergency medical technicians.
In most jurisdictions, individuals found to be providing medical, nursing or other professional services without the appropriate certification or licence may face sanctions including even criminal charges leading to prison.
The number of professions subject to regulation and nature of sanctions that can be imposed for failure to comply vary across jurisdictions.
The "practice of medicine" may be defined as any diagnosis, treatment, prevention, cure, or relieving of a human disease, ailment, defect, complaint, or other physical or mental condition, by attendance, advice, device, diagnostic test, or other means, or offering, undertaking, attempting to do, or holding oneself out as able to do, any of these acts.
[7] According to the MDCH the following professions must be licensed for practice in Michigan: In Florida, such crime is classified as a third degree felony,[8] which may give imprisonment up to five years.
[9] Practicing a health care profession without a license which results in serious bodily injury classifies as a second degree felony,[8] providing up to 15 years' imprisonment.