Licensure and State Regulations
Licensure
Overview: May be required to work in your state.
Legal Status: Carries legal rights and/or restrictions in professional practice.
Administration: Managed by individual states.
Licensure grants legal permission from a competent authority (usually a state licensing board) for an individual to perform medical acts and procedures that would otherwise be illegal. It is typically granted based on education and examination, and a fee may be required.
State Regulations
Several states require licensing for clinical laboratory personnel, such as technologists, technicians, histotechnologists, and cytotechnologists. These laws, often enacted decades ago, predate the recognition of pathologists’ assistants as distinct practitioners.
The AAPA supports state licensure to establish appropriate entry-level qualifications for pathologists’ assistants, including training, experience, and certification. This licensure ensures professional competence, enhances patient safety, and prevents incompetent practitioners from providing anatomic pathology services.
