ABSTRACT
In concept, testing in the professions may elicit images of candidates preparing for their medical boards or the bar exam. Although this is an accurate picture for these respective professions, the area of credentialing has greatly expanded. Shimberg (1982) noted that at the time, more than 800 professions were licensed and that it was a dramatic increase since the early 1900s when regulatory agencies began to engage in the credentialing process. Schmitt (1995) indicated that the number of professions offering a credential had again increased. More recently, the number of occupations that require a license is greater than 1,100 (Morath, 2015) with this figure representing approximately 30% of workers in the United States (Kearney, Hershbein, & Boddy, 2015). This expansion is not surprising as new or existing professions often try to emulate established professions such as, medicine, dentistry and law, that have long been concerned with developing and maintaining systematic processes for entry into the profession. Emerging professions have the responsibility of persuading their state legislators of the necessity to protect the citizenry from unlicensed or unregulated practitioners who do not have the requisite education, training or competence for safe and effective practice.
