> > Are the professional associations in medicine & law legally mandated, or > "just" professionally expected?
They are not legally mandated but in the case of lawyers, you 'Join' the bar when you pass your board, and being a bar member IS what gives you the authority to practice Law. No how is that for professional independence. In medicine, MD's are not 'joined' into state organization. They are licensed by the state directly. The AMA writes the GMA and the Medical Board test, set the standards for internship, and qualify the medical schools. > > What about Certified Public Accountants? I thought CPAs were granted by > universities, not states. Am I wrong about that? > Yes - you are incorrect. A CPA has to pass a battery of exams produced by the professional organizations and it takes years to go from Graduate to CPA. Passage of the exams gives makes you a state licensed CPA. Then you are mandated to get continuing education to retain lisensure. This is also true of Actuaries. And this is probibly the model which IT needs to go to assure professionaliztion and security of the public interest. Ruben -- __________________________ Brooklyn Linux Solutions So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998 DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002 http://fairuse.nylxs.com http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting http://www.inns.net <-- Happy Clients http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn.... 1-718-382-0585
