PractitionerQualificationType

Reference data entity for types of professional qualifications and credentials. Defines educational degrees, board certifications, fellowships, and training credentials.

Overview

PractitionerQualificationType catalogs the credentials that demonstrate a practitioner's education, training, and competency. Unlike licenses (which are legal authorizations to practice), qualifications represent achievements that indicate expertise. This reference data is used by PractitionerQualification to specify what credentials a practitioner has earned.

Key Concepts

Qualification Categories

Qualifications are grouped by type:

Category	Description	Examples
`degree`	Academic degrees	MD, DO, MBBS, BSN, PharmD
`certification`	Board and professional certs	ABIM, BLS, ACLS, board certified
`fellowship`	Fellowship credentials	FACC, FACS, FRCS
`residency`	Residency completion	Internal Medicine Residency
`training`	Specialized training	Trauma training, subspecialty

Standard Qualification Types

Academic Degrees

MD - Doctor of Medicine
DO - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
MBBS - Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
BSN - Bachelor of Science in Nursing
PharmD - Doctor of Pharmacy

Board Certifications

BOARD_IM - Board Certified Internal Medicine
BOARD_CARD - Board Certified Cardiology
BLS - Basic Life Support
ACLS - Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support

Fellowships

FACC - Fellow, American College of Cardiology
FACS - Fellow, American College of Surgeons
FRCS - Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons

License vs Qualification

Concept	Purpose	Requirement
License	Legal right to practice	Mandatory
Qualification	Proof of competency	Often required for roles

A license is government-granted permission; a qualification is earned achievement.

Qualification Identification

Each qualification type contains:

code - Unique qualification code
label - Human-readable name
category - Type of qualification
description - Details about the credential

Use Cases

Credentialing

When verifying practitioner credentials:

Identify required qualifications for position
Collect documentation from practitioner
Verify with issuing institution/board
Track in practitioner record
Monitor expiration for renewable certs

Privileging

When granting clinical privileges:

Map qualifications to privilege levels
Require specific qualifications for procedures
Verify fellowship for subspecialty privileges
Document qualification basis for privileges

Provider Profile

For provider directories:

Display practitioner degrees (MD, DO)
Show board certifications
Highlight fellowship credentials
Build patient confidence with qualifications

Hiring Requirements

When recruiting:

Define required qualifications for role
Filter candidates by qualifications
Verify claimed credentials
Document for personnel file

Continuing Education

For credential maintenance:

Track certifications requiring renewal
Monitor CME requirements for board certs
Alert practitioners of upcoming expirations
Document recertification

Related Entities

Entity	Relationship	Description
PractitionerQualification	Referenced by	Actual qualifications using this type
PractitionerLicenseType	Related	License types (separate from qualifications)

Enums

Value	Description
`degree`	Academic degrees from educational institutions (MD, DO, BSN, PharmD)
`certification`	Professional certifications from boards and organizations (BLS, ACLS, board certs)
`fellowship`	Fellowship credentials from professional colleges (FACC, FACS, FRCS)
`residency`	Completion of residency training programs
`training`	Specialized training programs and courses
`other`	Other qualifications not fitting above categories

Properties

Property	Type	Mode	Description	Required
code	string	stored	Unique code identifying the qualification type Example: `"MD"`	Required
label	string	stored	Human-readable name of the qualification Example: `"Doctor of Medicine"`	Required
category	string	stored	Category of qualification Values: `degree, certification, fellowship, residency, training, other` Example: `"degree"`	Required
description	string	stored	Additional details about the qualification	Optional

Examples

Example 1

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "MD",
  "label": "Doctor of Medicine",
  "category": "degree",
  "description": "Medical doctoral degree"
}

Example 2

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "DO",
  "label": "Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine",
  "category": "degree",
  "description": "Osteopathic medical degree"
}

Example 3

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "MBBS",
  "label": "Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery",
  "category": "degree",
  "description": "Medical degree common in UK and Commonwealth"
}

Example 4

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "BSN",
  "label": "Bachelor of Science in Nursing",
  "category": "degree",
  "description": "Undergraduate nursing degree"
}

Example 5

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "FACC",
  "label": "Fellow of the American College of Cardiology",
  "category": "fellowship",
  "description": "Cardiology fellowship credential"
}

Example 6

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "FACS",
  "label": "Fellow of the American College of Surgeons",
  "category": "fellowship",
  "description": "Surgical fellowship credential"
}

Example 7

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "BLS",
  "label": "Basic Life Support",
  "category": "certification",
  "description": "CPR and basic emergency care certification"
}

Example 8

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "ACLS",
  "label": "Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support",
  "category": "certification",
  "description": "Advanced cardiac emergency certification"
}

Example 9

{
  "@type": "PractitionerQualificationType",
  "code": "BOARD_IM",
  "label": "Board Certified - Internal Medicine",
  "category": "certification",
  "description": "Board certification in internal medicine"
}