Difference between doctors, lawyers, other professionals and land surveyors?
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dmi
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Well Dave one can only hope.
One can only hope that these folks truly get what they deserve.
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goodgps
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Matt Cunningham
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Dave, I don't see much difference in any of the professions you listed. How many ads have you seen or heard for legal assistance services, such as wills, divorces, bankruptcy, etc. for a low price? If you want advice from an actual attorney at these outfits, it will cost you quite a bit extra. As for doctors, it has been my experience that routine office visits are performed by nurse practitioners, and rarely do you see the doctor these days. I'm not saying the ads you presented are justified, but I do not think it is a problem isolated to just our profession.
Matthew J. Cunningham
PLS 8120
PLS 8120
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E_Page
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Matt,
In the cases you describe, the situation is similar to a LSIT working under the immediate supervision of a PLS at the same company, in the same office.
In each case, the professional sets the parameters within which the para-professional "practices". In each case, if there is an issue that is beyond the skills and knowledge of the para-professional, the professional is available to give them extra guidance or to deal with the client/patient, even if at an extra cost.
In those cases, the professional doesn't simply sign off on professional level work performed without professional direction for some nominal per signature fee.
The arrangment proposed by the CL ad is similar to a PA having his or her own independent practice with no doctor overseeing it, but having an arrangment with a doctor not otherwise associated with the practice to sign off on those things a PA has no authority to diagnose or prescribe. I'm sure it happens, but that it happens far more rarely than it does with surveyors and engineers.
Paralegals handling simple divorces, bankruptcies, and other relatively simple legal matters where they assist a party in representing themselves, and having some loose association with attorneys to sign off on certain matters also happens. Whether it is more or less prevalent than in the surveying and engineering fields, I don't know. I suspect that as a percentage of licensees selling their signatures to all licensees in the state, it is likely less.
It is a reflection of the value and respect that the population of licensees of a profession as a whole has for their license and for their profession.
It's relatively easy to get a LS license in CA as compared to passing the Bar or obtaining a license to practice medicine, there is no real recognition of specialties in surveying. Beside that, it's also fairly easy to get away with surveying without a license. A person can run a surveying business for years without a license and without getting caught. And for those few times you need something signed and stamped, there's always some surveyor or retired pre-82 CE willing to sell his signature for a little cash to supplement the social security.
Ask yourself this: When it comes to a professional selling their signature for professional work they did not properly oversee, and when it comes to unlicensed practice, who do you think is more likely to turn in the violators to the respective licensing board, a surveyor or a doctor? And which board do you suppose has the greater authority and resources to investigate complaints and cause violators to be prosecuted?
So on whole, surveyors have less respect for their license, and accordingly, so do other professions and the public in general.
We know that Ric peruses this forum fairly regularly, so if this ad were a CA ad, BPELSG probably would have already contacted CL and the person or company behind the ad to straighten them out on the licensing laws here. We can only hope the same might be true at the TX board.
In the cases you describe, the situation is similar to a LSIT working under the immediate supervision of a PLS at the same company, in the same office.
In each case, the professional sets the parameters within which the para-professional "practices". In each case, if there is an issue that is beyond the skills and knowledge of the para-professional, the professional is available to give them extra guidance or to deal with the client/patient, even if at an extra cost.
In those cases, the professional doesn't simply sign off on professional level work performed without professional direction for some nominal per signature fee.
The arrangment proposed by the CL ad is similar to a PA having his or her own independent practice with no doctor overseeing it, but having an arrangment with a doctor not otherwise associated with the practice to sign off on those things a PA has no authority to diagnose or prescribe. I'm sure it happens, but that it happens far more rarely than it does with surveyors and engineers.
Paralegals handling simple divorces, bankruptcies, and other relatively simple legal matters where they assist a party in representing themselves, and having some loose association with attorneys to sign off on certain matters also happens. Whether it is more or less prevalent than in the surveying and engineering fields, I don't know. I suspect that as a percentage of licensees selling their signatures to all licensees in the state, it is likely less.
It is a reflection of the value and respect that the population of licensees of a profession as a whole has for their license and for their profession.
It's relatively easy to get a LS license in CA as compared to passing the Bar or obtaining a license to practice medicine, there is no real recognition of specialties in surveying. Beside that, it's also fairly easy to get away with surveying without a license. A person can run a surveying business for years without a license and without getting caught. And for those few times you need something signed and stamped, there's always some surveyor or retired pre-82 CE willing to sell his signature for a little cash to supplement the social security.
Ask yourself this: When it comes to a professional selling their signature for professional work they did not properly oversee, and when it comes to unlicensed practice, who do you think is more likely to turn in the violators to the respective licensing board, a surveyor or a doctor? And which board do you suppose has the greater authority and resources to investigate complaints and cause violators to be prosecuted?
So on whole, surveyors have less respect for their license, and accordingly, so do other professions and the public in general.
We know that Ric peruses this forum fairly regularly, so if this ad were a CA ad, BPELSG probably would have already contacted CL and the person or company behind the ad to straighten them out on the licensing laws here. We can only hope the same might be true at the TX board.
Evan Page, PLS
A Visiting Forum Essayist
A Visiting Forum Essayist
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Steve Martin
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The Difference between Engineers, Architects, Lawyers, others and Surveyors?
Humn, the difference, let's see. There was something about being registered like...something else, certified... like lunatics, and licensed like...
Steve Martin, LS 7264