Deciding who can and can’t work: Professional licensing boards in Tennessee

Roughly one in five American workers need a professional license to do their job. Professional licensing boards both grant and can revoke those licenses.

Here in Tennessee, several professions require licenses, including: contractors, doctors, lawyers, architects, private detectives and cosmetologists. Today, we’re talking about the boards that oversee professional licenses — what they do, how they function, and what the public needs to know about working with any licensed professional.

This episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys.

GUESTS

• Rebecca Hall Allensworth, Associate Dean for Research, David Daniels Allen Professor of Law, Vanderbilt Law School
• Tamika Turner, Owner of The Institute of Beauty, Member of Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
• Perry Baldwin, Public Member, Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners
• Dr. Stephen Loyd, Physician, President of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners

FURTHER READING & LISTENING

• Rebecca Hall Allensworth | The Licensing Racket: How we decide who is allowed to work, and why it goes wrong
• This Is Nashville | Dr. Stephen Loyd: On substance abuse, addiction and harm reduction
• Freakonomics | Is Professional Licensing a Racket?
• This American Life | Trust Me, I’m a Doctor