Unlicensed Professionals

If there is one shared belief amongst history and museum professionals it’s that we do important, if at times unrecognized, work. We’re stewards of priceless, irreplaceable collections, we engage, educate, and entertain a broad range of the population. We are keepers and sharers of culture and history. Truly important work.

At least to us.

It can be difficult to know how important we are perceived to be to the general citizenry. Attendance numbers aren’t trustworthy. Besides, every museum has a fan-base (however small) which can lead us to believe we’re relevant. History books are judged by how “important” they are, not how many copies are sold. And, for both historians and the museum professionals, there’s always the belief that it’s not us; that people just don’t get how essential we really are.

One way to gauge importance is to look at how regulated a field is. Usually that comes in the form of professional licensing. Licensing advocates argue that it protects the public interest by keeping incompetent and unscrupulous individuals from working with the public. In the rather open fields of history and museum work there is no mechanism to ensure such performance. Anyone can walk on and call themselves a historian, curator, or educator. Even the incompetent and unscrupulous.

To put it another way, there are more legal requirements for a nail technician to give French manicures than than there is for a CEO to direct a museum. In museums there are laws regarding the appropriate use of our collections and money, but there is nothing governing the professionals. In the eyes of the law, our stuff is more important than our staff.

Not a license to curate.
Source.

You might be thinking, “what about the degrees needed to get the job?” A degree in a history- or museum-related field is not a license. Employers may make it a requirement for a position, but not having it does not automatically exclude anyone from claiming and being recognized as, for example, a historian. Some museum folks might point to accreditation as such oversight. However, AASLH’s accreditation is not a license or a guarantee of staff competency. Accreditation is all about collections management and governance. It’s still about the stuff.

What does all of this mean? It may be an indication of why we are an underpaid, underappreciated field. Not enough people take history and museum work seriously or believe our contributions are important enough to their (and, as will be seen, their pets’) finances, health, safety, and sex lives to try to weed out the incompetents. But evidently these fields (licensed by the State of Illinois) are:

Acupuncture CE Sponsor, Approved

Acupuncturist, Licensed

Adv Practice Nurse Control Sub

Advance Practice Nurse

Alarm Contractor Agency Branch Office, Licensed

Alarm Contractor Agency Private, Licensed

Alarm Contractor Private, Licensed

APN CE Sponsor

Appraisal Management Companies

Appraiser, Associate Real Estate Trainee

Appraiser, Certified General Real Estate

Appraiser, Certified Residential Real Estate

Appraiser, Education Provider

Appraiser, Temporary Practice Real Estate

Architect, Licensed

Architect,Landscape, Registered

Armed Proprietary Security Force

Associate MFT

Athlete Agent, Licensed

Athletic Trainer, Licensed

Athletics

Auction CE School

Auction Firm

Auction, Internet Listing Service

Auctioneer

Audiologist, Licensed

Barber School, Licensed

Barber Teacher, Licensed

Barber, Licensed

Basic Classroom Training Course

Canine Handler Authorization Card

Canine Handler Training Course

Canine Instructor Training Course

Canine Trainer Authorization Card

Cemetery Authority, Licensed

Cemetery CE Sponsor, Licensed

Cemetery Customer Service Emp, Licensed

Cemetery Exempt, Licensed

Cemetery Manager, Licensed

Cemetery Partially Exempt, Licensed

Certified Public Accountant CPE Sponsor

Certified Public Accountant Firm

Certified Public Accountant, Licensed

Certified Public Accountant, Registered

Chiropractic Physician, Licensed

Chiropractic Preceptor

Chiropractic Preceptor Program

Chiropractor Professor, Visiting

Collection Agency Branch Office, Licensed

Collection Agency, Licensed

Community Association Manager

Controlled Substance Drug Dist, Licensed

Controlled Substance

Controlled Substance, Pharmacy, Licensed

Cosmetologist School Public, Licensed

Cosmetologist Teacher, Licensed

Cosmetologist, Licensed

Cosmetology School, Licensed

Cosmetology CE Sponsor

Counselor Clinical Professional Temporary, Licensed

Counselor Clinical Professional, Licensed

Counselor Professional Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Counselor Professional, Licensed

Counselor Professional, Temporary, Licensed

Dental Hygienist, Registered

Dental Sedation Permit

Dental Teaching License

Dental Temporary Training, Licensed

Dental/dental Approved Hygienist Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Dentist, Licensed

Dentist Controlled Substance, Licensed

Dentistry Specialist, Licensed

Design Firm Professional Registration

Detection Of Deception Examiner

Detection of Deception Trainee

Detective Private Agency Branch Office, Licensed

Detective Private Agency, Licensed

Detective Private, Licensed

Dietitian, Licensed

Drug Distributor, Licensed

Electrologist, Licensed

Engineer Intern

Engineer Professional, Licensed

Engineer Structural, Licensed

Engineer Structural, Intern

Environmental Health Practitioner In Training

Environmental Health Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Environmental Health Practitioner, Licensed

Esthetician, Licensed

Esthetics School, Licensed

Esthetics Teacher, Licensed

Euthanasia Agency, Certified

Euthanasia Technician, Certified

Fingerprint Vendor

Fingerprint Vendor Agency

Firearm Control Card

Firearm Instructor

Firearm Training Course

Funeral Director and Embalmer CE Sponsor

Funeral Director, Licensed

Funeral Director and Embalmer, Licensed

Funeral Director and Embalmer Intern, Licensed

Genetic Counselor, Licensed

Genetic Counselor, Temporary

Geologist, Professional Licensed

Hair Braider, Licensed

Hair Braiding School, Licensed

Hair Braiding Teacher, Licensed

Home Inspector

Home Inspector Education Provider

Home Inspector Entity

Home Medical Equipment & Service Provider

Interior Designer, Registered

Land Sales Developer

Land Sales Subdivision

Land Surveyor in Training

Land Surveyor, Professional, Licensed

Limited Liability Company

Loan Originator

Locksmith Agency Branch Office, Licensed

Locksmith Agency, Licensed

Locksmith, Licensed

Mail Order Ophthalmic Provider

Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed

Marriage and Family Therapy Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Massage Therapist CE Sponsor

Massage Therapist, Licensed

Medical CE Sponsor

Medical License, Temporary

Medical Temporary License, Limited

Medical Corporation Registered

Mortgage Broker/Bank

Nail Technician School, Licensed

Nail Technician, Licensed

Nail Technology Teacher, Licensed

Naprapath CE Sponsor

Naprapath, Licensed

Nurse Practical, Licensed

Nurse Registered, Professional

Nursing Home Administrator Temporary, Licensed

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Nursing Home Approved Administrator Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Nutrition Counselor, Licensed

Nutrition/Dietitian Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapy Assistant, Certified

Occupational Therapy CE Sponsor

Optometric Limited Residency License

Optometrist Ancillary Location

Optometrist, Licensed

Optometrist Controlled Substance License

Optometry Cont. Ed. Sponsor, Licensed

Original Firearms Training

Orthotist, Licensed

Osteopath, Licensed

Osteopath/Obstetrician, Licensed

Pawnbroker

Pawnshop Manager

Pedorthist, Licensed

PERC – Permanent Employee Registration

Perfusionist

Pharmacist Assistant

Pharmacist Registered

Pharmacy, Licensed

Pharmacy Technician

Physical Therapist Assistant, Licensed

Physical Therapist, Licensed

Physical Therapy, Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Physician Assistant Temporary

Physician Assistant, Licensed

Physician Permit, Visiting

Physician Professor, Visiting

Physician Resident Visiting

Physician, Licensed

Physician Asst. Controlled Substance, Licensed

Physician Controlled Substance, Licensed

Podiatric Physician, Licensed

Podiatric Physician, Temporary

Podiatric Professor, Visiting

Podiatry Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Podiatry Controlled Substance, Licensed

Private Security Contractor, Licensed

Prosthetist, Licensed

Psychological Corporation, Licensed

Psychological Partnership, Licensed

Psychologist Clinical

Qualifying Party Roofing Contractor

Real Estate Branch Office

Real Estate Broker

Real Estate Broker Corporation

Real Estate Broker Partnership

Real Estate CE Instructor

Real Estate CE School

Real Estate Leasing Agent

Real Estate Leasing Agent Student

Real Estate Limited Liability Firm

Real Estate Managing Broker

Real Estate Pre-License Instructor

Real Estate Pre-License School

Real Estate Pre-License School Branch

Real Estate Salesperson

Respiratory Care Practitioner

Respiratory Care Practitioner Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Roofing Contractor, Licensed

Security Contractor Agency Brnch Ofc, Licensed

Security Contractor Agency, Licensed

Service Corporation, Professional Registered

Sex Offender Evaluator

Sex Offender Provider, Associate

Sex Offender Treatment Provider

Shorthand Reporter Approved Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Shorthand Reporter Certified
Shorthand Reporter Restricted

Social Worker Clinical, Licensed

Social Worker Registered Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Social Worker, Licensed

Social Worker, Temporary Licensed

Speech Language Pathologist

Speech-Language Path. Assist

Speech-Language Pathology Temporary

Speech/Audiology Cont. Ed. Sponsor

Surgical Assistant

Surgical Technologist
Timeshare Acquisition Agent

Timeshare Component Site

Timeshare Developer

Timeshare Exchange Company

Timeshare Managing Entity

Timeshare Plan

Timeshare Resale Agent

Timeshare Sales Agent

Title Insurance Agent

Trainer Cont. Ed. Sponsor, Licensed

Veterinarian, Licensed

Veterinarian Controlled Substance, Licensed

Veterinary CE Programs

Veterinary Technician, Licensed