Florida Handbook: Unlicensed Assistive Personnel

What types of duties may unlicensed assistive personnel perform? Unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) include medical assistants, office assistants, medical office assistants, certified medical assistants, registered medical assistants, and nurse aides. Many medical offices find that employing UAP allows the office to operate in a more cost-effective and efficient manner. However, you must take precautions to ensure that UAP are practicing within their scope. Generally, UAP are only permitted to perform tasks that are repetitive, recur frequently, and do not require ongoing assessment or decision making. When UAP care is called into question, the main issue is often whether that unlicensed professional was advising patients or arranging care. It is vital that nurses and physicians never allow a UAP to give independent advice or make suggestions. Even when the unlicensed professionals think they may be engaging in harmless conversation, the patient may take the communication as a he...