Men who give of their time and strength to serve on state licensure boards essentially are charged by the people with protecting the public from poorly prepared physicians. The license is, therefore, an endorsement (at a moment in time) that the physician is "safe"—and that a citizen is "safe" in asking him for health care help.
Facts, Skills, and Concepts, and More
"Safe" in this sense means several things. It means a sufficient fund of facts, eg, to know that normal blood pressure is approximately 120/80 mm Hg. It means sufficient skills, eg, how to take the blood pressure. It means sufficient concepts, eg, the physician knows how the blood pressure varies from right arm to left arm, arm compared to leg, and what is the range of meaning of a high or low systolic pressure compared to a high or low diastolic pressure.In every area—fact, skill, or concept—safeness