Occupational/Professional Licensing and Certification

The agency provides government regulatory agency services for individuals in Los Angeles County and throughout the state of California. Services include occupational/professional licensing and certification for numerous professions, postsecondary institution accreditation, school complaints and school transcripts. There are no geographic restrictions.

Businesses and professions that require licensing are listed by the agency and include Accountancy; Acupuncturists; Arbitration; Architects; Athletics; Automotive Repair; Barbering and Cosmetology; Behavioral Sciences; California Athletic Commission; Cemetery and Funeral; Contractors; Chiropractic; Contractors; Court Reporters; Dental Auxiliaries; Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists; Funeral Directors and Mortuary Personnel; Guide Dogs for the Blind; Household Goods and Services (formerly Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation); Landscape Architects; Midwifery; Medical Doctors, Naturopathic Medicine; Occupational Therapy; Optometry; Osteopathic Medicine; Physical Therapy; Physician Assistants; Podiatric Medicine; Physical Therapy; Private Postsecondary and Vocational Schools; Psychology; Real Estate; Real Estate Appraisers; Respiratory Therapists; Security and Investigative Services; Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers; Structural Pest Control; Telephone Medical Advice; Veterinary Medicine; Veterinary Technicians; Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.

Postsecondary educational institutions such as vocational colleges are accredited by the Department of Consumer Affairs based on integrity, financial stability, and educational quality. The Bureau maintains lists of accredited schools, and a database of closed schools that have failed to follow federal laws for refunding students their lost tuition. Students file complaints or may file for refund of tuition expenses through the bureau's website. They may also contact their former school, or the trustee that is managing the student records, for transcripts. Institutions that offered a degree are required to keep transcripts for 50 years. Vocational colleges and schools keep transcripts for 5 years. If a school has closed, a trustee organization is appointed to maintain student records.

The agency administers and enforces the Respiratory Care Practice Act. Licensed Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCPs) perform critical lifesaving and life support procedures prescribed by physicians that directly affect major organs of the body. RCPs provide care directly to the patient in either a hospital setting or the patient's home. Patients may be suffering from lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, or cystic fibrosis, or may be premature infants whose lungs have not yet fully developed. LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH Spanish, Vietnamese; the Consumer Information Center can access interpreters who speak most languages through the AT&T Language Line.