| There are moments when a policy proposal is so baffling, so out of touch with reality, that you struggle to put your reaction into words. That is exactly how I and thousands of dedicated clinicians and educators felt upon learning about the Department of Education’s proposed rules that would reclassify which degrees are considered “professional.” These rules, set to take effect next July, have left many of us stunned, insulted, and genuinely worried about the future of our fields. Under the new proposal, physicians (MDs and DOs) will continue to be recognized as holders of professional degrees, and rightfully so. But shockingly, many of the very professionals who shoulder the day-to-day responsibilities of patient care and education will no longer be considered “professional” in the eyes of the federal government. This is just a sample of the list: ?Physical Therapists? Not professional. ?Occupational Therapists? Not professional. ?Nurse Practitioners? Not professional. ?Certified Registered Nurses? Not professional.?Physician Assistants? Not professional. ?Speech-Language Pathologists? Not professional. ?Audiologists? Not professional. ?Social Workers? Not professional. Teachers, the very people who educate and shape every profession in this country? Not professional. |
Yet chiropractors will still be considered professional. And theology/divinity degrees are still considered professional. Somehow, inexplicably, the people who restore mobility, rebuild lives after injury, manage complex chronic conditions, provide mental health support, communicate with vulnerable populations, and keep our schools functioning… apparently do not meet the threshold.
As someone who has spent more than 20 years as a Physical Therapist and who has spent those decades mentoring students, encouraging bright young people to join the healthcare workforce, and witnessing firsthand the skill and dedication required to do this job, it feels like a slap in the face. It is beyond disrespectful, not just to PTs, but to every healthcare professional who pours their heart, their education, their money, and their lives into serving patients.
And the impact isn’t limited to titles or pride. This decision affects federal loan caps, access to education, program affordability, and the long-term sustainability of the healthcare workforce. These changes carry real consequences: fewer students entering these fields, fewer providers available to serve aging and medically complex populations, and greater strain on a system already stretched thin.
It is heartbreaking to think of the countless students currently grinding through graduate school, balancing clinical rotations, managing patients, working nights and weekends, sacrificing sleep, sacrificing income, sacrificing everything, only to be told that their degree is “not professional enough” to qualify for the support that other programs receive. It is insulting beyond measure to the advanced practice providers who make the entire healthcare system function day after day, often in the shadows of more heavily recognized roles.
To the Department of Education:
I do not know who created this list. I do not understand how you decided which professions are “professional” and which are not. But I urge you, on behalf of every PT, OT, NP, RN, PA, SLP, audiologist, social worker, teacher, and all others affected, to go back and try again.
Because this isn’t just a bureaucratic oversight.
It’s a failure to recognize the backbone of healthcare.
It’s a failure to recognize the foundation of education.
And it’s a failure to respect the people who show up—every single day—to serve in a system that desperately needs them.
The healthcare and education workforce deserves better.
We are professionals.
We always have been.
And no reclassification will change the value of the work we do.
Michelle Puzzo, Executive Director, (Physical Therapist),
UR Community Cares
860-430-4557
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