Paraprofessional
Encyclopedia
Paraprofessional is a job title given to persons in various occupational fields, such as education, healthcare, engineering and law, who are trained to assist professionals but are not themselves licensed
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...

 at a professional level. The Greek prefix "para" as used here indicates beside or side by side (as in "parallel"); hence, a paraprofessional is one who works alongside a professional.

The paraprofessional is able to perform tasks requiring significant knowledge in the field, and may even function independently of direct professional supervision, but lacks the official authority of the professional. For example, a person who hires a paralegal in lieu of a lawyer to complete bankruptcy forms is still considered to be filing pro se
Pro se legal representation in the United States
Pro se legal representation means advocating on one's own behalf before a court, rather than being represented by a lawyer. This may occur in any court proceeding, whether one is the defendant or plaintiff in civil cases, and when one is a defendant in criminal cases. Pro se is a Latin phrase...

.

Some paraprofessional occupations require special testing or certification in the field, while others require only a certain level of education. In some occupations, such as that of teaching assistant (see paraprofessional educator
Paraprofessional educator
A paraprofessional educator, alternatively known as a para-pro, paraeducator. instructional assistant, teacher's aide or classroom assistant, is a teaching-related position within a school generally responsible for specialized or concentrated assistance for students in elementary and secondary...

), requirements differ geographically although duties are essentially the same.

This concept of a paraprofession exists predominantly in the US; it is not commonly found in the sociology of professions in the UK or Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, for example.

See also

  • Paraprofessional certificate
  • Paralegal
    Paralegal
    Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...

  • Paramedic
    Paramedic
    A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...

  • Paraprofessional educator
    Paraprofessional educator
    A paraprofessional educator, alternatively known as a para-pro, paraeducator. instructional assistant, teacher's aide or classroom assistant, is a teaching-related position within a school generally responsible for specialized or concentrated assistance for students in elementary and secondary...

  • Professional
    Professional
    A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...

  • Unlicensed assistive personnel
    Unlicensed assistive personnel
    Unlicensed assistive personnel is an umbrella term to describe a job class of paraprofessionals who assist individuals with physical disabilities, mental impairments, and other health care needs with their activities of daily living and provide bedside care — including basic nursing...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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