John,

Interesting comments. I would propose that if the certifying body was to have certified a certain (I know ambiguous) number of unqualified persons, then there could be a situation for class action against the certifying body in that they failed to meet the standard they set forth (assuming that they, like MS, have stated what certification means). This, of course, assumes that there is a class that depended on the certification for evaluating the qualifications of persons as having met the published standard of the certifying body.

As for profession, well in Nursing school we were taught a definiton of profession, I'm not sure where it came from. The requirements were something like;

1) Persons are prepared in a similar and formal schooling
2) Persons must prove their qualifications after schooling to be allowed to practice

Curiosity question; is there a "good semaritan act" for lawyers that covers them when working Pro Bono? I know in Medicine and Nursing a professional is not held to the same standard when they offer their assistance for no fee (the prupose of the act is to stop the professionals from refusing to offer assistance at accident scenes due to liability issues).