A Teaching Project of the Natural Therapies Coach Workshops, Inc.
Client Intake Forms
The Difference Between Patients and Clients
Licensed health care professionals have patients for clients. Non-licensed health care professionals have clients, they do not have patients. Non-licensed professionals may legally work with the patients of a licensed health care professional only while they are under the supervision of that licensed professional. At all other times and under all other circumstances all non-licensed health care providers in the USA and Canada may legally provide services only to their own clients.
Licensed Health Care Professionals May Use Patient Intake Forms
State and provincial licensed health care professionals are allowed to ask any questions on their patient intake forms that might assist them to ascertain, assess, authenticate, conclude, confirm, decide, detect, determine, diagnose, discover, evaluate, examine, find, guess, identify, inspect, judge, look for, notice, observe, scan, study, survey, uncover or verify any medical, physical, emotional, mental or psychological disease, disorder or condition of any kind within the scope of practice defined by their license.
Licensed healthcare professionals may also admonish, advise, apprise, attempt to cure or prevent, caution, counsel, cure, diagnose, educate, enlighten, evaluate, hint, inform, prescribe, prevent, recommend, rectify, suggest or treat any of those medical, physical, emotional, mental and psychological diseases, disorders or conditions defined by the scope of practice for their license.
Certified Health Care Professionals May Use Limited Client Intake Forms (but should probably avoid them)
Non-licensed health care professionals cannot legally ask any questions that might help them diagnose, treat, cure or attempt to cure any medical, physical, emotional, mental or psychological disorders, diseases or conditions.
Certified health care professionals may legally ask their clients to complete and sign a Client Intake Form asking only for the full name, address, normal and emergency contact information of their client. They may not legally ask their clients to complete and sign a Client Intake Form that contains any questions about medical, physical, emotional, mental or psychological conditions, diseases or disorders.
There are no restrictions on what you may verbally ask your clients about their health. If your client chooses not to answer you, accept the fact you have no legal right to know the answers you seek. If your client does answer your verbal questions, you can choose to forget what you heard, try to remember or write it down. But if you do write it down, write it down in your client files as: "Client says..." or "Client claims...."
A Better Solution
As you progress through the lessons in Professional Practices, Professional Ethics, and Creating Your Own Informed Consent Forms, you'll learn that a well-constructed informed consent form signed by your client is the single most important document you have to protect yourself. This form makes all the difference between practicing illegally or practicing your profession legally.
When you learn the empowering techniques taught in our basic coaching skills workshop, you'll have all the skills you need to practice legally in your country, state, province, district or community.