Q. Who can provide a peer reference for independent or non-independent allied health practitioners such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and psychologists, midwives, and social workers when there is no other similar practitioner on staff?
A. The definition of a peer is someone from the same discipline with essentially equal qualifications. To be able to provide a reference the peer would need to be familiar with the individual's actual performance. For the nurse practitioner, physician assistant, and psychologist, or social worker ideally this should be another individual from the same discipline and the organization should attempt to obtain such references. This could be someone within the same organization or someone from outside the organization.
However, in situations where there is no nurse practitioner, physician's assistant, psychologist, or social worker who could provide a peer reference it is acceptable for a physician or D.O with essentially equal qualifications, who is familiar with the allied health practitioner's performance, to provide the reference. For example, an internist could provide a reference for a physician assistant, an anesthesiologist could provide a reference for a nurse anesthetist, and a psychiatrist could provide a reference for a psychologist and a psychologist with similar responsibilities could provide a reference for a social worker.